Football Department Spending

[Sojourner]

In todays Advertiser an article states that Collingwood has the highest spend of any of the AFL sides and goes on to imply that opposition sides that want to be successful will need to be spending a similar amount, hence the poll is this actually necessary or not?

My thoughts are that several years ago it probably did not make as much difference, but I feel that it does make more difference in today's game. Resources can determine whose clubs players get back onto the field quicker, the use of the decompression chamber and intensive therapies and so on likely make all the difference, along with access to modern coaching programmes that are global in approach as opposed to locally based training at the clubs headquarters.

Essendon seem to be doing pretty well and its probably no coincidence that they seem to be one of the clubs that can throw some money around to achieve what they want to do when its called for. The Western Bulldogs conversely seem to have had a few goes at it and now appear to be waning and it could be wondered if they had Collingwoods budget what they might have been able to achieve over the same time.

The skeptic in me suggests that the reason the AFL don't seem keen on any type of capping of football department spending is because they accept that the Premier League and Championship system of the EPL is the future of the AFL. In the P/L the sides at the top of the ladder spend by far the most, occasionally a lower ranked side knocks them off but not on a regular basis and I would suggest that when we go to two groups of ten sides in the AFL that the top sides of the first competition will be difficult to dislodge over time, not impossible but perhaps not as likely as people think it might be.


Even if the Crows and Power each directed all of the projected $3.5 million in extra stadium revenue from Adelaide Oval in 2014 to their football departments, the SA-based clubs would still be at least $3m behind Collingwood's projected spend of $24m.

The gap between Collingwood's league-high spend of $19.5m in football last season and that at West Lakes and Alberton last year reached record levels.

Adelaide was $3.7m behind the Magpies, ranking the Crows 11th in football department expenditure - and they finished 11th in the 2010 premiership race. This status heightens the growing belief in AFL circles that football department spend directly correlates to on-field rankings.

Port was $4.2m behind Collingwood - and its spend of $15.3m is inflated by the two-season payout to dismissed coach Mark Williams.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/ova ... 6053594674

[Dogwatcher]

Hasn't it always been the way that the clubs with the greater resources will generally perform better than the others?
It's just in the past that those financial resources could be directed into recruiting players or paying them more.
Now, with that avenue controlled, the clubs have worked out other ways to spend their money.

[Jim05]

If the clubs can get good sponsors and generous donations from people good luck to them. Why should the clubs who are good at making money be brought back to other clubs level. Its how you spend the money that makes the differance.

[Dirko]

If the clubs can get good sponsors and generous donations from people good luck to them. Why should the clubs who are good at making money be brought back to other clubs level. Its how you spend the money that makes the differance.

Agreed.

[Rik E Boy]

Not quite on topic but the AFL will become the APL once Free Agency comes in.

regards,

REB

[GWW]

Hasn't it always been the way that the clubs with the greater resources will generally perform better than the others?
It's just in the past that those financial resources could be directed into recruiting players or paying them more.
Now, with that avenue controlled, the clubs have worked out other ways to spend their money.

It was also generally the case that clubs didn't receive any extra assistance with recruiting, that was up until the AFL decided to hand out priority picks to underperforming clubs Plus continual number 1 picks to a certain club with blue on its guernsey (not to mention another club with some red and blue). Amazing how that assistance can help clubs on field and therefore its finances.

[Johno6]

youve gotta spend money to make money... as they say

[Rik E Boy]

Hasn't it always been the way that the clubs with the greater resources will generally perform better than the others?
It's just in the past that those financial resources could be directed into recruiting players or paying them more.
Now, with that avenue controlled, the clubs have worked out other ways to spend their money.

It was also generally the case that clubs didn't receive any extra assistance with recruiting, that was up until the AFL decided to hand out priority picks to underperforming clubs Plus continual number 1 picks to a certain club with blue on its guernsey (not to mention another club with some red and blue). Amazing how that assistance can help clubs on field and therefore its finances.

Don't worry Bushy. You'll be getting those priority picks soon enough.

regards,

REB

[GWW]

Unfortunately with GWS and GC concessions they don't really apply anymore.

[Dogwatcher]

Not quite on topic but the AFL will become the APL once Free Agency comes in.

regards,

REB

Australian Poker League?

[Rik E Boy]

Not quite on topic but the AFL will become the APL once Free Agency comes in.

regards,

REB

Australian Poker League?

******* Poker. Sick of seeing that boring shit on TV on the sports channels. As if that is a sport. What next, the world series of Cribbige?

regards,

REB

[Jim05]

They had the chess world champs on a few years back.

[Rik E Boy]

They had the chess world champs on a few years back.

Yeah Max Rooke played in that.

regards,

REB

[Booney]

He stood Matthew Bishop.

[Rik E Boy]

He stood Matthew Bishop.

Who was coached by Peter Knights......who had quite a chequered coaching career.

that's it surely!

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Shit forgot about Steven King....once they leave Geelong they're dead to me.

regards,

REB

[Jim05]

And Nick Riewoldts a Queen

[whufc]

Not Collingwoods or any other sides fault that the crows decided to spend 5hitloads on coaches boxes behind the goals.

So what if a club like Collingwood can make extra coin by hiring out the Lexsus Center, good luck to them, for all the Eddie knockers the bloke knows how to make money.

Geez amazing how many of these problems werent around in the mid 2000's when the Crows and Power were making finals fairly consistently.

[Hondo]

whufc, Collingwood are in a much, much better financial position now than then

Also, the deal the AFL did with the MCG to release the G's hold on Preliminary finals gave Collingwood (and the G) extra "blockbuster" games at the G and I reckon that was about the same time Collingwood really started to turn their finances around.

It's not a Crows or Power whinge anyway. If you walked into Collingwood's facilities and then toured North Melb's I reckon you'd be amazed at the difference. Ditto probably Central's compared to Sturt's.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong but I think it definitely helps those teams on field performances. What to do about it I don't know.

[whufc]

whufc, Collingwood are in a much, much better financial position now than then

Also, the deal the AFL did with the MCG to release the G's hold on Preliminary finals gave Collingwood (and the G) extra "blockbuster" games at the G and I reckon that was about the same time Collingwood really started to turn their finances around.

It's not a Crows or Power whinge anyway. If you walked into Collingwood's facilities and then toured North Melb's I reckon you'd be amazed at the difference. Ditto probably Central's compared to Sturt's.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong but I think it definitely helps those teams on field performances. What to do about it I don't know.

I here what you are saying but dont you think Collingwood should be rewarded for the financial nouse of their president.

Is it Collingwoods fault that they have the biggest supporter base and get the biggest attendances. Does it really matter if the Col vs Ess game is on ANZAC day even if it was played the day before they would have got 70+k to the ground minimun due to how the teams were travelling.

Obviously being a Victorian based side helps Col vs Rich @ MCG wil still get a 50K type crowd (because both clubs fans can attend easily) where as a Adel vs Rich @ Aami will only get 40K max. Remember though the Crows joined the AFL knowing this would be the case, there has always been more AFL clubs based in Melbourne.

The only part i agree on is that travel exspenses should be covered by the AFL so all teams spend the same amount of money on travel. It is unfair that Crows would have to spend X amount on travel while Col spend alot less. The AFL should subsidise the sides which spend alot more due to no fault of their own.

Hondo, what have the Crows done recently in an attempt to make alot more money? there more worried about building coaches boxes behind the goals, have they looked at buying a pub etc etc.