Adelaide Oval Review

Papa G

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Awesome post!

Im in complete agreement. The AFL clubs should now no longer be cash cows. I think its been difficult for you Port boys to accept that, at the end of the day, you werent any different to the Crows - a composite team established as a subsidiary to the SANFL. That you came from a single club entity, that simple fact would have been very difficult to understand for many down at Alberton. Now that the licenses have been sold back, the Power and the Crows have every right to fight for a fair share of the pie.

The SANFL will bend, there's no doubt in my mind. But if you're selling a car for $10k, you dont immediately accept $8k. The SANFL hold most of the cards, the clubs hold public sympathy. In the end, the SANFL wont want to be seen as the bad guy and will budge further. This is all part of normal commercial negotiation.

And as Ive said before, if the result of the SANFL cashing in its chips is anything other than reform and strengthening of footy at a local level, I'll be just as pissed off as the rest of you.

I WANT MY FENCE!! :p

I actually agree with you Feenix. Except the part not being any different to the Crows, on that we have something all the money in the world can not buy.
 

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Coobk001

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I actually agree with you Feenix. Except the part not being any different to the Crows, on that we have something all the money in the world can not buy.
We're different and we dont need validation of that. But from a financial perspective we can't ignore we were forced as part of our deal to join the AFL to become the SANFL's bitch. Thankfully we are free in a sense now, but until we fix this deal and lessen the amount of revenue the SANFL keeps thanks to the SMA deal we'll never truly be free.
 

Nelso

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Apart from the insults, good work.

Unfortunately, comparing the SANFL to the WAFL proves nothing. The WAFL are happy to play in front of crowds far lower. The SANFL want a strong, vibrant competition and owned their own stadium, with all the revenue and costs attached to that. The SANFL have also put millions into the AFL clubs.
And therein lies the problem. The sooner the SANFL do away with trying to be the 2nd best competition in the land the better. Why are SANFL clubs paying hacks like Mitch Thorp big money to come over and play here? They should be using most of their financial allocation towards junior development in their zone.

IMO the salary cap is far too high and this is why a lot of SANFL clubs are struggling financially.

And it is bit rich for Westies to be crying poor when they can install an electronic scoreboard for the big crowds that attend Richmond Oval :rolleyes:

Edit - RIP Phil, I only just heard the news.
 

aneale

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I wonder what would have happened had a third party catering and event management company been contracted.... hell, they may have signed an agreement that was - wait for it - commercially sound! I dont think they'd be saying "awww, we made too much money, here have some back".

What Im hearing from all the SANFL haters is that the SANFL should act benevolently. Why should they? They sold out of the AFL after significant pressure from the opportunistic AFL and hence have no cause to do so. Port - yet again - forced their hand by acting surreptitiously. They do have every right to act in their commercial best interests and an obligation to their member clubs to do so.

Port and Adelaide knew that the deal would involve a move to independence and should have, therefore, acted in their own best interests. If this meant stonewalling to get a better deal (as they could have, given the AFL's eagerness to move to AO by the start of 2014), then they should have done so. Given that they caved to AFL pressure (particularly Adelaide), then perhaps they should be approaching the AFL for compensation for wedging them into an unprofitable deal. Dont forget the AFL have form on this - look at the Docklands disaster.

The simple fact is that, once again, Port has facilitated an attempt by the AFL to undermine the strength of the SANFL in terms of it's hold on SA footy and has been bitten on the arse by their stupidity - yet again. Dont blame the SANFL, they didnt initiate these proceedings. Blame Port, the AFL and the SACA.
For starters, I am not a SANFL hater, I am just not a zealot either. Secondly a 3rd part catering contract has no bearing on whether or not the AFL Clubs should have got match day earnings, which they clearly should have regardless of who was selling pies. Thirdly the SANFL has never acted benevolently, they have always been curmudgeonly old bastards and you as a Sturt supporter should be very aware of that given they have been 9/10ths away from closing the doors in your lifetime about 3 times before the AFL licenses with no real help from the SANFL and lastly, you lose all credibility about SANFL haters when you carry on your Port hate rhetoric.

