SANFL Shambles

[on the rails]

This mess around the Port Merger if you believe the fish wrapper is going back to the Commission to make a decision for what is in the best interests of football in SA.

Going back to 1996 it was the Commission and not the clubs that forced the formation of the Magpies - the clubs were consulted but in the end the "Independent" Commission made the decision.

Forward to late 2009 and the Commission, who in the main I believe did not support initially a direct SANFL / AFL Club Merger, rarther than make a decision or comment, they deferred the vote to the SANFL Clubs.

Forward to the last 7 days and despite media speculation and rumour the vote was to be No from the SANFL Clubs but the quite planned scare mongering from Rucci suggesting that the AFL will wrestle the licences back from the SANFL if the Port Merger doesn't get approved it now appears that the Commission has gone into a panic situation and may be be forced into having to make the decision re the Merger. Should that occur and with a 30 day window to give them time to be "briefed about the situation" (of which they are fully aware) I would imagine that the merger of the two Port entities will go through despite the concerns of the other SANFL clubs. I would suggest that the Commission will do their arse licking bit and make sure the AFL are happy with what is going on and make the decision based on the AFL wishes and not on what is best for SANFL Football.

In my view the AFL should only be concerend about the health of the AFL game and their franchises being the Crows and the Power. How they can excert any influence on what is essentially a domestic issue e.g. trying to save the Magpies should not be of concern to the AFL - after all where they consulted when clubs like North and Sturt were going to close their doors?

I have no isssue with the Magpies remaining in the SANFL and they should be given every opportunity to try and survive but it seems that apart from the main plan of merger to save them their only other plan is to sell their major asset??? Would the Power be interested in funding the Magpies survival if there was no POW Hotel? What alot of people are forgetting is that the vote is not about whether they stay or go - it is about the fact that should there be any direct control / marriage between an SANFL club and an AFL club. Having been privileged to information about the merger from 3 SANFL clubs (who by the way will or would have all voted no to the merger), the SANFL clubs are worried about 3 major factors:

(1) The Commercial advantage the Magpies would have moving forward in terms of not having to worry about Admin costs which will be picked up by the Power. Most clubs would suggest this could be a saving of around $500-$600K a year.

(2) Where is the Power going to find the money to fund the running of a seperate SANFL club (including the above mentioned figure) other than expanding their gaming operations after acquiring the POW Hotel. This by all accounts needs money spent on it to make it more commercially viable and in the bigger plan the Power want to relocate the gaming machines from Albeerton to a more commercially viable location - that will cost money, where is that going to come from given the PAFC already big debt?

(3) How is money being used to fund the Magpies from the PAFC going to be properly tracked by the SANFL in terms of salary cap etc. There will be a multitude of ways to hide it given the income / sponsors and expenditure that an AFL club has to operate with.

As it is Port Magpies have received an advance on this years dividend to pay it's players from last year - something no other club has been afforded in a similar situation despite at least 2 clubs asking for that consideration in the past. The league has already injected additional money into the Power to try and steady it and reduce it's debt to ensure it's viability, which of course is very important to the fabric of SANFL Football. BUT after any merger, further injection of money into the PAFC by the SANFL if they still struggle to genrate income will essentially mean that the other 9 clubs via the SANFL will be also funding the Magpies. Do the other clubs get that sort of advantage - No! Eventually if the Port Adelaide AFL Club regains it's financial footing and suddenly becomes very financial this would mean the Magpies would also be flushed with funds without having any of the Admin and incidental costs associated with other SANFL clubs.

You can see why the SANFL clubs are very nervous about the Merger and what it has the potential to do in the future - both very near and the long term future. When another SANFL club gets into financial difficulties what similar options will they have as has been affored to the Port Adelaide Magpies if the merger is agreed to? The merger will set a very dangerous precedent.

I still fail to see how the Magpies with the biggest supporter / membership and attendences in the SANFL along with some quite healthy sponsors on board along with a gaming asset in the POW cannot find other options to save their club as other clubs have had to do in the past and they were not afforded a merger or bail out by an AFL club? They must have some reasonable backers / assets if they were able to borrow the funds to purchase the POW in the first place so the real issue may be that they made a poor commercial decision in buying a lease over terms that do not give it the returns they thought it would. Should poor management over a period of time be the fault of the other clubs and the league?

