AFL contests Telstra Dome's drinking rights
Caroline Wilson | October 24, 2008
THE AFL has launched a seven-figure claim against the soon-to-be-renamed Telstra Dome for the proceeds of alcohol served at the stadium during its nine-year reign as football's No. 2 Melbourne venue.
In a bid to tap a rich revenue vein so the competition can forward the profits to the stadium's financially struggling home clubs, the AFL will also push for pourage rights to the Dome in the future in exchange for a larger cut of its home-and-away fixture.
Tensions between the two parties were not helped by yesterday's announcement by Telstra Dome that it would be renamed Etihad Stadium from March next year.
The Age also believes that stadium chief executive Ian Collins has signed a new three-year agreement with Telstra Dome. Collins, who turns 66 today, took over the stadium in early 2000 at a time when it was undergoing teething problems.
The 2008 football season has proved a profitable year for Telstra Dome, which has also had its playing surface escape any criticism.
However, robust negotiations are expected to continue between the AFL and the venue it will one day own in a bid to extract a better deal for all the Victorian clubs who play home games there and particularly the financially struggling Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne.
It is believed that the AFL, which has retained a large chunk of the advertising signage profits for its games there, will forward significantly larger sums of money to its clubs next season. The Kangaroos, for example, should reap extra profits to the equivalent of one $400,000 Gold Coast game as part of its improved signage deal.
The five-year naming rights deal with Middle Eastern airline Etihad was a coup for the stadium whose deal with Telstra was due to expire, but something of a blow for the AFL, given its close relationship with Qantas.
While AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said he was unaware that Etihad had also been negotiating with the new Gold Coast Football Club, Demetriou stressed that his organisation would need to examine the controversial sponsorship deal to ensure it did not conflict with Qantas.
"We've got a major sponsor in Qantas … and they fly our teams around the country," Demetriou said from Perth last night on the eve of the first international rules clash.
When asked about the pourage plan, which could prove a bonanza for the clubs, Demetriou refused to divulge any details of talks between the two parties that met earlier this week to discuss the 2009 fixture, as well as the issue of the raw deal most Victorian clubs are receiving from the Dome.
The AFL is also in talks with the MCG in a bid to extract better match returns for that stadium's home clubs.
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