It's a much bigger issue than pissant small minded, small town rivalry. Port's financial position doesn't impact on why the Crows' are not making money either.
 

LC40

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i am well versed in the history of SANFL thanks .....and no i don't listen to Rucci at all

It's all logic .......hell if you're waiting on the facts it'll be like waiting for James Heard to apoligise .....the facts will never come out, it'll simply be media leaks from both sides

But if you look at the facts as they stand now from multiple sources over the country .....they're indisputable that the SANFL are being flogs

And as i said i am an unashamedly a longtime SANFL man .......cmon westies
Well Wayne I too am a westies man and I just don't agree with your logic. It's far too early to go off half cocked and labelled anyone a flog.
No organization was truly going to know what the uptake of Adelaide oval was going to be in the initial year, sure we all could have an educated guess but it was never a given.
Contracts were signed and the SANFL had to have enticements to move and also to sell those licenses. They had to protect their future with the loss of the income generating AAMI stadium.
It has become quite apparent with the success of Adelaide oval that the returns are skewed in the SANFL favour. So a review and period of negotiation is now taking place.

It looks to the outsider that the SANFL has the better hand so what does the other party's involved do to get a stronger bargaining position...anything they can!
This is what is being played out right now; the court of public opinion is being wooed to apply pressure onto the SANFL through all sorts of means.
Rucci, Wilson, Koch and their respective media groups, the AFL, Jay Weatherald and parts of his government and the two AFL clubs through Thomas and Fagan are all putting a torch on the agreement... yes even Big Footy members.

In my logic this is what is to be expected in a negotiation where the sums are so large.

The trouble for you Wayne is that the SANFL and their member clubs don't want to be held in good stead for the next 10 - 15 years and then be taken over by the AFL.
They wish to survive as a independent functioning entity and they have every right to ensure that, that's why they've negotiated so hard in the first place to have a major presence at AO.

Many other posters want the SANFL gone completely so the pie is carved up between the two AFL clubs. It's a valid point of view but it just doesn't reflect the reality of the situation. Everyone has wishlists!

Compromise needs to be shown by both parties and it will drag on for some time yet.
I betting a deal will get worked out and it won't be exactly what the AFL clubs want and it won't be as an excessive amount as the SANFL is getting now but that's what all parties will have to live with.....till the next time.
 

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Mattrox

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http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/st...-cut-of-finances/story-fnii0294-1227137260750

SANFL states it's case.......

Blames Port. If Port are the actual reason for the financial position, they should have folded Port.
Outlines all its expenses.... even the $400+ K bank fee that it's own bank charged them for looking into the debt......


Smacks at the end of the political line.. ..... ..... Oh that wasn't a core promise going into the election, so it's not a broken promise if we don't do it.
 

Sanders

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http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/st...-cut-of-finances/story-fnii0294-1227137260750

SANFL states it's case.......

Blames Port. If Port are the actual reason for the financial position, they should have folded Port.
Outlines all its expenses.... even the $400+ K bank fee that it's own bank charged them for looking into the debt......


Smacks at the end of the political line.. ..... ..... Oh that wasn't a core promise going into the election, so it's not a broken promise if we don't do it.
Not sure what article you read.
 

Papa G

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http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/st...-cut-of-finances/story-fnii0294-1227137260750

SANFL states it's case.......

Blames Port. If Port are the actual reason for the financial position, they should have folded Port.
Outlines all its expenses.... even the $400+ K bank fee that it's own bank charged them for looking into the debt......


Smacks at the end of the political line.. ..... ..... Oh that wasn't a core promise going into the election, so it's not a broken promise if we don't do it.
The article above is obviously Rucci trying to be seen as showing both sides of the story and showing that he has no bias:drunk: but you could drive a truck through the holes in the SANFL's arguments here.

