$50 donation program to help RFC in 2020

[one-eyed]

The afl is going to waste the greatest opportunity to refocus and reorganise the competion it will ever have. Melbourne as a city has too many clubs. North, St Kilda and Melbourne shouldnt be in the competition. Those xlubs are just wasting resources and taking up sponsorship dollars that should be shared by the clubs. Its time for a superleague. Now is the opportunity.

According to Caroline Wilson, club bosses and figures at the AFL are convinced that the Kangaroos should be moved from North Melbourne to Tasmania

https://wwos.nine.com.au/afl/caroline-wilson-says-north-melbourne-relocation-to-tasmania-possibility-footy-classified/9cd1672e-fd99-45bc-8544-cbc3f964f4b5

[Rampsation]

Thats not enough. Reforming the competition should be a priority.

[one-eyed]

The AFL sent a letter to every member backing all clubs to survive.

A letter from the AFL Commission Chairman

March 31, 2020

Dear Supporters,

  This is an unprecedented time in the history of our country, impacting on every aspect of our lives, both personally and professionally.

  In order to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, we all need to play our role in helping to slow the spread of the virus and to ensure we flatten the curve to reduce the impact on our hospital facilities and the medical system for the sake of everyone’s wellbeing. We owe our health professionals a great debt for their selfless service to us all.

  As we have said before, footy is a game but not the main game. The main game for all of us remains ensuring the safety of everyone - families, friends and the wider community.

  While this is one of the biggest challenges to face the community, this is also one of the biggest challenges to face football in more than 160 years.

  At every level of the game, from the 18 elite AFL clubs down to community football and Auskickers, Australians are currently unable to play and watch the game we love, severely limiting the ability to be part of the footy clubs and communities that are so important within our lives.

  Which is why I want to assure you the AFL Commission and Executive, led by myself and Gillon McLachlan, will protect our game at all levels. From the 18 AFL clubs, to the 14 AFLW teams, to State leagues and the community game, footy will be back when it is the right time to be back.

  For the time being, we have needed to reduce costs at AFL level, at our AFL clubs and across the states and territories dramatically, without regular revenue coming into the game, and this has been extremely difficult for everyone involved but we are conscious that this is not an easy time for anyone in the community. 

With the support of NAB and ANZ as funding partners, we have been able to secure the funding that we need to enable continued operations, that will ensure that all parts of the game are protected for the longer term. It is a very important step and I want to thank NAB and ANZ while also acknowledging the AFL and our clubs still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do.

Our clubs have made difficult and hard decisions, while our players have stepped forward to show their support in taking salary cuts and agreeing to the flexibility that will enable us to run a season. Everyone is aligned and united in taking the actions to get through and I want to thank them sincerely for their response.

  In my regular contact with the club Presidents, as well as those Commissioners and Presidents who are part of the AFL Council created to address this situation, the commitment by all to the future of our game has been both strong and reassuring.

  We will come through this period together because of this united approach.

  All stakeholders across the industry – players, coaches, clubs, staff, corporate and broadcast partners, members and supporters -- are united in doing everything necessary to ensure the game we love remains strong for every level of the community across the country.

  We have had great support from our major partners and broadcasters who have backed us to work our way through this. Our game thanks all of those partners and broadcasters who share our values.

  And although our Toyota AFL Premiership season might look a little different when we return to play, it will still be there for football supporters. It might mean we have to watch from our living rooms for a while, but your club colours are just as important as if you were sitting in the outer.

  Whenever we return, I am hoping the footy this season provides you with a sense of normality and joy but right now the major focus of all clubs and the players is that our supporters and staff and their families continue to follow the guidelines to stay safe and healthy. 

  We will make it through this together.

  Together as clubs, together as states and territories, together as community leagues, together as a football community.

  Above all, I want to sincerely thank club members and supporters for the way they have backed their clubs, understanding the difficulties they are facing.

  This time has reconfirmed once again that the passion of our supporters is the lifeblood of the game and that the game cannot prosper without you. Your clubs are equally concerned about your health and wellbeing as fans, so please look after yourselves and follow the safety messages.

  This game has so much history and is so important to thousands of communities across Australia and millions of football supporters. One of the great strengths of our game is how it brings us all, from our various backgrounds together. This unity in diversity is and will continue to be important. 

Our commitment is to protect the long-term viability of our game at all levels. At the end of the day, those of us with leadership responsibility in our game will continue to lead us through this, but we – with you the supporters – are stewards of this great game. All of us together. And it is what we create together that makes both AFL and AFLW what it is today.

  This remains a complicated and evolving situation that reminds us that we are all part of a broader society with a responsibility to look out for one another.

