AFL in $45 million money grab

[Cheesie-the-Pirate]

So the AFL chairman owns the company which manages ANZ stadium?

The AFL chairman is the largest shareholder (50%) in the company (Infrastructure Capital Group Ltd) that manages an investment fund that owns the lease on the stadium until 2031.

The chairman of the board of the stadium is John Clarke, who owns 40% of Infrastructure Capital Group Ltd.

The actual owners of the stadium lease are the investors in the Diversified Infrastructure Trust.

 

[Brutus]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...ransport-despair/story-e6freuzi-1225870758064

No money for much-needed road improvements in NSW, but there's enough apparently for another AFL-suitable stadium.

What a joke.

 

[Keysee]

The AFL chairman is the largest shareholder (50%) in the company (Infrastructure Capital Group Ltd) that manages an investment fund that owns the lease on the stadium until 2031.

The chairman of the board of the stadium is John Clarke, who owns 40% of Infrastructure Capital Group Ltd.

The actual owners of the stadium lease are the investors in the Diversified Infrastructure Trust.

The AFL board has a history of looking after its own - Spotless Catering has the contract for MCG/Docklands AFL venues with its overpriced crap and watered down beer. Ron Evans passed away in 2007.

From Herald Sun archives :
"There was considerable controversy in 2000 over the fact that, with the AFL's Chairman Ron Evans as its managing director, Spotless Services (through its subsidiary company Nationwide Venue Management, or NVM) was the operator of the AFL's Colonial Stadium, now known as Docklands."

 

[Mr_Raditch]

I just rang Ian Macdonald and he was unavailable apparantly he is going to ring me back:roll: ill keep ringing untill i get to speak to him.
I urge my fellow forumites to do the same.

Telephone:
(02) 9228 3344
Fax:
(02) 9228 3452
Email:
macdonald.office@macdonald.minister.nsw.gov.au
Street Address:
Governor Macquarie Tower
Level 36, 1 Farrer Place, SYDNEY NSW 2000

Email sent. Everyone who is complaining in this thread put your money where your mouth is. The only thing politicians recognize is lost votes.

 

[Shire Panther]

Email sent. Everyone who is complaining in this thread put your money where your mouth is. The only thing politicians recognize is lost votes.

Here here i just recieved an email from the MP for Miranda and he has made written representation to the minister for planning Tony Kelly it says when he recieves a response he will contact me:crazy:.
Anyway here are his contact details c'mon forumites people power

Telephone:
(02) 9228 3999
Fax:
(02) 9228 3988
Email:
sharon.armstrong@lpma.nsw.gov.au (Tony's PA)
Street Address:
Governor Macquarie Tower
Level 34, 1 Farrer Place, SYDNEY NSW 2000

 

[applesauce]

I am writing to you in response to the governments recent approvals of various "handouts" to the AFL.

So far:
$27 million NSW government funded training facility at Doonside
$45 million NSW government funded re-development of the Sydney showground
Total = $72million

The AFL boasts a war chest of $200 million to ensure GWS survives its early seasons, yet has lobbied hard for NSW government spending on grounds primarily for its use, now exceeding $72 million.

Just the start of the article in yesterdays Telegraph:

Prepare for 20 years of transport despair
EXCLUSIVE by Andrew Clennell From:The Daily Telegraph May 25, 2010 12:00AM
"The future of Sydney's road network has been exposed as dire, with confidential government documents showing it will be decades before major new roads are built.
The documents show that, while Kristina Keneally's transport blueprint the Metropolitan Transport Plan was being drawn up, government officials were openly complaining about a lack of funds.
They also show that projects like the M4 East are at least 16 years away."
More..

The AFL have ANZ stadium at heir disposal and it should be used just like the NRL sides who use it along with the Sydney Swans.

This is blatant disregard for taxpayer money, something has to give and it seems to be roads, health and education that suffer while "foreign" sports receive unneeded handouts.

This irresponsible spending on the governments behalf when the AFL can more than foot the bill. I want roads hospitals and schools more than any justifiable reason for any unnecessary AFL facilities.
Let them invest in their own aspirations in our state as they are the ones who can afford it.

These actions has lost my vote and others I know feel the same.

Thanks

 

[Shire Panther]

Good stuff applesauce.

Here is an email that i just sent.

I am writing this email firstly as a frustrated NSW tax payer and secondly as a frustrated Rugby League supporter.

I'd just like to register my disgust at the proposed 45 million tax payer dollar upgrade of Sydney showground so it is suitable for AFL the game where there are about 3 people in NSW who give a toss.

How on earth can you justify wasting any money on the upgrade when there is a perfectly good world class stadium right next door? The whole reason ANZ was kept so big is because of AFL and now they don't even want to use it!!! what a disgrace!!!! ANZ should be reconfigured back to a Rugby league ground if you are going to waste tax payer money on a sport that no one in NSW cares about.

