Analysis With so many clubs in jeopardy during the coronavirus, is it time for WA to bail out VIC again?

[AeneasX]

That’s perhaps why I miss those days. Geelong did very well out of WA - Roy West, Polly Farmer, Denis Marshall, Bryan Cousin, Brian Peake and I’m sure there are plenty more examples

George Moloney, Gary Malarkey and Tim Kelly to name a few, always wondered whether this was just the "Polly" effect or do we have other links to WA as well.

 

[Brer Bear]

I’m currently writing an autobiography about my first 20 years living in WA, it’s titled “Bintang singlets, drink red cordial when you’re in Kuta, you won’t get Bali belly, SS utes and jet-skis, Vico bias, and what’s coffee? - one mans tale of moving from Melbourne to Perth” . Hopefully it will be out before Christmas.

Cool, mines called "Eating smashed avocado sipping chai lattes in my $600/wk 1 bedroom shanty in an inner city shithole suburb supposedly gentrified because of a few hipster bars but in reality it's still a shithole and ah * now I'm broke back to WA"

 

[Capriati]

Cool, mines called "Eating smashed avocado sipping chai lattes in my $600/wk 1 bedroom shanty in an inner city shithole suburb supposedly gentrified because of a few hipster bars but in reality it's still a shithole and ah fu** now I'm broke back to WA"

This is like you just wrote my autobiography.

 

[mightymouse75]

If 3 melbourne clubs had to move, merge or go back to the vfl where they have their amazing history which club would be the first..2nd & 3rd.
1.Bulldogs, lowest membership.
2.St kilda, biggest debt. No room for supporter growth. Exponentially screwed.
3.North..they have already been asked to move once & sold their sold to tasmania.

 

[Farang83150]

WB,StK and Melbourne.

 

[mightymouse75]

WB,StK and Melbourne.

I think Melbourne would be safe because of name & being a founding club.
Removing some of the clutter in Melbourne & a bit of help from the afl in exposure (which would be easier than attempting to grow all these clubs which they do now ie playing home games interstate, t.v. & blockbuster games) would also give the D's a chance to boost their numbers..

 

[Farang83150]

According to Lethal:

“the bottom line is there is a financially-forced rethink about what’s going to happen in 2020 mostly. If we want to look ahead, there’s no reason in my mind why the current 18 team competition should be set in stone.

“It’s going to be looked carefully at what’s planned in the new world in footy when you’ve got less to spend.”

 

[Rickee]

If 3 melbourne clubs had to move, merge or go back to the vfl where they have their amazing history which club would be the first..2nd & 3rd.
1.Bulldogs, lowest membership.
2.St kilda, biggest debt. No room for supporter growth. Exponentially screwed.
3.North..they have already been asked to move once & sold their sold to tasmania.

As a fan of one of the most superfluous clubs in this competition, you don't get to condemn real clubs with actual history to the dustbin because you feel like it.
There will be no mergers, no movements, and certainly no "going back to the VFL" (as if that was even a remote possibility in any way, shape or form).

 

[Robertio]

As a fan of one of the most superfluous clubs in this competition, you don't get to condemn real clubs with actual history to the dustbin because you feel like it.
There will be no mergers, no movements, and certainly no "going back to the VFL" (as if that was even a remote possibility in any way, shape or form).

I also believe that the Saints have won more Premierships than his team.

 

[Rickee]

I also believe that the Saints have won more Premierships than his team.

Depends on if you accept the AFL being a continuation of the competition that began in 1897 or not. Not all interlopers....sorry, interstaters, agree with that fact.

 

[Robertio]

Depends on if you accept the AFL being a continuation of the competition that began in 1897 or not. Not all interlopers....sorry, interstaters, agree with that fact.

Premierships are still recognised so i would presume us Victorian clubs have just continued on from the VFL days with West Coast Eagles paying the bills if you believe their supporters.

 

[WilloTree]

Cool, mines called "Eating smashed avocado sipping chai lattes in my $600/wk 1 bedroom shanty in an inner city shithole suburb supposedly gentrified because of a few hipster bars but in reality it's still a shithole and ah fu** now I'm broke back to WA"

haha - mine's called "Met a nice Perth girl, took her to Bali, it didn't go well, came back single, now I love Melbourne and hate everything that reminds me of her, including all things Perth".

 

[Farang83150]

Depends on if you accept the AFL being a continuation of the competition that began in 1897

LOL...Pure Gold

 

[Coaster2012]

As a fan of one of the most superfluous clubs in this competition, you don't get to condemn real clubs with actual history to the dustbin because you feel like it.
There will be no mergers, no movements, and certainly no "going back to the VFL" (as if that was even a remote possibility in any way, shape or form).

Real clubs with no money and few members. Fake clubs have stacks of cash with 85k plus members. Makes sense. in other words, no one cares about your "real" club.

 

[Back One Out]

And on it goes...

And that 4 million you loled at was the total net worth of the VFL in 1986 so yeah, kinda was a big deal.

Okay mate

You and your West Coast buddies can keep believing the WAFL **SAVED** football in Victoria

... and just ignore the fact that in the 2 decades prior to the Eagles joining the VFL, the Victorian clubs paid millions of dollars in transfer fees to WA clubs

ROFL

 

[Capriati]

Okay mate

You and your West Coast buddies can keep believing the WAFL **SAVED** football in Victoria

... and just ignore the fact that in the 2 decades prior to the Eagles joining the VFL, the Victorian clubs paid millions of dollars in transfer fees to WA clubs

ROFL

Here is a great website which is run by a member here. All the underlying source material is made available for individual to confirm it's veracity and uses a large variety of sources. Here is a couple of quick excerpts:

• 1986 – August 8. the Victorian commissioner for corporate affairs, Gordon Lewis, reads the riot act: the 11 Victoria-based VFL clubs had the same responsibility as any other trading entity—they had to be solvent. (The Phoenix Rises pg 64)
• 1986, September. Victorian Parliament is told only three VFL clubs are solvent – Carlton, Hawthorn and Essendon. The other eight clubs had combined debts of 7 million. (Behind the play pg 203) [Keep in mind the media rights deal was worth 3 million each year.]

