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The AFL has released its financial results for 2011, announcing a loss of $23.6 million, despite posting record revenue of $343 million.
The loss was explained by Commission chairman, and former Carlton champion, Mike Fitzpatrick, as being a direct consequence of the AFL having fast-tracked the admission of two new teams over 2011 and 2012, referring to the Suns and Giants respectively.
With the new five year TV rights deal commencing in 2012, Fitzpatrick expects that the AFL will more than cover those losses over the next five years.
Other indicators for the AFL for 2011 were quite healthy.
Australian Football boasts record participation numbers of 791,178, up from 751,015 in the previous year.
There were also record club memberships of 650,373, up from 614,251 in 2010 (the trend year to date is that that figure will be surpassed in 2012).
Average attendances took a bit of a hit with the introduction of the Suns, but home and away average attendances still finished at 34,893, placing the AFL fourth across the world in attendances at club competitions.
Total attendances across all matches in 2011, including the NAB Cup reached an all-time high of 7,488,198, but of course that includes 11 additional home and away games compared to 2010 (although that year included the grand final replay).
Four players in 2011 topped the $900,000 annual salary mark, and they were Chris Judd, Nick Riewoldt, Jonathon Brown and Matthew Pavlich, although there has always been speculation that Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau are both earning more than that, but not as football salaries.
The financial news came through soon after the first ever official AFL combine had been completed in Dublin, with the testing of 15 Irish youngsters, most importantly, with the approval of the GAA.
This follows up on combines already held in Fiji and New Zealand with plans to expand the combine program into the USA and China.
AFL national talent manager, Kevin Sheehan, sees this as an important first step in adding significantly to the 23 players already on AFL lists who are born overseas.
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