How can you justify this upgrade when there are stadiums that need upgrades all over NSW such as Penrith, Parramatta, Leichardt etc, If that 45 million was split up and spent EQUALLY on these venues then Rugby League supporters (NSW tax payers) would finally get the facilities that WE DESERVE!!

Id even be more than happy for that money to be spent on fixing the Hospitals, Roads, Schools, Public Transport or even going to the elderly trying to survive on the pension.

But to spend 45 million on an AFL stadium is a blatant WASTE of money!!!!!!!!!!! especially when there is a suitable venue next door!!! The AFL just don't want the embarrassment of seeing an empty stadium so they would rather have a smaller stadium courtesy of the NSW tax payer.

This is something I am very passionate about and I'm positive that most NSW tax payers will be disgusted by this news.

WHY DOES YOUR PARTY JUST KEEP IGNORING THE PEOPLE OF NSW???????????? Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

 

[Saint Doc]

Dear Mr MacDonald,

I am writing to voice my extreme disappointment at the proposed $45million re-development of the Sydney Showground for the AFL. For a sport that has struggled for relevance in Sydney and NSW, let alone in Western Sydney, the amount of money reportedly being thrown at the ground is amazing. Here we have a rich sport, with a $200million warchest aimed at making itself the number one sport in Sydney, getting a free leg-up by the Government. The people of NSW are rugby league people. Its in our blood, just tune in to tonight's State of Origin in this weather for proof of that. There is absolutely no reason to upgrade the ground to an all seater. Canterbury Bulldogs played there earlier this decade and there is no reason why it wouldn't also be suitable for GWS-AFL if they decided to play there, rather than at the purpose built facility that has already been constructed for them in Blacktown. Also, there is no reason they couldn't play at ANZ Stadium if they required more seating. The Bulldogs, South Sydney, and ocasionally Parramatta all currently play at ANZ in front of crowds of 10-35,000, so there is no reason it wouldn't be appropriate for GWS as well.

I implore you to please consider other ways to spend the money.

Warm Regards,

 

[applesauce]

Wheres the love guys???

 

[bobmar28]

Voting for the opposition won't help. The new liberal candidate for Penrith is an AFL PLAYER. Yes that's right, he plays AFL!!!

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

Labor it is

 

[El Diablo]

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...government-favours-for-afl-20100523-w40j.html
Rugby league officials have been aware for some time of the discussions between NSW Minister Ian MacDonald and AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou, saying they have jointly convinced Premier Kristina Keneally of the showground investment. They understand Ken Edwards, the former chief executive of ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, has been advising MacDonald.

''By the AFL's own admissions, their GWS crowds will only be 15,000 to 17,000, about the same as an NRL game, yet they are getting $45 million to play nine games a year,'' one NRL official said.

The AFL has already negotiated stadium redevelopments in Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Geelong as part of its conditions to co-operate with soccer's bid for the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cups, yet refuses to release Melbourne's Etihad Stadium, which it will use exclusively for AFL matches.

Football Federation Australia, angered by the AFL's refusal to relinquish Etihad, broke off negotiations with the AFL to jointly redevelop the Sydney Showground, which it considered using for its western Sydney expansion team, Sydney Rovers.

It declared a new stadium at Blacktown would be the 12th venue for the World Cup bid, funded by the state and federal governments.

Now, it appears, the AFL has found a back-door way, via MacDonald, to have its nine games at the showground afterall.

will this hopefully put a stop to this waste of money?

NSW Tax Payers will be even more pissed if the seppo backflips seeing the AFL have just spent $6 million on one player

they have enough to fund this themselves

http://bigpondnews.com/articles/National/2010/06/04/NSW_MP_Macdonald_gone_follows_West_469950.html

NSW MP Macdonald gone, follows West

Friday, June 04, 2010 » 09:10pp

The NSW government has descended into chaos after two ministers quit in just one day, precipitating another major frontbench reshuffle.

State Development Minister Ian Macdonald stepped down late on Friday following claims he misused taxpayer funds to help pay for a trip to the Middle East.

 

[Cumberland Throw]

bye bye Ian... bye bye show ground

 

[Jason_(Is_our_King)_Smith]

For god's sake aren't there enough league-loving members of the NSW Cabinet to put an immediate stop to this nonsense?

 

[intentcity]

i can understand the AFL getting the grant from the feds, but not from the NSW gov, i know the vic gov gave storm a grant (of sorts) but as its been pointed out, victoria needed that stadium anyway.

but the point most of are missing is that it isnt a grant, well its called a grant but its really an investment, the more successfull the new team is the more money the NSW govenment get, be it taxes, tourisim, lets just say collingwood are playing the new team in syd, you may get 10k collingwood supporters make their way up for the game (depending on the importanty of the game), these victorians will spend money in syd while they're there.

i still wouldnt like to see the new team get any money from the NSWs government though, but you can see the benifits for the government if they do.