We encourage you to visit both afl.com.au and your club’s website for the latest news, updates and features to stay connected to the game.

  Finally, I want to assure all supporters of all clubs that the AFL and the 18 clubs are facing this challenge together, and that all 18 AFL clubs will come through the other end. Together.


Richard Goyder, AO
Chairman, Australian Football League Commission

[Rampsation]

Richard Goyder and Gill McLaughlan should resign. They have no vision for the games future.

[Diocletian]

As I said - it's all lip service & empty platitudes until this is over and they see the true, final damage...

[Diocletian]

Pools and gyms to close. Aligned Leisure is up the creek without a paddle now. Things are bad for the rfc.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-set-to-capitalise-on-shrewd-business-venture-20200331-p54fr2.html

 

[Rampsation]

Hopefully we got a great deal in the current environment. Hopefully corona passes soon and we r r open all these facilities.

[one-eyed]

Only four clubs could survive football-free season without AFL help

Caroline Wilson
The Age
3 April 2020

The AFL will assume unprecedented control over its clubs as part of the revolutionary new rescue package put forward on Thursday night to the 18 club bosses.

In a receivership model that will essentially turn league chief Gillon McLachlan and the AFL Commission into the competition's banker, clubs unable to meet cash-flow demands will now borrow funds previously deemed extra dividends from head office.

The move has left the financially stricken clubs disappointed and demanding to understand how the gap will ever be narrowed between the rich and the poor. It has also left several clubs seriously questioning the future of their AFLW teams.

St Kilda chairman Andrew Bassat, whose club is in debt to the tune of $12 million, emphasised those fears in Thursday's telephone hook-up, pointing out some clubs would now find it virtually impossible to achieve success.

And to underline the increasing differences between the ''haves'' and the ''have nots'', the wealthier clubs such as West Coast, Richmond and Collingwood - disenchanted at having to follow receivership rules - have achieved a special clause in the new agreement. This will exempt them from having to regularly open their books to head office.

In a series of developments over the past 24 hours it has emerged:

* Only four clubs - West Coast, Richmond, Hawthorn and Collingwood - could potentially survive a football-free season without borrowing from the AFL.
   
* A handful of clubs will need extra funds within weeks to address their cash-flow crisis.
   
* The clubs were taken aback to learn they will have to cover their players' seven-figure marketing costs for 2020 - a decision strongly questioned by Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett on behalf of the clubs.
   
* The AFL could further cut football department spending beyond the forecast $3 million and turn the soft cap into a hard cap.
   
* Several clubs fielding AFLW teams are seriously questioning whether they can afford to continue in the national women's competition given the dire financial circumstances at a time they could be forced to cut their second-tier teams and academies.
   
* McLachlan will also instruct the clubs to agree to a new cap on club administration costs in a bid to force all 18 businesses to cut more staff and additional costs.
   
* While the clubs can loan money from the AFL interest-free until the end of October, borrowings after that will acquire interest charges of 3.3 per cent.
   
* Wealthier clubs choosing not to sign up to the receivership model will pay a penalty should they require funds at a later date.

The final draft agreement was drawn up and delivered to clubs on Thursday night after significant disquiet among board members across the competition concerned at the implications for club directors.

Further divisions emerged with clubs questioning the unfairness of the debt-free financial circumstances of Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney, which are funded each year to the tune of roughly $25 million respectively.

Should the football season commence by early August the prevailing view is that Essendon, the Western Bulldogs - which recently sold off a large parcel of gaming machines - and potentially Adelaide retain sufficient cash flow to survive without borrowing from the AFL's $600 million pool.

The fact that only one-third of the 18 clubs boast bank balances that could take them through to the end of July has underlined the false nature of the profits announced by the majority of the clubs at the end of last season.

While several clubs sought independent legal advice, Western Bulldogs chairman Peter Gordon has engaged legal opinion that has been made available to all the clubs.

The AFL has engaged one of Australia's most respected lawyers, Arnold Bloch Leibler's Leon Zwier, who worked with the commission as it negotiated the $600 million NAB/ANZ bank loan and then advised on the complex negotiations with the 18 clubs.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/only-four-clubs-could-survive-football-free-season-without-afl-help-20200403-p54gsn.html

[Diocletian]

AFL 2021:

Richmond
Collingwood
Hawthorn
West Coast
Richmond Reserves
Collingwood Reserves
Box Hill
West Coast Reserves

 

[one-eyed]

Tigers fear being dragged back to AFL pack

Shayne Hope
7News
Saturday, 4 April 2020

Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale admits he is concerned the AFL powerhouse may be brought back to the pack by the ongoing financial crisis.

