Now, we know Collingwood and Essendon are traditionally two of the stronger Melbourne clubs, with solid finances and large membership bases.
So the fact that they monopolise a date which has evolved into an AFL event which rakes in piles of cash for the two clubs naturally attracts jealousy from the other clubs, particularly the less financially-stable clubs.
That seems unfair and that’s one of the strongest arguments for sharing around the fixture, or at least sharing around the revenue generated from the fixture.
But as has been mentioned plenty of times in the past week, Essendon and Collingwood came up with the idea of the ANZAC Day fixture and made it work in the mid-nineties. Does that entitle them to the fixture for eternity? I don’t know, but why suddenly all this talk of changing something which isn’t broke?
We shouldn’t forget that Monday’s ANZAC Day crowd at the MCG was 89,626. That was the 10th largest ever home-and-away crowd in VFL/AFL history. So it’s fair to say the concept is flying.
Therefore, it seems the only reason people want to change the ANZAC Day formula is because it’s unfair for other clubs.
To me that seems a little flawed. What a burden!
Surely, change should only happen if something isn’t working. We all know the old saying ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.
The response to that is therefore the revenue of the fixture should be shared around by all clubs.
But a key point in all of this is the idea the ANZAC Day fixture is a guaranteed formula for a big crowd.
There’s no evidence of this prior to Essendon and Collingwood coming up with the idea in the mid-nineties. But there’s no doubt the fixture has evolved since the inaugural game in 1995.
And somewhere along the line since 1995 it’s perceived to have stopped being an Essendon-Collingwood initiative and instead an AFL event (that’s got something to do with the day it’s on).
For that very reason – given it’s now seen as an event owned by the AFL and not those two clubs – the other clubs feel entitled to their share.
Therefore, referring back to the old quotation again, it’s seen as if it is broke as it isn’t serving everyone’s interests. That’s a point of consternation for me.
Why change it and punish Collingwood and Essendon who have unearthed and developed a great initiative? It seems a burden on these two for the benefit of weaker clubs.
In my opinion, it’s part of a bigger issue of the growing discrepancy between the strong and weak clubs in the AFL, which is important due to the correlation of football department spending and on-field success in recent years.
Clubs want everything shared because that’s the nature of the AFL with the salary cap. But that’s unrealistic in a business world which is what the modern professional game is. Clubs should be rewarded for running their business effectively.
This begins to get to the issue of Melbourne clubs re-locating simply because the city can’t support nine AFL clubs in an increasingly competitive market, but that’s one for another day.
Moving on, a ‘solution’ may eventually be found to appease everyone on the ANZAC Day fixture, but it’s only one small part of a greater problem.
The weaker clubs will continue to be a burden on the rest with these kind of band-aid measures.
And there’s a lot they could learn from Essendon and Collingwood’s example of creating the ANZAC Day fixture. As this weekend showed, Monday night football has a market and then there’s the old Good Friday chestnut.
Okay, it doesn’t compare to the patriotic occasion of ANZAC Day, but it’s about showing initiative and creating an event. The weaker clubs can’t expect handouts, they need to change.
james L
Guest
sorry that im a little late for this but my view is. we are all Australian not just collingwood and essendon, every club should have the RITE to play on ANZAC day, ANZAC day is about paying respect to the fallen soldiers so how can other clubs honer them if there not allowed to play on ANZAC day, have a ANZAC day game the week after ANZAC day????? no!! its still not ANZAC day rotate the round so that EVERY team plays on it. in the league i play in the 2 grand finalist play on mthe ANZAC day weekend so why cant the same thing happen in the AFL?
gazz
Roar Pro
in communist russia, there;s no such thing as rivalries, alll equal!
gazz
Roar Pro
GF rematch doesnt work for two reasons, a) redb's point, its a drawcard anyway, so why waste it on anzac day b) it wouldnt always be 2 victorian clubs which would hurt the attendance figures leave it!
gazz
Roar Pro
As a WA fan, I couldnt believe it when I read bout that MCC mess. In WA the WCE members are more than the Subi Oval capacity so members who cant attend one specific game can put their tickets up for people to buy. something similar needs to be done at MCG
woodsman
Guest
Next target should be 2 Billion, or rights to several small pacific nations- oh, yeah already working on that..
woodsman
Guest
All at the expense of traditional rivalries? Communism is great in theory, but.. No thanks.
woodsman
Guest
Neither Collingwood or Essendon were exactly powering along when the ANZAC Game tradition started in 1995- irresponsible to penalise them now that they have righted themselves. Never reward mediocrity when so much of our system feeds back to support the weaker clubs already.
woodsman
Guest
St Kilda's performance this year shows exactly why that would be a lame duck. Grand Final rematches are only big draws if a) the result was tight, and b) both clubs remain successful in the bulid-up. A grand final rematch between StK and Collingwood would not get the same number or atmosphere, not even on ANZAC Day.
davelee
Guest
and just look at geelong and hawthorn not long ago, barely 10 years ago they were on their knees and now theyve got their business together with good memberships and the tassie backing and now they are viable.
davelee
Guest
you've got to give clubs incentives to run their businesses effectively. that underlines everything.
davelee
Guest
exactly... need as many blockbusters as possible. that way they can get even more than $1.125 billion in the next broadcast deal
Matty B
Guest
Craig they would fill the GF rematch on a day besides ANZAC day too....so I don't see why it needs to be on ANZAC day -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Patrick Angel
Roar Guru
Revenue sharing like in the NFL. Seriously, the best sports business model going round. 70% of revenue is shared, so there is still clubs trying to win for financial reasons, but an extended stint in the mud heap means you will never go bankrupt. AFL already has Draft and Cap, so put in revenue sharing (not to 70% but to whatever will make sure everyone is able to survive). New clubs can thrive, old clubs don't do as well but the sport itself does better. The "any given Sunday" effect will mean bigger crowds, more TV revenue, and more exciting finishes to heaps of games.
CraigB
Roar Guru
if its a GF rematch I have no doubt they will fill it
Matty B
Guest
Just as a point of interest as to crowds that get pulled for matches on ANZAC day......what were the crowds like for the games (Besides bombers-magpies) that have been played on ANZAC day at etihad over the last couple of years? There is no case that any other team will pack out the MCG as well as Essendon and Collingwood on ANZAC day -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Redb
Roar Guru
Yes maybe Geelong v Hawthorn would when the teams are going well but after 15 years would they still pull 90,000, I doubt it?
Walt
Guest
Cant see Port Vs Brisbane or West Coast Vs Sydney getting such a big crowd at the MCG on ANZAC Day.
Richard
Roar Guru
You reckon?
Richard
Roar Guru
I agree with you entirely. Good article. There are already enough mechanisms in place to redistribute income in favour of the so called weaker clubs. There is also the salary cap and the draft process to ensure those clubs have a better than otherwise chance of succeeding, all of which I support in the interests of the Game. The only thing left would be to actually prohibit a club from getting stronger than the rest, which would be ridiculous. What is often forgotten is that supporters of Essendon and Collingwood turn up in droves to support their clubs, even when those clubs are not travelling well on field. Thus the ANZAC Day game is always well supported, no matter where the teams are on the ladder. That to me is enough reason to leave things as they are. I'm all in favour of assisting less succssful clubs, but not at the expense of penalising the successful ones.
Redb
Roar Guru
The point is could they do it year after year. Last years GF teams is a blockbuster in its own right.