It is funny (one has to laugh) that Melbourne is now claiming the moral high ground over Brisbane as they didn't get the priority pick. This is ironic considering the millions that the AFL has funneled into Melbourne.


http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/m ... ipdrb.html

Yet the way I see it every club except for a select few are getting either:

1) AFL financial assistance
2) backdoor assistance.

eg

Brisbane - got salary cap relief for over a decade, plus Leigh Matthews assistance.
Western Bulldogs - "equalisation" funding.
Hawthorn - got given Tasmania by the AFL, 25 MILLION dollars benefit, compo for playing at MCG not Waverley, $1 rent Waverley, priority picks etc.
Melbourne - financial, millions of dollars, AFL assistance in executive decisions.
North Melbourne - millions and millions of dollars
Port Melbourne - ditto..millions and millions plus "equalisation" funding.


So as far as I can see (could be missing some funding) there are only a few teams that aren't getting AFL assistance.

Carlton, Collingwood?, Essendon*, Geelong, Richmond. They are the clubs contributing towards "equalisation".

So the question has to be asked...

Why doesn't the AFL offer a "financial package" to Carlton?
Is it because Carlton still sees itself as a "big club" that doesn't need to look for assistance? Thereby overlooking the pummeling Carlton received from Hawthorn last week? plus other record breaking losses.

Would the wise thing to do be either
a) pay off Carlton's debt...or is North Melbourne's debt more important to the AFL and therefore Carlton can fend for themselves?
b) give drafting assistance ....in a 22 player team one extra draft pick at pick 20 or 22 or whatever is going to amount to less than a hill of dung beatles. Thereby give both Brisbane and Carlton pick1, 2, 10 and 11, plus pick 20, 22. It won't get through as the AFL wants to be seen as being "fair"...which is again ironic considering the above.



http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-07-16/a ... -demetriou

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/k ... 1awke.html

This article dating back to 2011 raises some interesting points.

Keep in mind that North is operating well now thanks to AFL assistance.

But this sentence is the key one:


"North is not alone in getting such a warning. Last year, Carlton and Melbourne had "significant concerns"
about their financial viability raised by auditors."

Yet the AFL bails out North and Melbourne but leaves Carlton to fend for itself...presumably because Carlton was/is? a popular football club. Every year the AFL funnels money into other clubs (and not Carlton) it weakens Carlton's position in relation to these other clubs...especially as on-field performances are so poor.

25,000 for a Carlton vs North match...should the AFL be paying attention to the fact that one of their most important golden eggs that is providing the money for their growth now suddenly is laying bronze eggs?


The key question is...even if you disagree and think Carlton should fend for itself etc....surely you would agree that Carlton should not be providing even one cent, or even 10 cents..towards the AFL's "equalisation" policy. This is insanely cruel.




Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/k ... z3hbSy4osa

Afl is ridiculous

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/a ... 6724697123

This article states:

"The league yesterday ticked off on funding arrangements for the Demons — with the club securing $1.45 million in a "one-off" (yeah, right) payment.

But the league has stipulated that $450,000 of that money is conditional on the club matching it dollar for dollar through its own fundraising endeavours.

The AFL has also guaranteed a $500,000 loan for the club, against its existing facilities. "

So when Carlton loses to Melbourne when they next meeting them are they playing the AFL and the Melbourne Demons considering the AFL is funding their development?

Also, in this agreement the AFL fundied them $450,000 contingent on their own club raising the same amount.

Can't Carlton do something like this - get Carlton members to raise $400,000 and if so the AFL will tip in say $3 million. Let them tip in more considering the years they have let Carlton pay for their other clubs.

Carlton did receive financial assistance in the form of a loan from the AFL.

The reason it is a loan and not 'assistance' is that we are a big club, or at least were at the time, that is capable of looking after itself, but was run poorly i.e we were completely to blame for the poor financial situation we were in. Opposed to Melbourne/Bulldogs/St Kilda/North Melbourne, who don't have the supporter base, or membership revenue to compete without assistance.

What you don't understand, and refuse to listen when anyone tells you, is that this is an 18 team competition that relies on the revenue gained from tv rights and media coverage. If the AFL let 4 clubs die, its 2 less games a week to draw that revenue from. Carlton aren't going to die just yet.

Rather than directly your attention to what the AFL isn't doing for us, start asking questions about what our board and club aren't doing for us. Those are the big questions you should be asking.

The state we find ourselves in is almost completely of our own doing.



How is Leigh Matthews assistance from the AFL? They hired Matthews, we poached Pagan from North Melbourne. We [REDACTED] our decision up. How is that the AFL's fault?



Got given Tasmania by the AFL? Were we interested in Tasmania? Did Smorgan/Pratt/Sticks and our board look at Tasmania? Was anyone else interested in Tasmania apart from North Melbourne's half hearted attempt? Were we interested in moving to Waverley? What priority picks were Hawthorn given that we weren't provided with ourselves? Maybe they tanked in 2005, but we tanked just as much in 2008.

We didn't miss out on Waverley and Tasmania because the AFL favoured Hawthorn. We missed out because we're Carlton and we do things the Carlton way.

