by Down the Hill » Thu Sep 05, 2019 12:34 pm
Revenue from the gate is the main reason why GF's are at a neutral venue with the first pick being Thebarton Oval and the other venues being those that the league can run a gate noting that the gate money at venues such as St Mary's and Kilburn goes to the league with the host club presumably getting some kicker. Maybe they get to keep the BBQ, Canteen and Bar trade?
But as a club volunteer, I could think of nothing worse than hosting a GF that my club was playing in. The players and coaches wouldn't even get to a GF without all the volunteers behind the scenes doing what they do and being able to sit back and watch your club play in a GF is the reward for all that work in the previous 6 months. I think the words of the Boss earlier this week makes it fairly clear.
"There is a cost for entry to Grand Finals to attend and those costs are for a reason, most relatively, a commercial reality.
We are acutely aware the cost may prohibit some from attending. But like any organisation, The Adelaide Footy League has responsibilities to its member clubs and they are in part, financial responsibilities. Gate income from Grand Finals plays a significant role in The League keeping Affiliation Fees as low as they have for as long as they have in fact two lots of a 10% reduction since 2013.
The Adelaide Footy Men’s and Women’s Competition have commanded a $15 Grand Final gate fee whether it be Division 3 to 7 (since 2015) or Division 1 & 2 (since 2007) and may prove a discussion point if your club has not been near a Grand Final for a few years.
Regional Leagues charge anything from $5 per match every single round of the year, including players who are playing that match.
They then charge an increased amount for their finals series.
There will continue to be charges to attend Grand Finals hosted by the Adelaide Footy League and they are to dilute the affiliation fees being borne by our member clubs and continue providing a platform for men and women to play the game without financial restrictions being the reason for not.
If your club is challenged by a member and we’ve no doubt you will be, we strongly suggest you refer to Country Football practices who charge for every match every week of the home and away plus finals and AdFL charge once, it’s a small price to pay. To put some relativity on the Gate income, it represents roughly 15% of the League’s annual income. It has to come from somewhere."