Club Mgmt. 2021 Financial Result - Bank-debt free!

SydneyBomber

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 28, 2001
6,122
2,129
Sydney
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Essendon
Far more concerned about the rampant proliferation of sports betting in the afl than whether we have pokies or not to be honest.

Not to downplay the impact of pokies, but I don't really see benefit chucking our licenses will actually make?
 
I used to think similarly, but at this point I think it means something for such a well known community organisation like Essendon to make a public stand and cease their involvement.

Sure, the venue and the machines likely still exist, but EFC saying 'we don't believe this is a positive and health contribution to the community and is not congruous with our values' or some such, is a strong (and important) position to take IMO.

Similarly with gambling.

I hear what you are saying and the whole AFL making a stand makes a statement but for how long if machines are not reduced ? makes us feel warm and fuzzy but if the venues are still there in two years time with the same amount of machines then what has really happened other than we feel good about our club.

The way forward on this is pressure on government but that is a hard row because they love the easy revenue.
I remember when we pushed to get them in Victoria. Everyone wanted them. Now we realize how poor the introduction and how they have been managed really is. They had a chance 10 or so years ago to reign in the licenses but they allowed a the licenses of the small venues not to simply be handed back but to be added to the machines in the bigger venues. In reality if we had to have them it should have been the racing clubs with the machines and restricted on course venues.

As for gambling adds. I would ban them within an hour if I could. I have a punt on the races but I do not want to hear about the bookmaker every 10 minutes. Hell it annoys the * out of me having to listen to a betting add before I can watch a race replay on line.

I have no love for pokies but they are legal in the same way alcohol is and lets face it booze actually destroys more lives in many more ways than plunging you rent into the coin slot and I am partial to having a beverage .
 

fairbump_playon

Premiership Player
Jun 27, 2014
4,757
7,607
AFL Club
Essendon
A bit of an aside but I wholeheartedly look down on the ex footy players who want to do media but end up only getting a sportsbet gig

I’m sure they are stoked they’re “in the the industry” but seriously.. you sold your souls fellas.
 

SydneyBomber

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 28, 2001
6,122
2,129
Sydney
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Essendon
A bit of an aside but I wholeheartedly look down on the ex footy players who want to do media but end up only getting a sportsbet gig

I’m sure they are stoked they’re “in the the industry” but seriously.. you sold your souls fellas.
Absolutely this.
Brown, Williams et al look they get paid in parmas, pots and a $100 per day tab account.
Really shabby
 

Towno78

Premiership Player
Nov 6, 2009
3,821
3,172
AFL Club
Essendon
I hear what you are saying and the whole AFL making a stand makes a statement but for how long if machines are not reduced ? makes us feel warm and fuzzy but if the venues are still there in two years time with the same amount of machines then what has really happened other than we feel good about our club.

The way forward on this is pressure on government but that is a hard row because they love the easy revenue.
I remember when we pushed to get them in Victoria. Everyone wanted them. Now we realize how poor the introduction and how they have been managed really is. They had a chance 10 or so years ago to reign in the licenses but they allowed a the licenses of the small venues not to simply be handed back but to be added to the machines in the bigger venues. In reality if we had to have them it should have been the racing clubs with the machines and restricted on course venues.

As for gambling adds. I would ban them within an hour if I could. I have a punt on the races but I do not want to hear about the bookmaker every 10 minutes. Hell it annoys the fu** out of me having to listen to a betting add before I can watch a race replay on line.

I have no love for pokies but they are legal in the same way alcohol is and lets face it booze actually destroys more lives in many more ways than plunging you rent into the coin slot and I am partial to having a beverage .
Lol, yep.
Alcohol is a bigger problem, but be careful, suggesting so is about as popular as taking on the NRA in the US.
 
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Essendon use a press release, norf go into full celebration mode.
They’re completely debt free, poker machine free, and it’s been a long time since they weren’t in the red.

We have swapped bank debt for other debts, so not debt free and we still have poker machines. If we were completely debt free without poker machines we probably wouldn’t go quite so crazy though.
 
Jun 13, 2016
2,329
20,312
AFL Club
Essendon
Sad to see the Hawks become a more progressive football club than us.