The Tigers, who boast a massive membership base, are one of just a handful of clubs that could survive a full year of football shutdown on their own during the coronavirus pandemic.

Others will be saved with help from the AFL, which secured a $600 million line of credit with banks this week.

Richmond, along with rival clubs like West Coast and Collingwood, have used their financial muscle to invest heavily in their football department in recent years.

But all spending by clubs will be reined in by the AFL as it takes greater control of club finances in its bid to steer the entire competition out of the mire.

"In one respect I am (worried) because I feel right now we've got ourselves in a position of strength off the field and a sustainable level of performance on the field," Gale told Fox Footy Live on Saturday.

"I look at our list profile and you'd like to think we're going to be around the mark for a little while, competing at the highest level.

"It's probably fair to say that we're in the upper end (of spending) with the soft cap. We need to invest in those things because we thought they were worthwhile," he said.

"Now, for the remainder of the season, the salary cap's been significantly reduced. So in one respect you think 'yeah, some of those advantages might be gone'."

Gale was one of the key figures involved in helping Richmond fight its way out of debt and into a strong position over the past decade.

Despite his concerns over losing that position, the 51-year-old former Tigers player said he was open to ceding some control of his club to the AFL for the greater good.

"We've had to beg for money and living hand-to-mouth at our footy club was an experience not that long ago," Gale said.

"We've worked very, very hard to build our organisation, build our finances and build our balance sheet, ultimately to sustain on-field (performance) but also to protect us in difficult times.

"But at the end of the day the AFL's got to run the competition in the best interests of the competition.

"By and large there's an incredible amount of collaboration and goodwill to work together as an industry to get through this period.

"If that means a bit more transparency, a bit more openness and the AFL has a bit more control, then so be it."

Gale confirmed the Tigers were committed to fielding an AFLW team into the future but was unsure where the VFL program would sit beyond this year.

https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/tigers-fear-being-dragged-back-to-afl-pack-c-956340

[one-eyed]

Tigers CEO fears Tiger Time could be over amid COVID-19

April 4, 2020 6:32pm
by David Zita
FOX SPORTS

Propelled by the premiership win in 2019, Richmond recorded a revenue increase of 16 per cent year-on-year.

Speaking on Fox Footy Live, however, Gale suggested their success on and off the field could be impacted by the inevitable cost-cutting that will be needed to remain solvent in 2021 and beyond.

“It’s a really delicate exercise because we’ve got to make decisions to protect the ongoing viability of the club from a financial point of view, but we worked very hard to get ourselves in a position of strength on the field,” he said

“And that’s based on a program where we prioritise certain things over others because we know they work for us, and we learnt that through struggle and through success and failure.

“Those things are important and we invest in those, and right now with all these cuts, it makes it really, really hard to maintain that program.

“But it’s just simply about identifying what are the things that are absolutely critical to the way we do business at our footy club. What’s critical to our competitive advantage, and just fighting as hard as we can pithing the confines of the rules to protect those — it’s a balancing act.

Gale, Richmond’s CEO since 2009, was forthright when asked if he was concerned about the club’s lead on the competition due to the implications of the coronavirus.

“In one respect I am, Huddo (Anthony Hudson). Because you know I feel right now we’ve got ourselves in a position of strength off-the-field and that has sustained a level of performance on-the-field.

“You know that’s got us to our level, sustained that, so I’d like to think you know look at our list and our list profile, you’d like to think you know we’re going to be around the mark for a little while competing at the highest level.

“And it’s probably fair to say we’re at the upper-end of the soft cap willing to invest in those things, Huddo, because we thought they were worthwhile.

“And now for the remainder of the season our salary cap has been significantly reduced, so in one respect you think, yeah, some of those advantages might be gone.

“But I think the strength, the biggest strength, is our culture, and it’s our connection with each other. It’s our ability to take a performance mindset in everything they do, to control what you can control, but not so worry about the things you can’t control.

“And maybe, maybe this might provide us with an even greater opportunity. You know, I’m confident our guys will make good out of this. We’ll find a way to make good out of this, and I think we’ll be well placed to come out the other side.”

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2020-richmond-tigers-richmond-football-club-brendon-gale-afl/news-story/2c5c2f018bc34af523febc39176a892a

[one-eyed]

How Richmond plan to stay ahead of the game during coronavirus pandemic

By SEN
5 April 2020

Richmond CEO Brendon Gale says Richmond will try and retain the things which have characterised the club’s recent success as the AFL looks to cut costs during the coronavirus crisis.

The majority of AFL and club staff have been stood down until further notice as a result of the league being suspended until at least May 31.

But while costs are being slashed across the board, Gale said it was vital Richmond held onto the things which make the club unique.

