Sturt in Financial Trouble?

[Pseudo]

Bays and Sturt merger?
Well, crowds would be up on account that over the years, those two clubs seem to have the best eye candy attending their home games.

Yeah, those blokes on Snout's Hill are quite the lookers...

[JK]

Bays and Sturt merger?
Well, crowds would be up on account that over the years, those two clubs seem to have the best eye candy attending their home games.

Yeah, those blokes on Snout's Hill are quite the lookers...

Get better with every can?

[Sojourner]

Sturt CEO Matt Benson crying that the club cannot survive without Poker Machines.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl ... 6375682332

[whufc]

Sturt CEO Matt Benson crying that the club cannot survive without Poker Machines.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl ... 6375682332

Geez thats been the case for SANFL clubs for at least 5 years now, a tad behind the eight ball one thinks.

If Sturt have been this far behind in all our their other decisions no wonder their nearly gone.

[on the rails]

Interersting article re the Pokies and the whole $$$ debate. In the article, the following is quoted:

"SANFL's 291 affiliated clubs used 400 machines to generate $28 million of the sport's annual $115 million revenue base".

Well looking at those figures, 8 SANFL Clubs by my quick research generate income from a combined total of 351 machines.

Not counted in that figure are the Port Magpies as the PAFC took over their Alberton Oval Machines years ago and now also control the POW Hotel machines under the "One Club" Amalgamation so technically the Magpies are counted as nil contributors.

Also I have not counted are the 33 machines Sturt operate for the owners of the Castle Tavern and receive a dividend / income from that operation.

So in reality based on my quick figures, the other 283 SANFL affiliated clubs have only 49 machines between them? I am not sure that is actually correct without "trolling" through and seeing who has what machines and what is counted towards Football and not included under Community and Sporting Clubs etc such as Marion Sports and Community Club? So in theory based on the article, their contribution is very small overall - through no fault of their own of course but it also does show in a simplistic way how much the SANFL Clubs put into SA Football with Gaming income.

If you counted / included half of PAFC's machines to the Magpies that would add 40 more to the overall SANFL total and also included Sturt's Castle Tavern Machines that adds another 33 then someone has their facts and figures wrong as that would give the SANFL Clubs 424 machines meaning the other SANFL Affiliated Clubs have minus 24 between them? That also does not include the other 40 machines the PAFC operate nor the Crows Tavern machines?

[Dutchy]

Sturt CEO Matt Benson crying that the club cannot survive without Poker Machines.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl ... 6375682332

Geez thats been the case for SANFL clubs for at least 5 years now, a tad behind the eight ball one thinks.

If Sturt have been this far behind in all our their other decisions no wonder their nearly gone.

I think the problem was that other clubs got in early and have had success, Sturt bought in to pubs and pokies at the height of the market, hence the high debt levels and when the market has decreased it has created stress.

[Barto]

I think the problem was that other clubs got in early and have had success, Sturt bought in to pubs and pokies at the height of the market, hence the high debt levels and when the market has decreased it has created stress.

We also got in early but when there's other and better options to spend a gambling buck, people will go there.

Our major problem was the investment in machines that were out of the way in comparison to more successful venues like the Cremorne. Why go play pokies down at the footy club when the pub on the main road is more accessible locality, opening hours and facilities wise? We weren't even playing home games at Unley when the machines went in to the club rooms.

The club assumed at the time the installation of pokies would be a big money spinner and they actually nearly killed us in the 90's with the debt incurred from the set up.

Add in the fact that the wealthier demographic dont spend as much on these machines.

Bar Zaar was a good idea, but should have been the way the club went from the get go. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

All clubs were hamstrung by the goverments decision to bring pokies in across the board rather than restrict to licenced clubs, like the original NSW model. It would have been wonderful to see SANFL clubs rolling in it like the leagues clubs in that state, but it wasn't to be.

[csbowes]

I'd certainly like to see the club put out a 7-8 page report, detailing what has gone on over the past 4-5 years and explaining how we are where we are, what we've tried to fix it and what we're thinking of doing in the future to fix it again. I'd like to see this simply because I think it could be a real eye opener, if the club and board have been busting their balls to solve various problems and I'm told they have been, then it'll come out in the report. The mistakes made have to be highlighted, as these are so very important in order to understand what works and doesn't work. If the mistakes are covered up or lightened in their impact, then readers may not fully realise how bad decisions were or how bad the ramifications of those decisions were. Likewise, good decisions must also be highlighted for the same reason, its all about disclosing everything honestly and transparently so members really understand. For me, I'd find it an incredible read and while it might mean I find out things I was afraid of, I might also find out about some really positive outcomes I wasn't aware of either. That said, many organisations find such disclosure very difficult to do.

[Sojourner]

I'd certainly like to see the club put out a 7-8 page report, detailing what has gone on over the past 4-5 years and explaining how we are where we are, what we've tried to fix it and what we're thinking of doing in the future to fix it again. I'd like to see this simply because I think it could be a real eye opener, if the club and board have been busting their balls to solve various problems and I'm told they have been, then it'll come out in the report. The mistakes made have to be highlighted, as these are so very important in order to understand what works and doesn't work. If the mistakes are covered up or lightened in their impact, then readers may not fully realise how bad decisions were or how bad the ramifications of those decisions were. Likewise, good decisions must also be highlighted for the same reason, its all about disclosing everything honestly and transparently so members really understand. For me, I'd find it an incredible read and while it might mean I find out things I was afraid of, I might also find out about some really positive outcomes I wasn't aware of either. That said, many organisations find such disclosure very difficult to do.

