$2 million black hole
Damian Barrett | December 19, 2008
MELBOURNE Football Club's viability is at stake because of a deteriorating relationship between football headquarters and the Melbourne Cricket Club.
Demons chief executive Cameron Schwab last night told the Herald Sun that his club being caught in the AFL-MCC crossfire had left it as vulnerable as at any stage in its recent history.
"There is no doubt the stand-off has potentially dramatic consequences for the club," Schwab said. Asked what those could be, he said: "I don't want to go there."
More than $2 million of assistance for Melbourne has been jeopardised by the latest souring of the AFL-MCC relationship.
The Herald Sun understands the AFL Commission passed a motion on Monday to increase its level of annual special distribution to Melbourne in 2009 from $250,000 to $1 million.
But, as per what it believed to be a verbal agreement with the MCC, the pledge was provisional on the MCC also committing $1 million of assistance to the Demons, which would include rent relief for use of offices at the MCG and possibly beneficial clauses attached to the club's contract to move to a base within the Olympic Park precinct.
The deal, though, remains in limbo, because the MCC committee refused to sign off on the arrangement this week.
Full story here:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24821980-19742,00.html