Screen Shot 2022-05-26 at 11.32.01.png
 

foj1

Cancelled
Oct 25, 2005
4,325
3,188
AFL Club
Essendon
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essendon
Maybe, maybe not.

Having every AFL club dump pokies and any association with pokies venues might well mean something though.
Do clubs break partnerships with apparel and footwear suppliers who use close to slave labour
it is murky water
the predatory tactics and general ethics of big conglomerates that support clubs and the afl could be highlighted just as easily
i think the getting rid of pokies is a pc initiative personally
i think what you do with the profits is the biggest thing
 
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Some might, maybe they should, might affect change for the better.
I feel like they probably don’t. I did some googling and some of the obvious ones like Nike and Adidas are still using sweatshops. Trying to find info on the others led me here: Good On You Directory - Search Thousands of Fashion Brand Ratings

Which raises a whole lot of other ethical questions about clothing production beyond labour conditions as well, like in terms of eco-friendly and fast fashion/waste management etc.

From the perspective of fashion ethics I don’t think any of the brands that clubs use would pass, including Under Armour, Cotton On (COAR), New Era.
 
I feel like they probably don’t. I did some googling and some of the obvious ones like Nike and Adidas are still using sweatshops. Trying to find info on the others led me here: Good On You Directory - Search Thousands of Fashion Brand Ratings

Which raises a whole lot of other ethical questions about clothing production beyond labour conditions as well, like in terms of eco-friendly and fast fashion/waste management etc.

From the perspective of fashion ethics I don’t think any of the brands that clubs use would pass, including Under Armour, Cotton On (COAR), New Era.

Considering half of people's posts come from their mobile phones that are built by large corporations underpaying staff or taking advantage of cheap Labor, on top of the many other consumer goods that are produced unethically, I do find the demands for clubs to drop pokies largely hypocritical.

Yes, they are not good, yes change does need to occur but so does sports gambling advertising etc.
I believe the club is on record as saying they will transition away.
I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now.
 

JayJ20

Brownlow Medallist
Aug 28, 2016
17,146
26,093
AFL Club
Essendon
Do clubs break partnerships with apparel and footwear suppliers who use close to slave labour
it is murky water
the predatory tactics and general ethics of big conglomerates that support clubs and the afl could be highlighted just as easily
i think the getting rid of pokies is a pc initiative personally
i think what you do with the profits is the biggest thing
Considering half of people's posts come from their mobile phones that are built by large corporations underpaying staff or taking advantage of cheap Labor, on top of the many other consumer goods that are produced unethically, I do find the demands for clubs to drop pokies largely hypocritical.

Yes, they are not good, yes change does need to occur but so does sports gambling advertising etc.
I believe the club is on record as saying they will transition away.
I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now.
Very different situations. Products such as phones and apparel are less avoidable. Most people will end up buying or owning these products because they've become a staple of the modern world. The products made by these corporations at the very least have a benefit to society.

Pokies don't need to exist in the world. Avoiding pokies is very easy. Gambling in general is destroying lives with no material outcome. It doesn't benefit society in any way. Only the few rich people benefit from people with addictive personalities and other mental health struggles. It's disgusting that football clubs promote mental health and wellbeing, but then profit from something that only tears communities apart.
 
Very different situations. Products such as phones and apparel are less avoidable. Most people will end up buying or owning these products because they've become a staple of the modern world. The products made by these corporations at the very least have a benefit to society.

Pokies don't need to exist in the world. Avoiding pokies is very easy. Gambling in general is destroying lives with no material outcome. It doesn't benefit society in any way. Only the few rich people benefit from people with addictive personalities and other mental health struggles. It's disgusting that football clubs promote mental health and wellbeing, but then profit from something that only tears communities apart.

Some people enjoy gambling. Many people gamble with no negative impact on their lives.
So no it is not some scourge that needs to be wiped out, just because you may not like it is not reason enough.
Doesn't benefit society? People enjoy it. Let's not get so high and mighty that anything we deem as a negative must not exist.

Just because some people get addicted to it and it running their lives is not a reason to demand a club tear that profit out of their bottom line because we are suddenly so progressive that we tar the club for it.