HEAVY cost cutting. The SANFL slashed its operating costs by $1.5 million this year and will cut again by $2.3 million next year.

Well ofcourse. The SMA now incurs all the costs, not the SANFL.

BUSINESS losses by football’s return to Adelaide Oval. The SANFL’s once-lucrative catering arm, Encore, will close in March. The league’s revenue stream from the Tavern bar at Football Park also has collapsed.

Encore closing now Whicker has retired??? Encore will just be named something else that is owned by the SMA.

STAFF cuts that have stripped the SANFL from 120 full-time workers to 66. Next year, the casual staff roster - that had 1000 people last year and 100 this year - will be gone.

Staff cuts, again, these would be from the day to day running of AAMI stadium, new staff (and I'm sure a lot more of them) will be taken up by the SMA.

Checkside Tavern? Please. The only time this did a roaring trade was game day. Again the SANFL are making out like bandits from game day at the Oval as well as the 100 fold increase in functions they would have at Adelaide Oval over the shit hole at West Lakes.

Their banking debacle is just a lesson in stupidity.
 

Mattrox

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Their banking debacle is just a lesson in stupidity.
Want to know more about this.

Westpac: Oh we want to have a look to see if your level of debt is sustainable, if we can afford to keep you on our books.
SANFL: OK no worries. After we sell the land, we'll square things away.
Westpac: Well, we might need the money faster than that so we'll have a look anyway.
SANFL:Ok




.... later......

Westpac: You are shitloads in debt. We don't like it and you need another bank.... Oh by the way that just cost you $420K that you can't afford, see ya.
SANFL: WTF...
 

feenix67

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The article above is obviously Rucci trying to be seen as showing both sides of the story and showing that he has no bias:drunk: but you could drive a truck through the holes in the SANFL's arguments here.

HEAVY cost cutting. The SANFL slashed its operating costs by $1.5 million this year and will cut again by $2.3 million next year.

Well ofcourse. The SMA now incurs all the costs, not the SANFL.

BUSINESS losses by football’s return to Adelaide Oval. The SANFL’s once-lucrative catering arm, Encore, will close in March. The league’s revenue stream from the Tavern bar at Football Park also has collapsed.

Encore closing now Whicker has retired??? Encore will just be named something else that is owned by the SMA.

STAFF cuts that have stripped the SANFL from 120 full-time workers to 66. Next year, the casual staff roster - that had 1000 people last year and 100 this year - will be gone.

Staff cuts, again, these would be from the day to day running of AAMI stadium, new staff (and I'm sure a lot more of them) will be taken up by the SMA.

Checkside Tavern? Please. The only time this did a roaring trade was game day. Again the SANFL are making out like bandits from game day at the Oval as well as the 100 fold increase in functions they would have at Adelaide Oval over the shit hole at West Lakes.

Their banking debacle is just a lesson in stupidity.
Trust me, a bank doesn't bail on $40M debt unless it's getting jumpy.
 

feenix67

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True... I'd love to know how that $420k got signed off, ******* extortion
I'd imagine the SANFL didn't think it would come to the point where Westpac told them to get lost. They'll be offsetting fees against income at tax time you'd expect, but it's still a pretty major hit to cash flow.

Hilarious that no one at Port acknowledged the goodwill payment made to them. See aneale, it's not about port "hate", it's about the commercial reality of the impact their lack of income was having on the SANFLs bottom line.
 

Papa G

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Hilarious no one in the media and or SANFL recognises that Port under the terms of the one club proposal relinquished its share of the sale of Footy Park.

Hilarious that no one recognises that pre AFL days Port were the club that did the most to fill the SANFL's coffers.

Hilarious that there are very "accurate" numbers are given to what Port "cost" the SANFL but no word on where the other $20 million of SANFL debt came from.
 
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Amacca 23

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i guess it was a figment of my imagination the crows gave back 80% of the profits they made or maybe you need to check the facts as this was the case
 
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