O’Neal keen to save Tiger communityCourtney Walsh
The Australian
9 June 2020Richmond president Peggy O’Neal believes extra-curricular programs that help clubs broaden their community influence must be protected from the AFL’s cost-cutting initiatives.
O’Neal said there is far more to the Tigers than the team that resumes their premiership defence on Thursday night.
Clubs across the league took immediate steps to drastically reduce costs when the season was suspended due to the outbreak of coronavirus in March.
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As AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said last week, the AFL was looking at a $1bn disaster at the time.
The earlier-than-expected return to action, along with the prospect fans might be able to watch matches later this year, has reduced the economic strain. But the damage is still significant and the outlook ahead for clubs and the broader competition remains extremely challenging, as O’Neal acknowledged.
“I probably thought, when the season was called off and we didn’t know how the community would react to the restrictions, I thought if we don’t play at all this season, I would not be surprised,” she told The Australian.
“When it was possible to have teams fly in and fly out of Queensland, I became much more optimistic, but I don’t think we can really underestimate just how big a challenge we have going forward, just what next year is going to look like for us.
“This is so new for everyone but I’d think the league has investigated every possibility.”
It is expected that clubs will be ordered to reduce their soft salary cap by $3m for 2021, down from $9.4m, amid other cost-cutting measures that will continue for years to come.
But there is some opposition from clubs about the extent of cuts and O’Neal said it was important not to be too radical when implementing cost-saving measures.
Richmond, who will face Collingwood at the MCG to restart the 2020 season, have built strong indigenous and multicultural programs. The club also fielded a side in the AFLW for the first time in 2020 and are strong supporters of a children’s charity, the Alannah & Madeline Foundation.
“We regard those as very valuable and we would like to keep those ongoing. I would hate to think we did not continue working at and in those areas,” O’Neal said.
The Tigers president stressed the importance of retaining staff to ensure players were well looked after from a physical and mental welfare perspective.
“I think we can’t forget that the clubs are the ones that put the games on. The clubs need to be able to have teams that are well prepared,” she said.
“We have to make sure we have enough space (in the soft cap) to have the best medical officials and also the best mental health officials.
“As this plays out and as Australians have so far, relatively speaking, come through well, we don’t want to cut so far, so fast. Things are not as bad as initially thought from what my pessimism was.”
West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett, who remained in Perth as the Eagles flew to the Gold Coast on Monday to begin a stint of at least one month in a hub, is in agreement.
“That is spot on. We have a very similar view to that. We have a foundation and a wonderful profile in the community with the things that we do,” Nisbett said.
“We always have to remember the risks of people losing their jobs and then us not being able to provide support for our players and also the community.”
The Eagles stood down 70 employees shortly after the season was suspended. The club has been able to find more than a third of them work in the mineral resources industry and also with The David Wirrpanda Foundation.
Nisbett did express concern about the impact the relocation of both West Coast and Fremantle to the Gold Coast for at least a month will have on the community in the west.
“In the long run, you do worry about the people of Western Australia and their wellbeing,” he said.
“Now their footy team is going away, that is a major concern for our fans and our members, and I am sure Fremantle are in the same boat.”
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/richmonds-peggy-oneal-mindful-of-protecting-afl-club-communities/news-story/0614fad44d7ae9b80427d98212476f22
