2010 Annual Report Results

AFL Commission Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick on Friday, February 25 said the AFL had taken two generational decisions to grow the game, with the awarding of competition licences to the Gold Coast Suns and the GWS Giants.

The AFL Commission has forwarded the game’s official financial figures, which will appear in the 2010 Annual Report, to the AFL Club Presidents in the lead-up to the AFL annual general meeting, to be held on Thursday March 17.

The Annual Report states:
• Record Revenue of $335.8 million in 2010, increasing by more than 10 per cent on the 2009 figure of $303.5 million.
• Operating Surplus, before grants and distributions, grew to a record $230 million (from $213.5 million).
• Total grants and distributions of $226 million, representing an increasing of nearly 24 per cent from last year’s figure of $182.3 million. A record amount of $142 million was distributed to the current AFL clubs, compared to $135.8 million the previous year.

Mr Fitzpatrick said the awarding of a competition licence to the GWS Giants was a key moment in 2010, for their entry to the AFL competition next year after the inclusion of the Gold Coast Suns from this season, and central to the Commission’s charter around competition expansion, continued development of the game at a community level and maintaining the integrity of the AFL competition.

“We regard the establishment of the Gold Coast Suns and the GWS Giants as generational decisions to significantly grow our game in the third-largest and largest markets in Australia, where we were under-represented,” Mr Fitzpatrick wrote in the Annual Report.

“The Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney were identified as our priority growth markets. I would like to thank all AFL clubs for the way they have embraced our expansion plans.”

Mr Fitzpatrick said the AFL, through the work of the AFL Executive and the Commission, had recorded excellent results in each of its key indicators on the health of the game for the 2010 year;

* Record membership of AFL clubs of 614,251, compared to 586,748 in 2009.
* The addition of the Grand Final Replay saw total AFL attendance across the NAB Cup, NAB Challenge, Toyota AFL Premiership season and the Toyota AFL finals series reach 7,470,302, eclipsing the previous mark established in 2008.
* Record participation in 2010 of 751,015 from the previous mark of 732,803.
* The Toyota AFL grand final between Collingwood and St Kilda was the most-watched sporting program of the year, with an average national audience of 3.639 million people on the Seven Network.
* The Toyota AFL grand final replay between Collingwood and St Kilda was watched by an average national audience on the Seven network of 3.522 million people and was the second most-watched TV sporting event in Australia in 2010.

Mr Fitzpatrick said there had been a number of outstanding achievements for the long-term health of the game, through the course of the 2010 year.

“Balancing continuity with change has been a consistent theme for the AFL Commission since 2007 when we embarked upon our plans to expand the AFL competition,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

“While much of our focus during the past 12 months has been on progressing our expansion plans, we continue to do all we reasonably can to support the current clubs.

“Our major policies of equalisation, including revenue sharing and the draft, are designed to create a competition where each club has a chance to win and, while we will continue to support all clubs, ultimately the responsibility rests with the boards of each club to ensure they are financially viable,” he said.

Mr Fitzpatrick said the football community should recognise the following key achievements from 2010;
• The issuing of a licence to the Greater Western Sydney (GWS) Giants to join the AFL competition in 2012.
• Construction of the $140 million Gold Coast Stadium on time and on budget for the Gold Coast Suns’ first home game in May 2011.
• Funding of $45 million from the NSW government and $5 million from the Royal Agricultural Society for the redevelopment of the RAS Showgrounds at Sydney Olympic Park as the primary home game venue for the GWS Giants. The AFL will contribute $10 million.
• A 10-year agreement between the ACT Government and the GWS Giants for the club to play four games, including three premiership matches, per year at Manuka Oval in Canberra.
• Funding of $535 million from the South Australian government to redevelop Adelaide Oval as the future home of AFL matches in Adelaide.
• Funding of $30 million from the Victorian government and $25 million from the Melbourne Cricket Club for the redevelopment of the Great Southern Stand at the MCG.
• Agreement with the AFL Players’ Association to introduce various forms of free agency from 2012.
• The first exhibition match played in China at Jiangwan Stadium, Shanghai, on October 17. Melbourne defeated the Brisbane Lions in a game that attracted more than 7000 people and was televised live to an audience of more than 300,000 in both English and Mandarin on International Channel Shanghai and G-Sports Channel.

Mr Fitzpatrick said the AFL Commission also wished to formally congratulate the Collingwood Football Club, led by President Eddie McGuire and CEO Gary Pert as well as coach Michael Malthouse and the players, on the club’s 15th premiership. He also commended the outstanding efforts again of the St Kilda Football Club, led by President Greg Westaway and CEO Michael Nettlefold and coach Ross Lyon and the playing group, on reaching the Grand Final.