M Rucci on the powers financial woes.

[wycbloods]

I quote the great man from page 104 of the advertiser

"The SANFL Clubs, by their profit-and-loss statements from last year, have proven they cannot make money from football. So, for their sake, they had better let the Crows and Power maximise SA's football dollar."

Is he serious? How is easy is it to look at the last financial year for a large percentage of businesses, many will have reported a loss due to the economic times they are in. Why is it that the SANFL and its clubs have, as a majority, operated with strong balance sheets and made profits in the past but now due to one bad year they should handover more money, to the two AFL teams, because the Power are struggling?

It just seems like a stupid comment from my angle.

Thoughts?

[Wedgie]

It is a ridiculous comment, very selective like most of his bleatings.

BUT if it gets us talking about him his job will be done and his ego satisfied that little bit more as he thrives on it.

[Dutchy]

"The SANFL Clubs, by their profit-and-loss statements from last year, have proven they cannot make money from football. So, for their sake, they had better let the Crows and Power maximise SA's football dollar."

Have a closer look at the statement, "from football" means take away off field revenue (insert pokies, function centres, hotels) and a SANFL club cannot sustain a profit or break even from footy alone....

So he is correct

Also take away the $400k every year from the SANFL and our clubs would be stuffed

hence why your club is looking at some very serious changes to their off field set up

[wycbloods]

"The SANFL Clubs, by their profit-and-loss statements from last year, have proven they cannot make money from football. So, for their sake, they had better let the Crows and Power maximise SA's football dollar."

Have a closer look at the statement, "from football" means take away off field revenue (insert pokies, function centres, hotels) and a SANFL club cannot sustain a profit or break even from footy alone....

So he is correct

Also take away the $400k every year from the SANFL and our clubs would be stuffed

hence why your club is looking at some very serious changes to their off field set up

Isn't the revenue the clubs make through, function centres and pokies, somewhat reliant on their football departments? The more people you have through the gate, because you are playing good footy, the more people you have to spend money on the pokies and over the bar. How many clubs in any league could survive purely on their football income? Not many would be my guess.

[spin]

I'm wondering how much of the big picture Rucc is looking at. The Power's big picture or the big footy picture across the state. Depending on where clubs go with this situation there are some big questions about what future sanfl footy will look like.

If the power had more members would there be as much of a shortfall in funds? How much does membership fees contribute towards an AFL club's income such as the power?

Good question too wycbloods

[Chillidog]

I quote the great man from page 104 of the advertiser

"The SANFL Clubs, by their profit-and-loss statements from last year, have proven they cannot make money from football. So, for their sake, they had better let the Crows and Power maximise SA's football dollar."

How did Port go last year making a dollar from football?

You look at most AFL clubs and it is a constant battle, some make a profit, some make a loss...swings and roundabouts, as long as clubs work withing their long term financial constraints then there is no problem. Any SANFL Clubs crying to the league for a handout?

[nickname]

Any SANFL Clubs crying to the league for a handout?

Yes, a couple.

[Barto]

"The SANFL Clubs, by their profit-and-loss statements from last year, have proven they cannot make money from football. So, for their sake, they had better let the Crows and Power maximise SA's football dollar."

Have a closer look at the statement, "from football" means take away off field revenue (insert pokies, function centres, hotels) and a SANFL club cannot sustain a profit or break even from footy alone....

So he is correct

Also take away the $400k every year from the SANFL and our clubs would be stuffed

hence why your club is looking at some very serious changes to their off field set up

Since when has any club really made most of their money "from football".

If that means gate takings alone, then it's pretty much every club, AFL and SANFL.

[Hazydog]

Listening to AA yesterday I was disturbed to hear the thoughts of Rucci regarding the structure of SA Footy moving forward. He was basically floating the idea of dramatically reducing the SANFL salary cap, in order to reduce the operating expenses of the SANFL clubs, and in doing so lessening their reliance on a dividend from the AFL clubs. His reasoning being that some players in the SANFL were better off financially than they would be if they were at the lower end of the AFL pay structure. Again he was talking up the fact that 7 of the SANFL clubs made losses last year.
What worries me more is when you refer to the recent comments of Leigh Whicker and the obvious AFL dislike of the SANFL Comp's expenditure.

With someone of Rucci's clout in the media driving this agenda, I fear the days of a watered down, AFL feeder orientated SANFL comp are getting closer and closer.