Given your post and the lack of knowledge about the financial state of the VFL, VFL clubs and broader football ecosystem at the time of expansion, I suggest you have a read of the link below, and learn something about the history of the sport that you proclaim to love.

Towards a National Competition - Timeline of VFL/AFL Expansion (updated 24/4/2023) - Sports Industry AU

Sources used: The Australian Game of Football…since 1858, edited by Geoff Slattery 100 Years of Australian Football – the official

www.footyindustry.com

 

[Capriati]

Depends on if you accept the AFL being a continuation of the competition that began in 1897 or not. Not all interlopers....sorry, interstaters, agree with that fact.

Fans of non-Victorian clubs do not identify with the term "interstater".

It's funny in a thread calling for the removal of Melbourne based clubs to refer to fans of non-Victorian clubs as the interlopers.

No one wants you in the competition! Even fans of other Melbourne based clubs call for St Kilda to be kicked out!

-1 Flag
-27 Wooden spoons
-13 million worth of debt

What an abysmal history this club has. It would be quite fitting for St Kilda to fold. It certainly won't be missed.

 

[Coaster2012]

Okay mate

You and your West Coast buddies can keep believing the WAFL **SAVED** football in Victoria

... and just ignore the fact that in the 2 decades prior to the Eagles joining the VFL, the Victorian clubs paid millions of dollars in transfer fees to WA clubs

ROFL

They doubled the net worth of the VFL, the people with the cash wanted the VFL to fold. That injection of cash kept them away.

So WA are meant to thank you for poaching their players?

Now I've heard it all

 

[mightymouse75]

As a fan of one of the most superfluous clubs in this competition, you don't get to condemn real clubs with actual history to the dustbin because you feel like it.
There will be no mergers, no movements, and certainly no "going back to the VFL" (as if that was even a remote possibility in any way, shape or form).

I'm sorry. As historically the shittest team to ever play afl. You can get stuffed. And there will be changes sonny Jim..because there will be no footy this year. And the money clubs are tired of paying for your hand outs.

 

[kriles76]

Well, if there’s one thing WA clubs know well, it’s bail.

 

[Rickee]

I'm sorry. As historically the shittest team to ever play afl. You can get stuffed. And there will be changes sonny Jim..because there will be no footy this year. And the money clubs are tired of paying for your hand outs.

You don't get a say, either in the performance of my club, historic or otherwise, or it's survival.

You know absolutely nothing about what you are talking about, and your opinions, insults and all, are completely and utterly irrelevant.

End of story.

 

[Rickee]

Real clubs with no money and few members. Fake clubs have stacks of cash with 85k plus members. Makes sense. in other words, no one cares about your "real" club.

My club is financially solvent and is closing in on 45,000 members at last count. I don't know what 1982 fever dream you just woke up from, but there are more than a few that care about St Kilda and our place in the competition we are a founding member of. I have no concerns whatsoever that we will survive this period, we've come out of much worse positions in the past

 

[Rickee]

Fans of non-Victorian clubs do not identify with the term "interstater".

It's funny in a thread calling for the removal of Melbourne based clubs to refer to fans of non-Victorian clubs as the interlopers.

No one wants you in the competition! Even fans of other Melbourne based clubs call for St Kilda to be kicked out!

-1 Flag
-27 Wooden spoons
-13 million worth of debt

What an abysmal history this club has. It would be quite fitting for St Kilda to fold. It certainly won't be missed.

Fans of non-Victorian clubs can lick my sweaty taint. Especially if they are calling for the club I've devoted a good portion of my life to supporting to be axed because they feel like it.

 

[Hawkk]

My club is financially solvent and is closing in on 45,000 members at last count. I don't know what 1982 fever dream you just woke up from, but there are more than a few that care about St Kilda and our place in the competition we are a founding member of. I have no concerns whatsoever that we will survive this period, we've come out of much worse positions in the past

45% of the Saints income is derived from AFL prize money and TV income. No TV money and you lose solvency.

In terms of NTA the vast majority of the Saints asset base is a training and function venue at Moorabin which is difficult to liquidate but the Saints do have approx $700,000 in cash or cash equivalents (not enough to function for more than 2-3 months but a better spot than Melbourne, the Gold Coast, GWS and North Melbourne)

 

[Rickee]

45% of the Saints income is derived from AFL prize money and TV income. No TV money and you lose solvency.

In terms of NTA the vast majority of the Saints asset base is a training and function venue at Moorabin which is difficult to liquidate but the Saints do have approx $700,000 in cash or cash equivalents (not enough to function for more than 2-3 months but a better spot than Melbourne, the Gold Coast, GWS and North Melbourne)

There wouldn't be many clubs who would be solvent if the dividends from the TV rights went away.

We are in the position we are in financially mostly due to rebuilding Moorabbin from the ground up. A decade of middling to poor on field results hasn't helped, but on field the club is looking fairly decent and the investment in the training base should pay off as well.

It's very aggravating personally to see my club routinely thrown in the virtual dustbin by fans of all other clubs without any justification beyond "they've only won 1 flag and I think they have no fans or money, so nobody cares". Every time rationalization comes up, we are gleefully thrown on the discard pile without any thought to the members, supporters, administrators, club officials, volunteers, etc, that keep our club going. It gets tiresome.