More face the axe at Richmond
By Greg Denham, Australian Football
May 27, 2004
THE transformation of the Richmond Football Club, which began yesterday with the sacking of club chief executive Ian Campbell, will lead to the axing of coach Danny Frawley and most of his foot ball department at the end of the season.
Following the Tigers' 78-point thrashing by Port Adelaide last weekend, their fifth loss in the first nine rounds, director of football Greg Miller is expected to be one of the few survivors at Punt Road.
The retention of Miller could have a dual purpose should Richmond attempt to lure Carlton coach Denis Pagan away from Optus Oval, where he is in the second year of a three-year contract.
Miller was the chief executive of the Kangaroos when Pagan was coach and the pair were the major instigators of the club's 1996 and 1999 premierships.
Richmond's overhaul began yesterday with Campbell's axing after little more than 12 months in the position.
The Tigers are believed to have already earmarked Campbell's successor. President Clinton Casey will act in an interim role, as he did in 2002-03, before the new appointment is made official.
With five wins from his past 23 games, the Richmond board has lost patience with Frawley and most of his support staff.
It is believed at least seven players will be also told to leave, including high-profile full-back Darren Gaspar, who is under contract until the end of 2006.
Gaspar, who has struggled for form since a knee reconstruction last year, could be enticed back to Perth with West Coast yesterday confirming it would bid for his services at a reduced price.
For the past 16 months, at the insistence of Casey, Richmond has put most of its financial resources into a football department which has not achieved required results.
Campbell has left Punt Road after presiding over financial losses in consecutive years and a boardroom crisis this year in which three directors resigned.
"It was probably a mutual thing," Casey said yesterday. "We have got a heavy business plan moving forward which requires a special skill-set. It is an enormous task and Ian thought it best he move on, and we agreed to that."
Casey said he had canvassed sponsors and the AFL executive about a replacement. "The CEO's position is very intricate; you only have to look at the turnover to realise how tough it is," he said.
"We will find the person to fast-track us back into the black. We know the sort of person required and I don't expect it to be months before he is in place.
"In a funny way, it's a perfect time. Membership is all but done, sponsorship locked down and now we focus on next year's figures.
"When you make senior appointments, you don't like to make mistakes. It can hurt you, and this one hasn't worked out."
Richmond's most recent profit – slightly more than $300,000 – was in 2002 under chief executive Mark Brayshaw.
After an operating loss of more than $1.2 million in 2003, the Tigers are heading for a loss this year of anywhere between $1m and $2m.
Campbell informed his board before Christmas last year he expected a worst-case scenario of a break-even situation in 2004.
In March this year, Richmond's cash flow problem was so severe it sought an AFL redirection order for the first time.
The league put a $4m redirection facility in place at the ANZ Bank a month ago, allowing players to be paid on time in April.
The AFL guaranteed Richmond via its $4.08m annual dividend to all clubs.
It is understood the AFL is worried that Richmond has only enough cash to operate for another two months, before additional revenue is needed for the Tigers to trade beyond July.
Casey, who said yesterday he still had a personal guarantee of $1.6m over Richmond's debt, also said the Tigers were yet to fully activate the $4m bank redirection.
Richmond sources yesterday said Campbell's problems were his inability to generate revenue and a dismal failing to meet budget forecasts.
The Tigers' 2004 revenue is more than $1m down on budget despite a 15 per cent increase in membership from last year to 27,100 so far this season.
Richmond posted an official loss last year of $882,000, but that was flattered by a $400,000 donation from the Jack Dyer Foundation, established for capital works, but used as income for accounting purposes.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9670280%255E2722,00.html
