General AFL and State league Industry News

[The_Wookie]

• Gather Round was a roarings success, but with teams making or missing finals by the bearest of margins in past years, does it give the Adelaide clubs an unfair advantage?
• Premier Jeremy Rockliff threatened to walk away from Tasmania’s bid for an AFL team in July last year — before sweetening the government’s offer with a further $54m of taxpayers’ money.
• Tasmania’s premier raised concerns about AFL requirements for the state’s contribution towards a standalone team before increasing his funding offer.
• The AFL will reap a major windfall from the Gather Round deal with South Australia, receiving close to $80 million in cash and non-capital investment from the SA government for the next three years.
• Essendon and Collingwood are set to face off on Anzac Day in front of another 90,000-strong crowd, with both clubs in the top four ahead of the blockbuster for the first time since the turn of the century.
• SANFL is thrilled to announce that National Pharmacies will continue as naming rights partner for the nation’s largest junior football competition, SANFL Juniors
• The TAC Unity Cup is back for its 16th year in 2023 and will again unite diverse cultural communities through a combination of football and life skills training. More than 30 teams and over 300 participants will compete across the different divisions.
• The AFL and Ausco Modular have teamed up to develop a revolutionary $800,000 temporary change and clubroom facility for community football clubs affected by disasters.
• Racing SA and the South Australian Jockey Club are already in discussions about what they can do to ensure the sport of kings is front and centre for fans who make the trip to Adelaide for all future editions of AFL’s Gather Round.

Wednesday, April 19th 2023 - Sports Industry News from the ALM, AFL, AFLW, NRL, Superleague (UK) and more - Sports Industry AU

Todays Media Wrap for Wednesday, August 19th, 2023 – Sports Industry News from the ALM, AFL, AFLW, NRL, Superleague (UK) and more. Using material from League websites and Australian/overseas media. A-league Brisbane Roar chairman Chris Fong says the revamped Ballymore Stadium is the boutique...

www.footyindustry.com

{note: lol lets see how long I can keep this up again]

 

[The_Wookie]

Todays Media Wrap for Wednesday, August 19th, 2023 – Sports Industry News from the AFL, NBL and Netball

AFL

• The Western Bulldogs have exceeded 50,000 members for a second consecutive year. It marks the second time in Club history that the Bulldogs’ membership tally has reached the 50,000 milestone, and in record pace too.
• There’s no doubt about it, the nation’s first AFL Gather Round over the weekend was a roaring success, culminating in AFL’s confirmation that the footy festival will be hosted in South Australia for the next three seasons.
• Businesses across South Australia have cheered success following the inaugural AFL Gather Round over the weekend.
• The Brisbane Lions’ search for a temporary home while the Gabba gets rebuilt might be over, with detailed designs commissioned by the state government for an AFL field to be laid over the Broncos’ former home ground.
• Gather Round is going nowhere, and that’s the correct call – but that means it’s back to the drawing board for the AFL as it seeks to invigorate the game in NSW. Sydney footy needs all the help it can get.
• In a room full of Liberal people – There was not a person at that dinner who does not think Gather Round is the best thing that’s happened to SA since the Grand Prix, if not better.

April 20th, 2023 - Thursday Sports Industry News - AFL, NBL, Netball - Sports Industry AU

Todays Media Wrap for Wednesday, August 19th, 2023 – Sports Industry News from the AFL, NBL and Netball AFL The Western Bulldogs have exceeded 50,000 members for a second consecutive year. It marks the second time in Club history that the Bulldogs’ membership tally has reached the 50,000...

www.footyindustry.com

 

[My_Username]

Todays Media Wrap for Wednesday, August 19th, 2023 – Sports Industry News from the AFL, NBL and Netball

AFL

• The Western Bulldogs have exceeded 50,000 members for a second consecutive year. It marks the second time in Club history that the Bulldogs’ membership tally has reached the 50,000 milestone, and in record pace too.
• There’s no doubt about it, the nation’s first AFL Gather Round over the weekend was a roaring success, culminating in AFL’s confirmation that the footy festival will be hosted in South Australia for the next three seasons.
• Businesses across South Australia have cheered success following the inaugural AFL Gather Round over the weekend.
• The Brisbane Lions’ search for a temporary home while the Gabba gets rebuilt might be over, with detailed designs commissioned by the state government for an AFL field to be laid over the Broncos’ former home ground.
• Gather Round is going nowhere, and that’s the correct call – but that means it’s back to the drawing board for the AFL as it seeks to invigorate the game in NSW. Sydney footy needs all the help it can get.
• In a room full of Liberal people – There was not a person at that dinner who does not think Gather Round is the best thing that’s happened to SA since the Grand Prix, if not better.