Please - some one, tell me it aint so....

[nickname]

If Rucci thinks reducing the salary cap is going to reduce the operating expenses of the clubs he clearly doesn't follow the SANFL very closely nor in fact read his own newspaper, as that proposition assumes clubs will and do respect the salary cap.

[Country Cousin]

With someone of Rucci's clout in the media driving this agenda, I fear the days of a watered down, AFL feeder orientated SANFL comp are getting closer and closer.

Please - some one, tell me it aint so....

I think you may be over estimating Mr Rucci's importance. I'm sure he sees himself as a big wheel, but I doubt that the SANFL management view it quite that way. May I just quote one statistic for what it's worth. Most SANFL clubs seem to be generating total revenues from their overall activities, football + gaming etc, in the region of $10 to $15 million per annum and the $400K contribution from the league is a comparatively small part of that. Clubs making a loss on that sort of turnover need to budget and spend more realistically.

[JK]

With someone of Rucci's clout in the media driving this agenda, I fear the days of a watered down, AFL feeder orientated SANFL comp are getting closer and closer.

Please - some one, tell me it aint so....

I think you may be over estimating Mr Rucci's importance. I'm sure he sees himself as a big wheel, but I doubt that the SANFL management view it quite that way. May I just quote one statistic for what it's worth. Most SANFL clubs seem to be generating total revenues from their overall activities, football + gaming etc, in the region of $10 to $15 million per annum and the $400K contribution from the league is a comparatively small part of that. Clubs making a loss on that sort of turnover need to budget and spend more realistically.

Undoubtedly though, the AFL see's that pool of money and want to coerce it into their own stream of revenue

[Jimmy_041]

He was right about one thing yesterday - Leigh Whicker is going to upset someone

More interesting was Russell Ebert's comments about the type of football being played and how he usually (IIRC) leaves after a couple of quarters.

I only went to one game last year - Crows v Essendon coz someone else paid for it - it was vomit. Ended up just looking for people I knew in the crowd.

AFL is going down the drain

[matt1]

Unfortunately, this is Rucci trying to do his best for his own club who he has undermined systematically for the past few years. The two issues are totally separate;

Yes - there is a need for the SANFL Clubs to reign in their spending. 7 of 9 clubs making losses last year is not good for the competition and the viability of it. BUT, that was last year. Most clubs before that were operating well and I think it is fair to say that most sporting clubs / competitions struggled last year.

Yes - something needs to be done to help the Power but if anyone seriously things that cutting the distribution to SANFL Clubs is going to help this then they are either stupid or just plain old financially illiterate. Cutting the distribution by $50K for example per club would make zero difference to the Power in the grand old scheme of things. The SANFL can underwrite the SANFL club distribution and the Power at the same time - more work needs to go into the fundamental problems that the Power has and less on the issues which are superfluous to the crux of the real problem, that of attendances and membership of the Power.

Maybe the Power and SANFL should join forces to get a decent marketing plan. One that doesn't rely on treating people in SA Footy as idiots by saying on one hand that the Power are a new club and on the other talking about all the premierships and the Clubs history!

[Pseudo]

By far the best first step we could take towards improving football in this state, at both SANFL and the other league, is to drive out all the irresponsible journalists. The pap written by turkeys like Roochy does more to damage football than any other factor - and for what? To sell papers and/or maximise the authors' own feelings of self importance? Beats me how Roochy is still allowed to excrete his literary diarrohea all over the sports pages when far more capable sports journos have been relegated to the legal/police columns. I can only surmise that Roochy has compromising photographs of the editor in chief, for the retention of his position can surely have nothing to do with ability. (note: My Personal Opinion only)

[Ingall]

With someone of Rucci's clout in the media driving this agenda, I fear the days of a watered down, AFL feeder orientated SANFL comp are getting closer and closer.

Please - some one, tell me it aint so....

I think you may be over estimating Mr Rucci's importance. I'm sure he sees himself as a big wheel, but I doubt that the SANFL management view it quite that way. May I just quote one statistic for what it's worth. Most SANFL clubs seem to be generating total revenues from their overall activities, football + gaming etc, in the region of $10 to $15 million per annum and the $400K contribution from the league is a comparatively small part of that. Clubs making a loss on that sort of turnover need to budget and spend more realistically.

Is this figure correct? I'm no accountant, but looking at the financial reports in the GFC yearbook I can't see any numbers this big.