Richmond leads a football spending spree (Age)

[one-eyed]

Richmond leads a football spending spree
Jon Pierik | October 13, 2009

RICHMOND president Gary March has revealed the Tigers will go on a big spend this summer in a bid to rejuvenate for season 2010.

Desperate to atone for a year that featured the axing of coach Terry Wallace and just five wins, the Tigers will inject more than $500,000 into their football department, with player development and technology to reap the greatest dividends.

"We are increasing the development area, we have got more spending in football-related IT and technology," March told The Age.

"[Sports statistics company] Champion Data has been around for ages and people have been using it. But I think people are looking outside of that for other programs that give us an edge. That is certainly where we are heading."

The Tigers have overhauled their coaching staff, with new assistants Brendon Lade and Justin Leppitsch already joining new coach Damien Hardwick.

Former North Melbourne development coach David Newett has been appointed coach of Richmond's VFL affiliate Coburg.

Jade Rawlings and Craig McRae shared the Coburg job this year before accepting jobs with the Brisbane Lions from 2010 onwards.

Newett and former Hawthorn player Tim Clarke will be Richmond's development coaches under Hardwick, while player development manager Tim Livingstone has been upgraded to head the Tigers' development academy.

March said there would also be an increase in spending on leadership programs. "It's across the board. An increased program with [mentoring group] Leading Teams, skill acquisition, strength conditioning, all those sort of areas," he said.

March said the Tigers could afford to spend as they would post at least a $1 million profit, and possibly more than $2 million, depending on when their stadium deal returns are paid.

Another 2009 on-field battler, North Melbourne, will bump up its football department spending by $800,000 next season, with more than $14 million - including player payments - earmarked for the first time in what chief executive Eugene Arocca said is a "responsible" and "careful" financial approach.

Melbourne chief executive Cameron Schwab said a new budget was yet to be finalised but said the Demons were intent on more resources for their players.

"We will slowly but surely look to bring our numbers up to similar to most clubs over the next two to three years as our team, our list, develops," he said.

Schwab said $4 million had been donated to the club in the past 12 months and debt had been slashed to about $1.5 million.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/tigers-lead-football-spending-spree/2009/10/12/1255195743359.html

[Francois Jackson]

 

about time

Thats great news IMO

[tiga]

If it helps our players dispose of the ball more accurately then it is a welcome injection of funds. 

Coming from the IT industry myself, I hope that we get some sort of independent consultant to make sure we are not ripped off by some of these so called technology companies who markup equipment just because their knobs go to 11. (spinal tap rocks!  )

[Infamy]

If we're making a $1-2million dollar profit this year and with the new stadium deal are assured of another $1m per year approx, then I'd hope we'd be spending even more than $500k on the football department. Open the chequebook and get another assistant coach for starters.

With all due respect, I'm not sure you could call Newlett & Clarke a spending spree on development coaches.

[Smokey]

If we're making a $1-2million dollar profit this year and with the new stadium deal are assured of another $1m per year approx, then I'd hope we'd be spending even more than $500k on the football department. Open the chequebook and get another assistant coach for starters.

With all due respect, I'm not sure you could call Newlett & Clarke a spending spree on development coaches.

Nice sentiment but we still have to complete our financial rebuild Infamy.  We are much better off now than the dark years of Casey but we are not entirely out of the woods yet.  It is very appropriate to have a moderate increase until we are not leaking revenue to crippling debt interest.

[wayne]

Melbourne chief executive Cameron Schwab said a new budget was yet to be finalised but said the Demons were intent on more resources for their players.

"We will slowly but surely look to bring our numbers up to similar to most clubs over the next two to three years as our team, our list, develops," he said.

Schwab said $4 million had been donated to the club in the past 12 months and debt had been slashed to about $1.5 million.

Anyone worried about the Demons tearing it up next year, these guys are even behind us in regards to player development.

[Infamy]

We've had million dollar profits for the last 4-5 years, despite servicing any debt. I'm not sure I'd consider that in need of a complete financial rebuild.

[Smokey]

We've had million dollar profits for the last 4-5 years, despite servicing any debt. I'm not sure I'd consider that in need of a complete financial rebuild.

I didn't say we needed one - I said we hadn't completed the one we needed to do post-Casey - the one we needed to do to survive!  This has been March's strongest legacy to this club - he has taken control of and rebuilt, the club's financial situation to a point today where we can at least consider an increase in the football department budget like we have seen in the past couple of years.  But if you look at our balance sheet we still have a long way to go in divesting of the Casey-borne debt and until that goes it shows very sound management skills to not spend every spare cent on the football department.  I've stated my opinion on here many many times about the magnitude of the job that March's regime inherited and how they needed to stabilise off-field first.  They have done that very well and have been able to increase football spending recently as a result but the job isn't finished yet.  Spending all our profits yearly on the football department is exactly what Casey did to nearly sink our club.

[Gracie]

If we're making a $1-2million dollar profit this year and with the new stadium deal are assured of another $1m per year approx, then I'd hope we'd be spending even more than $500k on the football department. Open the chequebook and get another assistant coach for starters.

With all due respect, I'm not sure you could call Newlett & Clarke a spending spree on development coaches.

But also need to retire some of the debt especially with increasing interest rates on the way. The saving on interest paid can be redirected to the football department.

[mightytiges]

We are coming from a long long way back and from very low base. We have never really recovered from the financial mismanagement of the Club during 80s and it shows by the 70s/80s infrastructure at Punt Rd. While we can now add more investment into our footy dept, I'm assuming the main focus over the next year or so is to bring the Club's infrastructure into the 21st century with the redevelopment at Punt Rd and the new facilities at Craigieburn. You look at Adelaide's new facilities with their massive indoor training area, 3 gyms, sports science, etc and that's what we are trying to catch up to let alone bypass. Once our modern facilities are in place then you'd reckon attention can be fully focussed at boosting the footy dept big time.