The reality is........ Clubs' futures

[saintbrat]

http://www.sen.com.au/display-article-2 ... kson/62607

Interesting comment from Melbourne CEO this morning when asked how long he would envision Melbourne ( struggling clubs) to need assistance

[SemperFidelis]

Thanks Brat, the Age had a piece too this afternoon.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/m ... 2xs5t.html

Since we now fall under the "struggling clubs" banner, let's rejoice!

[R. Harvey 3 votes!]

Give us a fair deal at Etihad and then lets see where we sit?
Just need to get through to 2025 when the AFL owns the stadium and our situation will improve immensely.

[Johnny Member]

The AFL should run all clubs' back office if you ask me.

The days of 'clubs' are over anyway, so why keep up the charade?

People barrack for a team. So just let the AFL run the business, and each club just has a footy dept and a team.

[plugger66]

The AFL should run all clubs' back office if you ask me.

The days of 'clubs' are over anyway, so why keep up the charade?

People barrack for a team. So just let the AFL run the business, and each club just has a footy dept and a team.

How about no.

[saintbrat]

Give us a fair deal at Etihad and then lets see where we sit?
Just need to get through to 2025 when the AFL owns the stadium and our situation will improve immensely.

But melbourne have an NCG deal and are still not expecting to ever make it--- Jackson is an AFL placement so if he is thinking that way why will it ever change....

[desertsaint]

Not holding out any hope that the afl will repay us for helping them buy their stadium. Will screw us royally as always and keep us needy and subservient.

[kalsaint]

The AFL should run all clubs' back office if you ask me.

The days of 'clubs' are over anyway, so why keep up the charade?

People barrack for a team. So just let the AFL run the business, and each club just has a footy dept and a team.

How about no.

Agree Plugger. Business and what's actually good for the game are oftern different things.

[saintspremiers]

The AFL should run all clubs' back office if you ask me.

The days of 'clubs' are over anyway, so why keep up the charade?

People barrack for a team. So just let the AFL run the business, and each club just has a footy dept and a team.

How about no.

Agree Plugger. Business and what's actually good for the game are oftern different things.

Agree in principle except our track record is appalling. We need assistance but not total takeover yet.

[SuperDuper]

The AFL took a policy of skewing the playing field toward big clubs. This was a policy desigend to increase TV audiences each year, and therefore increase their TV deal (and there own salary), This is simply fact.

Like conpany profits, it is imperative that viewing figures *increased* each year
The problem is that skewing the draw to increase profits means certain clubs are favoured... i.e. ensureing big drawing clubs play on certain days against othetr big drawing clubs.... this is tio the detriment of clubs liuke St. Kilda... e.g. compare a home game profit vs Fremantle witrh that vs. Collingwood.

The AFL has an algorithm (basically geeks working out the most efficient system) for maximising profits when they make the draw.

Unfortunateluy this often means treams like St. Kilda play home games against interstate clubs,and lose money

Yet overall, the AFL makes MORE money by this system

The AFL either has to make the playing field level by making a randomn or well waited draw that hellps all clubs evenly OR openly point to the fact that all clubs are part of the league and all share in the profits that they make

the latter may sound a little socialist for some (it is ironic how socialist the US sports are compared to European sports ).. but the system of the AFL making a fixture and TV rights that favours certain clubs is not free market either.. as the competition is anything but fair

One more point.... the new system of having low ranked teams play each other in early rounds (notoce our draw next year) is their latest synical exercise in attemppting toi iuncrease crowds... wow St. Kilda 3-0 plays Hawthorn 2-1 ... when in reality it may be a bottom 3 team playing a genuine contender... they want to increase crowds and TV viewers BUT maoinly they want to increase membership retes.. wow we are 3-0, wwwhat a buzz... look how great our youngsters played!! Let me buy a membership! We are headede for the finals!


rant over

[Johnny Member]

The AFL should run all clubs' back office if you ask me.

The days of 'clubs' are over anyway, so why keep up the charade?

People barrack for a team. So just let the AFL run the business, and each club just has a footy dept and a team.

How about no.

Agree Plugger. Business and what's actually good for the game are oftern different things.

I think the AFL is currently one of the most bizarre organisations ever.


We have the AFL, sho deadset run the show. They run it to the point that they tell people where they are playing, when they are playing, what you will wear, they even tell you who can play for you, they make rules up as they go along - they deadset control the whole show. They even create clubs from scratch when it suits them and change their own rules to suit these clubs.

But.....they then sit back and allow clubs to run terribly! They know how to run a club properly. They know how to run a club in the precise way required to ensure that the AFL prospers, and in turn each club remains viable and relevant. But they allow randoms to put together a 'ticket' to take over a club and do what they want with it!

Not only this, they stack things in the favour of 6-7 clubs to make things harder for the other clubs - but then frown on them when they make mistakes.


