Tiger Tales wrote:
Bazza wrote: AFL contributed to Adelaide Oval but its also others like the funds towards Aurora in Tasmania, all pretty token amounts but something at least.
Money invested by tax payers has been like a gift horse to the AFL.
In Demetriou's time at the helm, state and federal governments have ploughed well over $1.5 billion into the grounds that AFL fans flock to every weekend between March and September. Those upgrades have boosted capacity, improved lighting, club facilities, member areas and function rooms – in turn helping to bump up the AFL's revenue. In 2004 the code brought in $196 million in revenue. By 2012 it was raking in more than double that, $425 million.
Very few of those venues, if any, are for the sole benefit of the AFL. They support a number of sports and other events. Where the AFL have invested into the stadium redevelopments this money has been used for the direct benefit of the AFL clubs eg training and administration infrastructure.
In regards to the financial windfall for the AFL that you've suggested has come from this govt investment, very little would be attributed to facility development with the exception of housing two new teams in non-traditional markets. Most of this increased revenue can be attritubted to the increased broadcasting rights deals.
Prior to 2001 Ch7 was paying $20m per season
2001 – Fox, Ch9 and Ch10 paid $100m per season from 2002-2006, Radio netted the AFL $2m
2006 – Ch7, Ch10 and Foxtel paid $150m per season from 2007-2011, Radio netted the AFL $8m
2011 – Ch7, Foxtel and Telstra paid $250m per season 2012 - 2017. Radio fetched $23.2m
The new TV rights are worth $418m per season for 6 years.
Ground capacity extra seating is a windfall for the clubs and AFL, as for media, how the hell can you broadcast a game without a venue and produce and broadcast night games without lighting provided from state of the art technology, its all very well to say that other sports benefit , but none as much as AFL, Cricket is restricted to a handful of games around the nation. Just look at the MCG its an iconic Grand Final venue and the biggest asset in the AFLs marketing ability GF day , irionically they haven't spent a cent on it, what would be the worth of the MCG to AFL as a game marketing wise not to mention the seats sold, corporates boxes, and icon status broadcast around the world , a marketing and PR company would put a figure on it, it must be astronomical.