It has only been in the last 24 hours that the Magpie fans have called to rally around the club and mount a visual and vocal protest at FP this afternoon when they thought the vote might be made. Where was this passion and activity months ago - the Magpies have been in financial strife for some time but in the main other than the past few weeks it doesn't appear that the majority have been too concerned with many just expecting that the main plan - the merger will save them.

Do Port supporters and the media really expect that members / supporters and boards of the other SANFL clubs would just allow this to happen quitely? Should the SANFL Commisssion wrestle back the right to make the decision and disregard what the other 8 clubs think and allow the merger then the direction and the future of the SANFL will again change and I am not so sure for the good of the comp overall. They may as well then disolve the League Directors Function at the SANFL level and let the so called "Independent" Commission run the whole lot and make all decisions because essentially there will be no regard for the other SANFL clubs and what they think and believe.

Pity there was not this much interest and intervention by the SANFL Commmission / Media when clubs like Sturt and North were going under.

[redandblack]

Very good article, on the rails, and you make a lot of good points, but who, if any, on the SANFL Commission do you think isn't independent or doing a good job?

They are all experienced representatives, all originally from the clubs and have to operate within the realities of power in our code. I'd be interested in who you think isn't acting in the SANFL's best interests?

[on the rails]

Very good article, on the rails, and you make a lot of good points, but who, if any, on the SANFL Commission do you think isn't independent or doing a good job?

They are all experienced representatives, all originally from the clubs and have to operate within the realities of power in our code. I'd be interested in who you think isn't acting in the SANFL's best interests?

I am not going to suggest individuals as such rather collectively they appear to allow the AFL too much influence on how our own SANFL State League is run e.g. the fact that the AFL /VFL were able to get our salary cap reduced, transfer fees increased and a cap on imports. Not sure that any of the SANFL clubs were too happy with this and it was a Commission decision. I'm not sure they see past the Corporate "snouts in the trough" stuff they get as a result of the SANFL operating 2 AFL licences. My mail is that some clubs have concerns about some Commissioners who are only ever seen travelling around business class (in the main when the Crows are playing) and attending high profile AFL functions. How often do you see them at SANFL games on a regular basis?

[Wedgie]

On behalf of the other owners of this website Id like to thank you for not naming individuals.

[Ronnie]

A pretty good summary there. One point that stands out for me is how the Power are going to fund a SANFL on an ongoing basis given their own problems? In other words how sustainable is this plan? Will they really want to spend money on supporting an SANFL team when they are chasing AFL flags?
But you are 100% correct, this sort of arrangement was never made available to North Adelaide or Sturt when they were virtually insolvent. It is dangerous to create this special deal for one SANFL club in what is a domestic league. A very unsatisfactory situation that football finds itself in.

[redandblack]

I respect that answer, otr, but think perhaps simplistic. People on the Commission include Peter Carey, Phil Gallagher, Brian Cunningham (?), David Shipway and others who put in a huge amount of time for little reward.

It's fine not to name individuals and get specific, but perhaps there are grounds for a polite and sensible discussion about that subject. The salary cap has been reduced only a fraction of what the AFL would like, for example and given the reality of who could wield a lot of power that would affect our competition, I think you'd agree it's not an easy balancing act.

Having said that, I agree with most of your original post.

[on the rails]

I respect that answer, otr, but think perhaps simplistic. People on the Commission include Peter Carey, Phil Gallagher, Brian Cunningham (?), David Shipway and others who put in a huge amount of time for little reward.

It's fine not to name individuals and get specific, but perhaps there are grounds for a polite and sensible discussion about that subject. The salary cap has been reduced only a fraction of what the AFL would like, for example and given the reality of who could wield a lot of power that would affect our competition, I think you'd agree it's not an easy balancing act.

Having said that, I agree with most of your original post.

