Found this on twitter, AFL facility funding over the last 5 years.
It would be interesting to see the funding over the past 20 years, I suspect Essendon and Collingwood would be a lot higher.
Port Adelaide have surprisingly got nothing and Melbourne not much at all.
I think it really comes down to a combination of Governments buying votes and the quality of the club management.
Melbourne for example do not have a strong geographical supporter base like Gellong or Bulldogs, so there are no votes to buy.
Melbourne have had such a poor board that has never put forward a reason for the government to give them money outside of being a football club and everyone else got a handout. Other clubs have used the angle of the center also being used for indigenous education, disabled athlete training etc. Government need to at least appear that it's not just handing tax payer money to football clubs.
It would be interesting to see the funding over the past 20 years, I suspect Essendon and Collingwood would be a lot higher.
Port Adelaide have surprisingly got nothing and Melbourne not much at all.
I think it really comes down to a combination of Governments buying votes and the quality of the club management.
Melbourne for example do not have a strong geographical supporter base like Gellong or Bulldogs, so there are no votes to buy.
Melbourne have had such a poor board that has never put forward a reason for the government to give them money outside of being a football club and everyone else got a handout. Other clubs have used the angle of the center also being used for indigenous education, disabled athlete training etc. Government need to at least appear that it's not just handing tax payer money to football clubs.