My point was if you look hard enough most of society and many of the luxuries you (figurative you) enjoy every day are as a result of potentially unethical practices if we play this game.
Will you put down the mobile and stop buying sweatshop clothes? Do we demand clubs with apparel sponsorships tear those contracts up with companies using sweatshops?
No we aren't. So picking and choosing what we label as bad or criticising an organisation for being so terrible for not ditching something that is a benefit to it when we wouldn't do it ourselves in our personal lives is a hypocritical stance.
People want their clubs off of pokies as it's a nice progressive feeling for them making a difference with zero cost to themselves (my club did the right thing which makes me feel good), when they are unwilling to make the same choices in their own lives when a cost is associated.
The pokies themselves will not be disappearing, just shifting owners, they would still exist so the net gain to society in this little thought experiment (where gambling is of no benefit) would still be zero.

The club will slowly move away from them eventually. Until then profits from those machines will continue to be used, many of these ways benefitting parts of the community.
 
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JayJ20

Brownlow Medallist
Aug 28, 2016
17,146
26,093
AFL Club
Essendon
Some people enjoy gambling. Many people gamble with no negative impact on their lives.
So no it is not some scourge that needs to be wiped out, just because you may not like it is not reason enough.
Doesn't benefit society? People enjoy it. Let's not get so high and mighty that anything we deem as a negative must not exist.

Just because some people get addicted to it and it running their lives is not a reason to demand a club tear that profit out of their bottom line because we are suddenly so progressive that we tar the club for it.

My point was if you look hard enough most of society and many of the luxuries you (figurative you) enjoy every day are as a result of potentially unethical practices if we play this game.
Will you put down the mobile and stop buying sweatshop clothes? Do we demand clubs with apparel sponsorships tear those contracts up with companies using sweatshops?
No we aren't. So picking and choosing what we label as bad or criticising an organisation for being so terrible for not ditching something that is a benefit to it when we wouldn't do it ourselves in our personal lives is a hypocritical stance.
People want their clubs off of pokies as it's a nice progressive feeling for them making a difference with zero cost to themselves (my club did the right thing which makes me feel good), when they are unwilling to make the same choices in their own lives when a cost is associated.
The pokies themselves will not be disappearing, just shifting owners, they would still exist so the net gain to society in this little thought experiment (where gambling is of no benefit) would still be zero.

The club will slowly move away from them eventually. Until then profits from those machines will continue to be used, many of these ways benefitting parts of the community.
There's a difference between essentials and enjoyment. Gambling is not essential. Some people enjoy drugs. Does it then make it right for clubs to profit from drugs? No. Gambling is just as destructive and unnecessary as drugs is even though both have users that do it out of leisure.

Clubs can use profit from drugs to benefit the community. Drugs won't disappear so you're just shifting owners. In that scenario, would the net gain to society change? Does it make it right for clubs to participate? No.

Just because one is not considered illegal by Australian Law does not make it morally right. It's still wrong. If other clubs can do it, then Essendon surely can.
 
There's a difference between essentials and enjoyment. Gambling is not essential. Some people enjoy drugs. Does it then make it right for clubs to profit from drugs? No. Gambling is just as destructive and unnecessary as drugs is even though both have users that do it out of leisure.

Clubs can use profit from drugs to benefit the community. Drugs won't disappear so you're just shifting owners. In that scenario, would the net gain to society change? Does it make it right for clubs to participate? No.

Just because one is not considered illegal by Australian Law does not make it morally right. It's still wrong. If other clubs can do it, then Essendon surely can.

I'm not going to continue the debate as we differ philosophically on how we view gambling, so let's leave this here.

I'd just say give the club time to do it, I don't think they are a lesser organisation for dragging their feet.
 
Very different situations. Products such as phones and apparel are less avoidable. Most people will end up buying or owning these products because they've become a staple of the modern world. The products made by these corporations at the very least have a benefit to society.

Pokies don't need to exist in the world. Avoiding pokies is very easy. Gambling in general is destroying lives with no material outcome. It doesn't benefit society in any way. Only the few rich people benefit from people with addictive personalities and other mental health struggles. It's disgusting that football clubs promote mental health and wellbeing, but then profit from something that only tears communities apart.
They benefit society in one way. Government tax revenue. I am no fan of pokies. Never play them and they cause a lot of social issues but the tax rate which is very high does pay for a lot including most of the public hospitals.
 
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