April 20th, 2023 - Thursday Sports Industry News - AFL, NBL, Netball - Sports Industry AU

Todays Media Wrap for Wednesday, August 19th, 2023 – Sports Industry News from the AFL, NBL and Netball AFL The Western Bulldogs have exceeded 50,000 members for a second consecutive year. It marks the second time in Club history that the Bulldogs’ membership tally has reached the 50,000...

www.footyindustry.com

"Wednesday, August 19th, 2023"

Wow, I really slept last night.

 

[The_Wookie]

AFL

• After residents voiced concerns about the amount of tree canopy that was to be lost under the original plan, the Crows have produced an alternative plan featuring a smaller secondary training oval for Kings Reserve.
• Adelaide president and former South Australian premier John Olsen says Tasmania’s AFL bid will secure majority support from the league’s 18 presidents despite some reservations about a stadium cost blowout.
• AFL club presidents will be updated on Anthony Albanese’s Saturday funding announcement in Hobart at 3pm this afternoon as AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan denied delays over appointing his successor were “damaging” the AFL’s brand.
• AFLW clubs finally have a start date with the eighth season of the women’s competition set to kick off during the AFL pre-finals bye weekend.
• Redeveloping Macquarie Point with an AFL stadium, housing and recreational facilities will boost Tasmania’s economic activity and bring more events to the state, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.
  
  
• An AFL stadium at Macquarie Point would adversely impact the Hobart Cenotaph as a place of quiet remembrance of the nation’s war dead, the state’s Vietnam Veteran’s association says.

 

[kranger]

I think everyone has known the WAFL is not healthy for a while. The WAFC are coming out and looking to change that.



Taken from The West Australian Sport

WAFL 2023: West Australian Football Commission, clubs to try to save competition from steady decline

The WA Football Commission has laid bare the reality of the financially unstable WAFL competition as the organisation prepares to take drastic action to keep the league viable.
The commission held a meeting with all nine clubs — as well as heavyweights from both West Coast and Fremantle — in an attempt to save a league they say is relying too heavily on WAFC, amid dwindling crowd numbers and public interest at an all-time low.
WAFC chief executive Michael Roberts presented damning facts at the meeting on Wednesday night, where he said no ideas were “off the table” to fix the competition

The commission turned to Marvin Consulting Group, run by former Perth Wildcats chief executive Nick Marvin, to look into the WAFL and how they can keep it sustainable in terms of relevance, competitiveness and finances.
As part of the investigation, it found that WAFL club’s finances were in decline and reliance on the commission was increasing, with 28 per cent of revenue coming from the commission.
Other shocking statistics presented were the decline in crowds from about 2200 per game in 2011 to just above 1500 so far this season, with 80 per cent of their audience being unsustainable males aged 40 or over and 58 per cent being males over the age of 50

Club finances were also in the spotlight with an average of three clubs posting a deficit in each of the last 10 years with four clubs doing so last year.
Roberts said the league was at a point where simply “tinkering around the edges” was not going to make enough of a change to keep it financially viable, as well as increase relevance, competitiveness and evenness of the competition.
“We’ve been doing bits and pieces here and there, but it’s now really evident that we need to make change,” he said.
“We need to hopefully get the clubs to be collaborative, and buy into it and as a collective hopefully make some decisions that will make the WAFL competitions better.
I think the most important thing is that the research that we’ve shown and the work that we’ve consultation we’ve done with clubs is showing that everyone agrees that we need to make a change. This is about acknowledging now and drawing the line in the sand and saying we need to improve, we need to be working more closely together.
“Some clubs probably might be worse off in some changes, but collectively as a competition, these changes are going to make us better.”
It comes as the commission prepares for a decline in royalties from West Coast and Fremantle as well as the Subiaco Oval deal with the State Government which is worth $11m a year and up for review in 2027.
The commission and clubs will now spend the next few months working on a strategic plan they will release and begin to implement in the final months of this year to ensure the sustainability of the WAFL.
This also includes competitiveness, with a goal for fans to have a reasonable expectation that their club can play finals within four years and compete for a flag within eight if they are not doing so already.