Hawthorn have been innovative, prepared to play games in Tasmania, move their training base to Waverley because they are a modern club who are prepared to do what it takes to be successful. We sat back and poached a few people from Collingwood in the hope they'd do the hard work for us.

We should be going out to Waverley this morning and collecting some of the grass clippings to spread them over Ikon Park in the hope the way they've transformed themselves from a club that was ready to close up and merge with Melbourne in the mid-90's to the modern powerhouse they are today rubs off on us. While Sticks does that, our board should be turning over every rock, looking at every possibility, every idea that might improve our club so the next time a Waverley or Tasmania come up we're grabbing the opportunity rather than sitting back and saying 'We're Carlton, we'll be right" and blaming the AFL.

I am no AFL apologist (they have plenty of their own faults) but blaming them for our poor management over 20 years is the type of attitude that has us in this situation in the first place.

_________________
"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

In reply to TrueBlue Brad, if the AFL was compared to an economic system. Which one of the three would you pick? or would you pick another system?

a) a free-market capitalist system (Eg EPL where only the richest Man United, Manchester City and Chelsea win.)
b) a socialist dictatorship (where funds are handed out and assistance based on what groups are favoured by the dictatorship)
c) free-market with some elements of govt control (eg NFL where clubs are privately owned but for the good of the game agree on salary caps/drafts etc)


You also state "I am no AFL apologist BUT.....
Whenever someone says BUT...you know they mean the first part of the sentence and the rest is feather bedding.

You focus on the board, I will focus on what I see right in front of me.

And what I see is plenty of money for "equalisation" heading to various clubs.

If you aren't an AFL "apologist" as you state - do you think Carlton should be putting money into this "equalisation fund" that the AFL has devised?
Keeping in mind Carlton is on the bottom of the ladder and just received their biggest loss in club history, and are over 5 million in debt, whilst North are now no longer in debt.


In regards to Hawthorn and Tasmania.... a clever way to approach this would have been to have a variety of teams playing out of Tasmania.
Do you agree or disagree?
Giving one club sole ownership of a state is the type of favouritism that shouldn't apply in an "equal" competition.
Tasmania is being used by Hawthorn. They get the money, play predictable one-sided matches against low drawing teams there and then fund their player/welfare development from that money. When was the last time Hawthorn played Essendon* in Tasmania?

Let me say, I love Australian football ...love it to bits...more than you could imagine...but the last 10 years has made me realise I love the Carlton football club far more than I love the game, and if Carlton comes before the welfare of the game, so be it.

we have really hit rock bottom haven't we???

actually we haven't.....

_________________
Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

we probably haven't.

based on the murmurings re some experienced guys going for draft picks, i think we'll be worse next year and possibly the year after.
how will the club react? crowds down again. memberships down again. more financial losses...

Yep - Agree with the 2 posts above. All now pointing to 'rock bottom' = next year!

This will perpetuate as long as we have a clueless club board

_________________
Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

tap,I'll make it easier for you to answer the questions



Thanks

_________________
"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

The bears. I knew it was the bears. Even when i thought it was the immigants i knew it was the bears.

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The only way for some people to understand is for them to be on the receiving end

Left wing moralists
In self serving denial
They shit me no end

Thanks[/quote

Hawks right place (the bottom) right time.

Now we are well and truly at the bottom its time for the AFL and the Blues to come up with the next big move to get us out of this mess. Like they did with the other clubs. It will have to be huge because things are different to 2004. Economically Aus wide, the Australian sporting landscape and the state of the afl. There wont be times like the last decade again. A decade where we started well behind the eight ball.

There is a stark difference between Carlton and clubs like Melbourne.
We have been bad for years far to many to even think of but our attendance at games is still better than a lot of other clubs.
When and if they start winning again that attendance will sky rocket
Some of these other clubs could win 3 flags in a row attract numbers but once things turn sour attendance will plummet.
The AFL derives it's income from TV .
TV want as many games as possible so they will keep providing assistance to the low drawing clubs.
As Juice says he wants this club to be able to contribute every year to the equalisation funds because he then knows the club is making money

_________________
If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

you could actually argue that carlton playing poorly is actually better for tv ratings ... those that would normally go to the game would be at home watching! doubt there would be too many not switching on the tv to watch carlton play .... if they are still watching at 1/2 time, 3/4 time is another question ..

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Got to love the stare Down by Setanta on Llyod

You could argue that, but it would be a poor argument.

_________________
T E A M

It's all the AFL's fault

I don't care who's fault it is, we need help.

_________________
Just because I'm offended, doesn't mean I'm wrong.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl ... 7468468937

We need strong leadership. This equalisation tax is the perfect example.

Why The F*** is it Adelaide that is leading the charge against this "equalisation" tax.

Carlton is being damaged 10 times more than Adelaide and yet Carlton once again sits in the background. Carlton should be leading the charge against this disgraceful tax.

If Carlton hasn't got the guts to ask for draft, or money assistance, or for the AFL to wipe out their debt as they did with North Melbourne - then at the very Fing least say you refuse to pay their awful tax. A tax that is meant to keep Carlton down the bottom as long as possible.

Now that North Melbourne is making money (thanks to the AFL paying all their debt) how about they contribute some money to this equalisation tax. And pay it right into Carlton's bank account too.