Maybe Denis was spot on with his prediction...
I cannot guarantee the Club will exist in 5 years time....reading Rebecca Wilson's column in today's Tele he may have a had a vision into the future.
If the money is not there, it is not there. Have a look how much super funds have dwindled in the past 12 months...
Players may have to take massive pay cuts, and find supporting jobs (Oh No!!!!) if the code is to survive in Sydney..
Or is it easier to adopt the Three Monkeys ideals ---hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.
I have posted this article for no reason except to agree with Bec Wilson view of where sport is heading in these days of tough economic climate...
When it comes to people feeding THEIR families - or FEEDING footballers, guess which one they will choose.
Gloom and doom are knocking for Australian sport
By Rebecca Wilson
January 31, 2009 12:00am
THE front pages are screaming at us. Doom and gloom have arrived and even the happiest
souls among us reckon we are stuffed. Business sections in every newspaper around the globe are full of gloomy headlines that strongly indicate the world is heading straight for hell in a hand basket.
Yet when you turn to the back of the paper, life is apparently good. You could almost feel refreshed and optimistic after reading a few pages of sports news.
Nothing seems to have changed. Tennis players are still very, very rich. Geoff Ogilvy has a new Mercedes and a million dollars for spending four days on a Hawaiian golf course.
Our millionaire cricketers want a pay rise. And our footballers seem to think they should be immune from the global economic crunch because, well, they play footy.
Only our rugby union stars have succumbed so far to the crisis. The Wallabies have copped a small pay cut per Test match in return for their administrators also becoming a little more austere. Union bosses say they will do some belt-tightening by giving up their first-class air travel and slicing a few dollars from their almost seven-figure salaries.
What is not yet obvious to football administrators in this country is that the other three codes - soccer, AFL and rugby league - are in for some nasty shocks in coming months that will change the face of their sports forever.
What we have seen so far is nothing in the scheme of things. Some leading rugby league clubs will be forced to cut salaries, merge, move or close down. The AFL's pretentious and precocious expansion policy will be nullified while AFL chiefs try to shore up broke Melbourne clubs.
Soccer is already haemorrhaging money and will only survive if the generosity of billionaire Frank Lowy continues. Crowds for the A-League have been terrible. It is only a matter of time before sponsors start withdrawing in their droves from the sport.
Rugby union has lost two huge benefactors in recent weeks. The withdrawal of Ford and Vodafone has hit union hard, with the sport's administration slashing costs, staff levels and board members' fees. More big-name companies like the iconic Canterbury brand are set to follow.
The AFL has toned down its bleating about expansion in recent weeks. The Sydney Swans recorded an $800,000 loss last year. Corporate sales were well down on previous years and even if the Swans succeed on the field in 2009, insiders say the likelihood of turning a profit in the next few years is next to none.
A team in the west of Sydney simply cannot happen while the world sinks into recession, because there will be no money to build it.
Rugby league will be the hardest hit. A sport that relies so heavily on small businesses for support of its clubs will struggle as local plumbers, mechanics and signwriters start having to sack staff. They most certainly won't be able to afford a sleeve sponsorship of their local league team.
These are the people who buy boxes and signage at their suburban footy grounds. Even the giants of the sport - Harvey Norman, Wizard Home Loans and Telstra - are looking long and hard at their heavy commitment to rugby league. Harvey Norman has shut stores in recent weeks. Something has to give.
The Cronulla Sharks, Wests Tigers, South Sydney and Penrith are in diabolical financial shape. The Sharks have already said they are in grave danger of sinking into irretrievable debt. The closing of clubs is no longer if, but when.
Critics of the salary cap continue to maintain it should be increased. 2009 should see them off. The cap must be lowered if teams want to survive. This is no longer about greedy players - it is about whether they will have a team to play in.
Rugby league board members travel around Australia and New Zealand at the pointy end of the plane every weekend. They can pick and choose which matches they attend (with partners) and the NRL puts them up in five-star accommodation.
This obscenely greedy practice has gone on for years and should cease immediately. Board members must set an example. Rugby union is doing it. League and AFL will be forced to follow for the sake of financial survival.
Make no mistake. Sport will change forever this year. Football might just return to the days of its stars actually earning normal money and their bosses will have to cease the relentless pursuit of luxury at their code's expense.
The back pages will change soon. Bad news will be there when the winter descends. Gloom and doom are knocking. It's just that only a few have heard them coming.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24984595-5001023,00.html
Oh well.