 

[Walshawk]

I think everyone has known the WAFL is not healthy for a while. The WAFC are coming out and looking to change that.



Taken from The West Australian Sport

WAFL 2023: West Australian Football Commission, clubs to try to save competition from steady decline

The WA Football Commission has laid bare the reality of the financially unstable WAFL competition as the organisation prepares to take drastic action to keep the league viable.
The commission held a meeting with all nine clubs — as well as heavyweights from both West Coast and Fremantle — in an attempt to save a league they say is relying too heavily on WAFC, amid dwindling crowd numbers and public interest at an all-time low.
WAFC chief executive Michael Roberts presented damning facts at the meeting on Wednesday night, where he said no ideas were “off the table” to fix the competition

The commission turned to Marvin Consulting Group, run by former Perth Wildcats chief executive Nick Marvin, to look into the WAFL and how they can keep it sustainable in terms of relevance, competitiveness and finances.
As part of the investigation, it found that WAFL club’s finances were in decline and reliance on the commission was increasing, with 28 per cent of revenue coming from the commission.
Other shocking statistics presented were the decline in crowds from about 2200 per game in 2011 to just above 1500 so far this season, with 80 per cent of their audience being unsustainable males aged 40 or over and 58 per cent being males over the age of 50

Club finances were also in the spotlight with an average of three clubs posting a deficit in each of the last 10 years with four clubs doing so last year.
Roberts said the league was at a point where simply “tinkering around the edges” was not going to make enough of a change to keep it financially viable, as well as increase relevance, competitiveness and evenness of the competition.
“We’ve been doing bits and pieces here and there, but it’s now really evident that we need to make change,” he said.
“We need to hopefully get the clubs to be collaborative, and buy into it and as a collective hopefully make some decisions that will make the WAFL competitions better.
I think the most important thing is that the research that we’ve shown and the work that we’ve consultation we’ve done with clubs is showing that everyone agrees that we need to make a change. This is about acknowledging now and drawing the line in the sand and saying we need to improve, we need to be working more closely together.
“Some clubs probably might be worse off in some changes, but collectively as a competition, these changes are going to make us better.”
It comes as the commission prepares for a decline in royalties from West Coast and Fremantle as well as the Subiaco Oval deal with the State Government which is worth $11m a year and up for review in 2027.
The commission and clubs will now spend the next few months working on a strategic plan they will release and begin to implement in the final months of this year to ensure the sustainability of the WAFL.
This also includes competitiveness, with a goal for fans to have a reasonable expectation that their club can play finals within four years and compete for a flag within eight if they are not doing so already.

Inevitable, sadly. As AFL crowds increase, state league crowds decrease. VFL crowds have been declining slowly but steadily since it was restructured in 1998. Then you would get 5k to Werribee v Williamstown. It would now be 500 (tops). Box Hill crowds are half what they were. Some BH games get only 150 - 200 and they are the most successful VFL club since the restructure. Local suburban footy seems to have held up OK in Melbourne, but the State League clubs run on the smell of an oily rag. Most would have just two employees - a GM and the coach. I can’t think of anything that the WAFL (or SANFL) could possibly do to turn it around.

 

[Rob]

Inevitable, sadly. As AFL crowds increase, state league crowds decrease. VFL crowds have been declining slowly but steadily since it was restructured in 1998. Then you would get 5k to Werribee v Williamstown. It would now be 500 (tops). Box Hill crowds are half what they were. Some BH games get only 150 - 200 and they are the most successful VFL club since the restructure. Local suburban footy seems to have held up OK in Melbourne, but the State League clubs run on the smell of an oily rag. Most would have just two employees - a GM and the coach. I can’t think of anything that the WAFL (or SANFL) could possibly do to turn it around.

Best thing for the WAFL is for there to be an AFL reserves comp.
It might marginally drop the standard but it would bring more tribalism back.