Perhaps that is a good cause for the members to call for an External Review of the club by a suitable auditing firm that can go over the full history of every thing that has occured and make that statement to the members along with what needs to be done to resolve the situation?

[Dutchy]

I'd certainly like to see the club put out a 7-8 page report, detailing what has gone on over the past 4-5 years and explaining how we are where we are, what we've tried to fix it and what we're thinking of doing in the future to fix it again. I'd like to see this simply because I think it could be a real eye opener, if the club and board have been busting their balls to solve various problems and I'm told they have been, then it'll come out in the report. The mistakes made have to be highlighted, as these are so very important in order to understand what works and doesn't work. If the mistakes are covered up or lightened in their impact, then readers may not fully realise how bad decisions were or how bad the ramifications of those decisions were. Likewise, good decisions must also be highlighted for the same reason, its all about disclosing everything honestly and transparently so members really understand. For me, I'd find it an incredible read and while it might mean I find out things I was afraid of, I might also find out about some really positive outcomes I wasn't aware of either. That said, many organisations find such disclosure very difficult to do.

Think its time for the club to look forward, not look back. Can only change the future not the past and all their energies need to go into improving the current situation.

Good points Barto, but they definately bought into the current pokie venues at the height of the market. Again at the time it was probably the right decision, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[Barto]

Think its time for the club to look forward, not look back. Can only change the future not the past and all their energies need to go into improving the current situation.

Good points Barto, but they definately bought into the current pokie venues at the height of the market. Again at the time it was probably the right decision, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

You're talking about Bar Zaar, yes?

[Dutchy]

Castle Plaza

[on the rails]

Sturt's issue with the Castle Tavern revolves around the sub-lease deal they signed with the Frickers. Sturt manage and run the venue but have no control over the profits so in theory get a management fee for all the effort. I suspect they jumped at that deal after seeing the $$$ the NAFC were generating from the Northern Tavern but that lease is an actual operating lease, lock stock and barrel so to speak, not a sub management lease so completely different.

Norwood is another club who locked themselves into a poor management deal with the Highlander Hotel re their Nor-East venue.

[JK]

Norwood is another club who locked themselves into a poor management deal with the Highlander Hotel re their Nor-East venue.

Yet it was a sensible decision and one that should have been made much earlier .. Yes we give away a fair whack of $$, but the cost of legal proceedings whilst our pokies brought in $0 was a perilious situation.

Many also say, that any venture our club runs, our club also **** up .. History doesn't deny that in a lot of instances also, so sharing with proven operators was probably a much safer start.

[jumbo20]

Was Fridays group of player sackings anything to do with the clubs financial position?

[FlyingHigh]

Which players, jumbo?

[heater31]

Which players, jumbo?

Most notable would be Patrick Fittock but he has been very injury prone the past couple of seasons. The others were just reserves players I think?

[Jimmy_041]

I'd certainly like to see the club put out a 7-8 page report, detailing what has gone on over the past 4-5 years and explaining how we are where we are, what we've tried to fix it and what we're thinking of doing in the future to fix it again. I'd like to see this simply because I think it could be a real eye opener, if the club and board have been busting their balls to solve various problems and I'm told they have been, then it'll come out in the report. The mistakes made have to be highlighted, as these are so very important in order to understand what works and doesn't work. If the mistakes are covered up or lightened in their impact, then readers may not fully realise how bad decisions were or how bad the ramifications of those decisions were. Likewise, good decisions must also be highlighted for the same reason, its all about disclosing everything honestly and transparently so members really understand. For me, I'd find it an incredible read and while it might mean I find out things I was afraid of, I might also find out about some really positive outcomes I wasn't aware of either. That said, many organisations find such disclosure very difficult to do.

Perhaps that is a good cause for the members to call for an External Review of the club by a suitable auditing firm that can go over the full history of every thing that has occured and make that statement to the members along with what needs to be done to resolve the situation?

Keith Thomas will do one for you

[robranisgod]

Which players, jumbo?

Most notable would be Patrick Fittock but he has been very injury prone the past couple of seasons. The others were just reserves players I think?

That sort of cleanout happens often at this time of the year with many clubs. Go through any teams list of prospective recruits from the start of the year and often barely half of them are still at the club at this time of the year. It actually gives blokes who are clearly not going to make the seniors the chance to return to their local or country clubs and actually earn more coin than they get from playing Reserves.

[CUTTERMAN]

@ jumbo20.
I would doubt it. The players are Fittock, Sharples, McDonald, Pinyon and Twopenny. All have struggled to overcome injury or hold a spot in the senior team when given a chance. I can't see that the club would really save much money by doing this. Fittock has never come back from injury about two years ago, the club cleared him to play for a country club a few weeks back and then he came back for a reserves game and did reasonably well, my guess is he may have another injury or has decided that he can no longer commit. It's a big loss for us, Patty was a handy defender when fit.
Sharples has been given many years to get his game together.
John McDonald while having a great kick and a bit of pace has never really taken his opportunity when given a run in the seniors. Numerous coaches have given him a go.
To be honest I don't know much about Twopenny & Pinyon.

We've got some pretty good juniors pushing for games and I guess the club has been honest with these players. Good luck to all of them.