Fair call R&B but I'm not sure they are really in touch with real SANFL anymore and should take more consideration into account re how the SANFL clubs would like to see the league structured and run. After all it has been the 9 SANFL clubs that have had to undergo the biggest changes and become much miore flexible and laterla thinking to survive since the advent of the Crows and the Power in 1990 and 1996.

[redandblack]

Appreciate that, but I think you'd be surprised just how in touch some of them are. there are always perhaps one or two on any body who might not be, but without specifics, I think it's hard to criticise too much.

[JK]

The Commercial advantage the Magpies would have moving forward in terms of not having to worry about Admin costs which will be picked up by the Power. Most clubs would suggest this could be a saving of around $500-$600K a year.

Given there must be some cost to the Power for running the Admin of the PAMS, perhaps a middle ground is that under the terms of the merger (should it go ahead) the Magpies forego their dividend from the Crows?

[Booney]

With it appearing as though the clubs will not vote and leave it up to the Commission, what would happen if.....

The PAMFC move a motion to agree to the merger.

Rob Kerin seconds the motion on behalf of the Independant Leagues, is the vote then 2-0 and by majority is approved?

Would the PAMFC put everything on the line by doing this?

[JK]

Wouldn't have a quorum in that scenario would they Booney?

[Booney]

That's what I'm asking CP as I'm not so sure.

PS : I like quorum jam.

[Barto]

Would the Power be interested in funding the Magpies survival if there was no POW Hotel?

Not a chance. They haven't cared before.

how the Power are going to fund a SANFL on an ongoing basis given their own problems? In other words how sustainable is this plan? Will they really want to spend money on supporting an SANFL team when they are chasing AFL flags?.

It's not and they wont keep the Magpies long term.

[rod_rooster]

I wouldn't be taking much notice of what's in the paper.

[JK]

I wouldn't be taking much notice of what's in the paper.

I dunno, I reckon there's a good chance it will reach 38 degrees today

[rod_rooster]

I wouldn't be taking much notice of what's in the paper.

I dunno, I reckon there's a good chance it will reach 38 degrees today

[Hondo]

Can we stop calling this an "internal SANFL matter"? If the alleged AFL influence on the decision to delay the vote is true then why is it there if the issue is just internal to the SANFL?

Deciding wether to program SANFL games on Good Friday is an internal SANFL matter. What time to start reserves games is an internal SANFL matter. A decision that has the potential to financially impact an AFL club is not an internal SANFL matter IMO.

It's fine to look at it purely from an SANFL-PAMFC perspective but don't forget that the proposed merger is with an AFL club. I am sure if the Power want their hands on the POW Hotel (and any other potential financial benefits) then the AFL would want the same.

I think (could be wrong) that the AO move and this proposed merger are linked and borne of the same issue and the AFL are in it as thick as thieves.

[Wedgie]

Programming of games on Good Friday would be probably if more importance to the AFL than this matter. You'd have to be a complete fool to fall for Ruccis bleatings/poor attempt to refocus things to suit him.

[Hondo]

Wedgie, I am not falling for anything Rucci says. I had the same views before his article yesterday. I had felt all along that the PAP financial issue has triggered a closer scrutiny by the AFL of the set up of the AFL in this state and the AO move is evidence of this. Not that I agree with it and not that I place any credence on Rucci's comments re the NAFC conspiracy. I also think the comments about the potential removal of the licenses from the SANFL seem far-fetched. That doesn't mean the AFL don't have an interest in what happens however.

Anyways, my main issue is with the line that this is just "an internal SANFL matter". IMO, it's not ... regardless of Rucci's article. You know, I can think for myself!

You don't think that a plan that potentially improves the financial position of an AFL club is of interest to the AFL? Why?

[Wedgie]

A merger would do close to stuff all for the Power, with the mess they're in they should look at taking less responsibility not more of it. There's a lot of things the Power can do to return better financial results and taking over a run down pub and a financial basket case in the Magpies is well down the list. The AFL would be concerned with a lot of other issues in regard to the Power.
Mind you IMHO the Power are a lost cause and a mistake that should never have happened but Im now getting off track so will leave that one.