AJ, Its not our state league anymore - even though the league is ridiculously named the VFL, its for the eastern states. Not sure why you think Southport has no place in it, they didnt have many options when Gilligan decided to finish the NEAFL. I'm with VFA, I will always go for a standalone over an AFL club - I will be hoping for a Werribee vs Southport GF.
I personally can't get behind Southport even if they are technically standalone. Putting aside our loss to them, the financial resources they have blow other standalones out of the water. Southport reported a surplus of nearly $8 million in their 2023 annual report, which is up there with Werribee's profits and well surpasses Port Melbourne's 2022 profit of $2 million according to a Herald Sun article on the VFL last year. The league is virtually a financial free-for-all and the presence of a club like Southport makes it worse. The presence of the northern AFL clubs is a frustration of its own but at least tracks with the AFL's treatment of the VFL as a development league. But why do Southport - a Queensland club with no historical ties to the VFL - deserve to be here?
Having clubs with revenue sources like this just makes it harder for the remaining standalone clubs to even compete, let alone see any real on-field success. Unless these clubs somehow manage to find income sources comparable to these powerhouses (which may very well be an impossible, especially if they take the moral stance and decide not to exploit gambling addicts) then I have a very sick feeling none of them have any realistic hopes of survival.
AJ, Its not our state league anymore - even though the league is ridiculously named the VFL, its for the eastern states. Not sure why you think Southport has no place in it, they didnt have many options when Gilligan decided to finish the NEAFL. I'm with VFA, I will always go for a standalone over an AFL club - I will be hoping for a Werribee vs Southport GF.
I personally can't get behind Southport even if they are technically standalone. Putting aside our loss to them, the financial resources they have blow other standalones out of the water. Southport reported a surplus of nearly $8 million in their 2023 annual report, which is up there with Werribee's profits and well surpasses Port Melbourne's 2022 profit of $2 million according to a Herald Sun article on the VFL last year. The league is virtually a financial free-for-all and the presence of a club like Southport makes it worse. The presence of the northern AFL clubs is a frustration of its own but at least tracks with the AFL's treatment of the VFL as a development league. But why do Southport - a Queensland club with no historical ties to the VFL - deserve to be here?
Having clubs with revenue sources like this just makes it harder for the remaining standalone clubs to even compete, let alone see any real on-field success. Unless these clubs somehow manage to find income sources comparable to these powerhouses (which may very well be an impossible, especially if they take the moral stance and decide not to exploit gambling addicts) then I have a very sick feeling none of them have any realistic hopes of survival.
Nobody is exploiting gambling addicts, clubs don’t force or encourage anybody to gamble, the gamblers themselves chose how often and how much to play.
Southport would have unrivalled dominance in any other competition other than the VFL, You can’t blame them for having an exceptional set up.
That big Port Melbourne surplus was due to including a large grant in the financials, in reality most financial gains have been modest.
17 PREMIERSHIPS, 19 X Runners up
THE VFLS MOST SUCCESSFUL CLUB - THE MIGHTY PORT MELBOURNE BOROUGH!
I'M PORT MELBURNE BORN, I'M PORT MELBOURNE BRED, I'LL BE PORT UNTIL I'M DEAD!!!
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