Richmond $6 million bid to buy an AFL flag * Jon Ralph
* From: Herald Sun
* February 10, 2011 RICHMOND aims to raise $6 million from fans through an ambitious fundraising campaign it believes will deliver the club its 11th premiership.
Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale this week will unveil details of the Fighting Tiger Fund campaign, as Richmond pushes to again become the AFL's No.1 club.
The club has been blown out of the water in football's spending race in recent years, and believes it has reached a critical juncture.
Gale said if the club could clear its $4.5 million debt, it would be able to pump the money saved through interest payments in to football department expenditure.
Coach Damien Hardwick yesterday threw his support behind the bid to raise money for a range of initiatives including a stand-alone VFL side, the ability to spend 100 per cent of the salary cap to retain its stars, and a war chest for free agency's introduction in 2012.
"We feel we have got to invest now. We don't want to go through the next four or five years, and we are in the same cycle again," Hardwick said.
"We need to put time and effort into (Trent) Cotchin, (Brett) Deledio, (Dustin) Martin, (Jack) Riewoldt, (Reece) Conca, all those young players who are here now and who can take us forward. We can't afford to wait any longer. We have waited too long."
The club must also fund the upgrading of the Punt Rd Oval into an elite surface, and wants to expand its recruiting and list analysis program.
The club's fundraising drive will involve rank-and-file members, and a call to arms for wealthy supporters at a dinner on March 17.
Gale stressed the campaign was not about saving Richmond, but allowing it to compete with the AFL's power clubs.
"This is not Save Our Skins," he said. "The competition is fierce, but we aspire to be the best again ... but we need to invest now.
"There is a clear correlation between football department spending and success."
Melbourne was able to clear its debt through a massive group of rich supporters, but the Tigers believe their members will also band together to help the club.
"We are saying to our people, if you want to feel the excitement of grand final week and winning premierships, we have the people and plans, and we need to give them every opportunity to be successful," Gale said.
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