"We have worked very hard to get ourselves in a position of strength on-field and that is based on a program where we prioritise certain things over others because we know they work for us," Gale said on Fox Footy Live.

"We have learned that through struggle and through success and failure, and those things are important. We invest in those and right now with all these cuts it makes it really, really hard to maintain that program.

"It is simply about identifying what are those things that are absolutely critical to the way we do business in our football club...what is critical to our competitive advantage and fighting as hard as we can within the confines of the rules to protect those.

"In one respect you think some of those advantages might be gone but the biggest strength is our culture and it's our connection with each other. "Maybe this could provide us with greater opportunity, I'm confident our guys will make good out of this."

Richmond have won two of the last three premierships and began their 2020 season with a 24-point win over Carlton in round one.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2020/04/04/how-richmond-plan-to-stay-ahead-of-the-game-during-coronavirus-pandemic/

[WilliamPowell]

FYI

Club's online shop is offering 20% discount to members with free shipping

Every little bit helps

[one-eyed]

Richmond chief Brendon Gale says football will ‘look different’ once the coronavirus pandemic eases

Sportsday   
3aw
7 April 2020

Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale says there’s no doubt the AFL is going to “look different” once the coronavirus pandemic eases.

He said there’d be even more ramifications if the league couldn’t get a season away, at all, this year.

Many predictions are already being made about reduced playing list sizes, smaller coaching panels and possibly even fewer clubs.

“Football is going to look different,” Gale told Sportsday.

“It’s going to look different.

“There may be more focus on the elite part of the game and if that’s the case, it may come at a significant cost.

“We’ve got to be very, very mindful of that.”

Click PLAY in link below to hear more on 3AW:

https://www.3aw.com.au/richmond-chief-brendon-gale-says-football-will-look-different-once-the-coronavirus-pandemic-eases/

[one-eyed]

Clubs borrowing from AFL will have to report to league weekly

Jake Niall
The Age
8 April 2020

The clubs that borrow money from the AFL to make ends meet will have to submit a detailed weekly budget to the league as one of their conditions.

AFL and club sources have confirmed that those "assisted" clubs – of the 18, at least 10 are expected to need to borrow from the AFL during the COVID 19 crisis – would need to have their budgets approved by the league on a weekly basis.

Only six clubs – West Coast, Collingwood, Hawthorn, Richmond, Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs – have confirmed that they will not seek to borrow money from the AFL during the coming months, with the majority expected to sign up for what will be an initially interest-free loan or financing.

Essendon is still undecided about whether they will join the richer clubs – and the surprising Bulldogs – as one of the clubs that will go it alone and self-fund, outside of player payments. The Bombers' situation is complicated by the fact that they been midway through a construction phase at their Tullamarine base.

The incentive for self-financing, as at least six of the 18 clubs have decided, is evident in two ways.

The first advantage is that the clubs that are unassisted do not have to report to the AFL nor be as accountable to the league for what they spend, although all clubs will be subject to the heavily reduced soft cap (which could become a hard cap) on football spending, set to be slashed by about $3m from now until next year.

The second consideration is that clubs have to show they have exhausted cash reserves, or even the potential to borrow, before they can access the AFL loan.

Those assisted clubs will be charged the blended interest rate - about 3.3 per cent now - after October 31, which usually marks the end of the clubs' financial year, though it is likely that games would be played after that date – into November and even December – if the shortened season resumes after July.

Under the deal, all clubs will have their salary cap paid 100 per cent by the AFL, excepting the capped marketing deals for players of about $1 million, which the clubs will have to pay.

Some clubs believe this arrangement will be very tough on poor and indebted clubs, when considering what their distributions from the AFL had been.

Richer clubs, such as West Coast, Collingwood, Richmond and Hawthorn, had been receiving AFL distributions that did not cover their player payments. St Kilda, conversely, has been receiving several million dollars more ($20m plus in distribution) than their player spend, but will only have their salary cap paid during 2020 and have to borrow the remainder from the AFL to pay staff.

The same applies to North Melbourne (who received $17.6m from the AFL last year), although the Roos have only a $650,000 debt.

Of the confirmed "unassisted" clubs, five will rely on cash reserves, while Adelaide intend to borrow from their bank, the Bendigo Bank.

The requirement of borrowing means some clubs will increase their debt significantly, with St Kilda and the Brisbane Lions already owing well in excess of $10 million, although much of that is already owed to the AFL. The league is using their line of credit of about $600m from the NAB and ANZ to effectively fund the clubs.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/clubs-borrowing-from-afl-will-have-to-report-to-league-weekly-20200407-p54i0g.html