 

[Brutus]

It's obvious the AFL has enough money to fund such things as stadiums themselves by the way they are throwing cash around at RL players -players who have never played fumbleball before (HUNT ONLY PLAYED 6 GAMES at SCHOOL ffs, yet some media tards have labelled him an AFL junior)

f**k off you arrogant tossers - use your f**king TV money to fund stadiums that you don't really need.

 

[Stormcap]

This thread just just shows the problem that we have in the NRL.

Always playing the victim.

Think about it from a business sense.

Here is the AFL starting a new business with an annual revenue of $25-$30mililon with $200million to back it up, of course the Government is going back it in. If it was a mining project or a car factory you think the gov wouldn't kick in ?

Instead of writing paranoid whining emails, maybe, you guys should get of your butts and get a memeberships and go to some games instead of watching on TV and waiting on unrealistic Tv deals.

the AFL gets more nmembership than we do in tv money, thats the gap that we shoudl be looking at closing, not the tv deal.

 

[Jason_(Is_our_King)_Smith]

This thread just just shows the problem that we have in the NRL.

Always playing the victim.

Think about it from a business sense.

Here is the AFL starting a new business with an annual revenue of $25-$30mililon with $200million to back it up, of course the Government is going back it in. If it was a mining project or a car factory you think the gov wouldn't kick in ?

Instead of writing paranoid whining emails, maybe, you guys should get of your butts and get a memeberships and go to some games instead of watching on TV and waiting on unrealistic Tv deals.

the AFL gets more nmembership than we do in tv money, thats the gap that we shoudl be looking at closing, not the tv deal.

While this is a good point, the AFL adventure into western Sydney cannot be compared to a mining venture or car factory. They are labour-intensive, profit making ventures that will attract corporate tax and generate spin-off industries that will further increase the tax take.

The GSW is a speculative adventure that, in the grand scheme of things, will have zero economic impact on the state budget.

it is simply an attempt to foister a sporting culture that was dreamed up on the back of an envelope by a few blokes in a melbourne pub. It has nil relevance to NSW...and certainly the taxpayer should have no involvment in it WHATESOVER!

 

[Stormcap]

[/B]

While this is a good point, the AFL adventure into western Sydney cannot be compared to a mining venture or car factory. They are labour-intensive, profit making ventures that will attract corporate tax and generate spin-off industries that will further increase the tax take.

The GSW is a speculative adventure that, in the grand scheme of things, will have zero economic impact on the state budget.

it is simply an attempt to foister a sporting culture that was dreamed up on the back of an envelope by a few blokes in a melbourne pub. It has nil relevance to NSW...and certainly the taxpayer should have no involvment in it WHATESOVER!

the AFL has $200million to spend in Western Sydney, a fair chunk of that money will go to people in WS who work at the club, work at the games, work in marketing etc. Thats jpbs and money for the people of WS ,that money can be earned and spent on NRL memberships etc. The GWS players will live and spend in WS.

While i agree its not as many jobs as a new factory but its still some pretty big investment and the NRl can indirectly get its hands on some of that $200million.

The fact is that both codes can grow, IF you look at tv ratings, theres 20million people not watching either AFL or NRL on a friday night, 67% of our country is overweight, kids are playing ps3 and chatting on msn instead of having a kick or a game of touch. ALot of our country is made up immmigrants like myself who've never seen either game.

I just think that both codes can grow and prosper nationally, they are 2 great games. But while NRL plays the victim under attack the AFL is going to come out on top.

 

[Greenbits]

the AFL has $200million to spend in Western Sydney, a fair chunk of that money will go to people in WS who work at the club, work at the games, work in marketing etc. Thats jpbs and money for the people of WS ,that money can be earned and spent on NRL memberships etc. The GWS players will live and spend in WS.

While i agree its not as many jobs as a new factory but its still some pretty big investment and the NRl can indirectly get its hands on some of that $200million.

The fact is that both codes can grow, IF you look at tv ratings, theres 20million people not watching either AFL or NRL on a friday night, 67% of our country is overweight, kids are playing ps3 and chatting on msn instead of having a kick or a game of touch. ALot of our country is made up immmigrants like myself who've never seen either game.

I just think that both codes can grow and prosper nationally, they are 2 great games. But while NRL plays the victim under attack the AFL is going to come out on top.

The thing is the AFL have shown that they are not willing for this to happen. The NRL needs to make sure its supporters are aware of the AFLs intent. Nobody likes a bully.