Why would the AFL, leave the door ajar for a club to kill itself? Why run that risk? If the AFL know how to run things, and control almost everything anyway - why sit back and let a club shoot itself in the foot? Or possibly, in the head!


To me it makes no sense.


I don't barrack for the Saints board. I don't barrack for the Saints admin. I don't walk in awe down the corridors at Seaford and soak up the history and nostalgia of the place.

I follow the footy team that plays each week. I couldn't give a rat's tossbag who the CEO is and who the board is.


I couldn't care less if the club outsourced all of that to the AFL, and just kept the footy dept. in-house.


At least we'd know money would never be an issue, and there'd never be a bad decision made in regards to our standing in the comp!

[GoMilney]

Yet history shows that when the Saints are up and running on field we pull big crowds and TV numbers. The Saints v Cats game in 2009 still holds the AFL attendance record at Etihad better than any Bombers game who have the sweet heart deal at Etihad. Etihad or Docklands have done very well out of the Saints since 2003 - there in turn so as the AFL. No doubt the skewed AFL draw in favour of the so called power clubs and the Docklands Stadium deal are chains around the Saints neck. To draw a crowd of 30000 and just break even with costs is just rubbish - something has to be done. From the Saints financial point of view I think leaving Tasmania was a mistake as well we should of stuck it out with Tassie hence we are now in NZ. All in all the AFL need to buy Docklands asap imo.

[Megamaguire]

Yet history shows that when the Saints are up and running on field we pull big crowds and TV numbers. The Saints v Cats game in 2009 still holds the AFL attendance record at Etihad better than any Bombers game who have the sweet heart deal at Etihad. Etihad or Docklands have done very well out of the Saints since 2003 - there in turn so as the AFL. No doubt the skewed AFL draw in favour of the so called power clubs and the Docklands Stadium deal are chains around the Saints neck. To draw a crowd of 30000 and just break even with costs is just rubbish - something has to be done. From the Saints financial point of view I think leaving Tasmania was a mistake as well we should of stuck it out with Tassie hence we are now in NZ. All in all the AFL need to buy Docklands asap imo.

Yes GoMilney something has to be done if the ridiculous scenario of filling The Dome
by 3/4 can only help our club to break even. What sprt of bizarro worls is that?

The big clubs in 'M E L B O U R N E ' don't actually need any more afl help to get even bigger. The afl have to some year soon get real and allow the Saints; Dogs; North etc. a genuine opportunity to recompense themselves fairly for when they draw decent crowds in particular. The afl should already have their name plastered all over The Dome !

GO SAINTS!

[plugger66]

How about no.

Agree Plugger. Business and what's actually good for the game are oftern different things.

I think the AFL is currently one of the most bizarre organisations ever.


We have the AFL, sho deadset run the show. They run it to the point that they tell people where they are playing, when they are playing, what you will wear, they even tell you who can play for you, they make rules up as they go along - they deadset control the whole show. They even create clubs from scratch when it suits them and change their own rules to suit these clubs.

But.....they then sit back and allow clubs to run terribly! They know how to run a club properly. They know how to run a club in the precise way required to ensure that the AFL prospers, and in turn each club remains viable and relevant. But they allow randoms to put together a 'ticket' to take over a club and do what they want with it!

Not only this, they stack things in the favour of 6-7 clubs to make things harder for the other clubs - but then frown on them when they make mistakes.


Why would the AFL, leave the door ajar for a club to kill itself? Why run that risk? If the AFL know how to run things, and control almost everything anyway - why sit back and let a club shoot itself in the foot? Or possibly, in the head!


To me it makes no sense.


I don't barrack for the Saints board. I don't barrack for the Saints admin. I don't walk in awe down the corridors at Seaford and soak up the history and nostalgia of the place.

I follow the footy team that plays each week. I couldn't give a rat's tossbag who the CEO is and who the board is.


I couldn't care less if the club outsourced all of that to the AFL, and just kept the footy dept. in-house.


At least we'd know money would never be an issue, and there'd never be a bad decision made in regards to our standing in the comp!

And can you tell me any professional sporting organisation of note who has everything but the playing side of things run by the that organisation.; I will go with there are none because there would be no point in being a big club. Why would clubs even care about growing. it makes no sense at all.

[Johnny Member]

Plugger66, can you please tell me one organisation that allows clubs to fold? Or at least pits itself in a position where it's clubs are in a very realistic position to fold?

[st_Trav_ofWA]

Plugger66, can you please tell me one organisation that allows clubs to fold? Or at least pits itself in a position where it's clubs are in a very realistic position to fold?

pleanty do ... we see clubs get reloacted all the time in US sport codes ... they fold reinvent get moved ...

[plugger66]

Plugger66, can you please tell me one organisation that allows clubs to fold? Or at least pits itself in a position where it's clubs are in a very realistic position to fold?

Many clubs fold in many competitions around the world. In australia every competition has clubs folding. A league, NRL, Netball and Basketball. In america many clubs fold or relocate.