AFL HANDOUTS by George on The Outer

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AFL HANDOUTS by George on The Outer

Are some more equal than others?

Between the clubs themselves and AFL House, it is difficult to get a true appreciation of the financial well-being of individual clubs.  The annual reports take well into the New Year in some cases and the AFL doesn’t produce its own report until May the following year!  Even then, it seems to be un-published for months afterward. 

Perhaps it is planned that way, in the middle of the new football season, when no-one cares what happened last year.

Regardless, it is interesting to extract the information from all these data-bases and put them together. 

It is worth noting the absolute financial support that the AFL is providing to the Northern state clubs, outside of draft picks, additional salary cap space and cost of living allowances.

Here are the results for the 2015 Year:

2015	Base	Bonus	Additional	Total	Profit/Loss
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY GIANTS	7,890,840	1,200,000	11,490,642	20,581,482	-529,000
GOLD COAST	7,890,840	1,200,000	8,854,524	17,945,364	-300,000
ST KILDA	7,890,840	1,200,000	8,337,466	17,428,306	-848,000
BRISBANE LIONS	7,890,840	1,200,000	7,349,619	16,440,459	-681,000
WESTERN BULLDOGS	7,890,840	1,200,000	6,640,343	15,731,183	388,000
NORTH MELBOURNE	7,890,840	1,200,000	5,492,480	14,583,320	530,000
MELBOURNE	7,890,840	1,200,000	4,909,031	13,999,871	562,000
PORT ADELAIDE	7,890,840	1,200,000	3,795,418	12,886,258	211,000
RICHMOND	7,890,840	1,200,000	3,416,500	12,507,340	459,000
HAWTHORN	7,890,840	1,200,000	3,267,685	12,358,525	3,300,000
SYDNEY SWANS	7,890,840	1,200,000	3,144,805	12,235,645	300,000
ESSENDON	7,890,840	1,200,000	2,737,272	11,828,112	-1,300,000
FREMANTLE	7,890,840	1,200,000	2,570,346	11,661,186	763,000
CARLTON	7,890,840	1,200,000	2,495,684	11,586,524	-2,700,000
WEST COAST EAGLES	7,890,840	1,200,000	2,386,781	11,477,621	5,500,000
COLLINGWOOD	7,890,840	1,200,000	1,904,152	10,994,992	850,000
ADELAIDE CROWS	7,890,840	1,200,000	1,542,653	10,633,493	1,400,000

Some of the outcomes are explainable, such as Geelongs loss resulting from a building programme at Kardinia Park.  Others such as Carlton seem to have arisen purely from spending more than they earn, particularly when the on-field results continue to be mediocre.

What is truly amazing is the extent of support provided to St.Kilda and the Western Bulldogs, when compared to clubs like our own.  Similar membership bases, similar fixtures, similar ladder positions and yet St.Kilda were gifted an addition $3.5 million dollars more than Melbourne.  The Bulldogs were given an extra $1.5M.

Worrying signs for the AFL is that despite all this additional money thrown their way, the Saints still lost nearly $850,000.  Not all that can be as a result of a lousy fixture, Etihad stadium or a lowly finishing position.

The other point to note is despite these individual anomalies, the extent of support from the AFL is probably about right.  Take away the outliers and 12 of the teams receive monies within a $4 million range.

What is galling for a many fans is that the likes of Richmond, Essendon, Carlton and Collingwood are receiving nearly as much support financially. Yet these same clubs demand priority in fixturing and TV slots.  These are the clubs who claim others are held up by their largesse.

As Julius Sumner Miller used to say “Why is it so?”

Perhaps it’s because some clubs are more equal than others, in the socialist Animal Farm known as the AFL.