2019 Annual Report 2019 Premiers
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2019 ANNUAL REPORT2019 ANNUAL 2019 ANNUAL 2019 REPORT PREMIERS AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE AUSTRALIAN 2019 AFL AR Cover_d5.indd 3 19/2/20 13:54 CONTENTS AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE 123RD ANNUAL REPORT 2019 4 2019 Highlights 14 Chairman’s Report 24 CEO’s Report 34 Football Operations 44 AFL Women’s 54 Broadcasting 60 Game Development, Legal & Integrity 84 Commercial Operations 100 Growth, Digital & Audience 108 Strategy 114 People & Culture 118 Inclusion & Social Policy 124 Corporate Affairs 130 Infrastructure 134 Awards, Results & Farewells 154 Financial Report The MCG was filled Cover: The jubilant Back Cover: Tayla Harris to capacity when the Richmond and displays her perfect kicking Giants, playing in their Adelaide Crows teams style, an image that will go first Grand Final, did celebrate their 2019 down as a pivotal moment battle with the Tigers. premiership triumphs. in the women’s game. 2019 AFL AR Cover_d5.indd 6 19/2/20 13:54 2019 AFL AR Cover_d5.indd 9 19/2/20 13:54 100,014 The attendance at the 2019 Toyota AFL Grand Final 2,938,670 Television audience for the Toyota AFL Grand Final. 6,951,304 Record home and away attendance. Five-goal hero Jack Riewoldt whips adoring Tiger fans into a frenzy after Richmond’s emphatic 4 Grand Final win over the GWS Giants. 4-13_2019 Annual Report_Highlights_FA.indd 4 25/2/20 14:24 4-13_2019 Annual Report_Highlights_FA.indd 5 25/2/20 14:24 1,057,572 Record total club membership of 1,057,572, compared with 1,008,494 in 2018 35,108 Average home and away match attendance of 35,108, compared with 34,822 in 2018. 1,716,276 Record overall participation of 1.716m, compared with 1.649m in 2018. Fans showed their support in record numbers in 2019, with club membership 6 again topping 7 one million. 4-13_2019 Annual Report_Highlights_FA.indd 6 25/2/20 14:24 4-13_2019 Annual Report_Highlights_FA.indd 7 25/2/20 14:24 586,422 Record female participation of 586,422, compared with 530,166 in 2018 244,224 Total AFLW crowds of 244,224. 53,034 AFLW Grand Final record crowd – 53,034. Record for any standalone women’s sporting event in Australian history. 110,012,000 Total AFL viewership of 110,012,000 across FTA and STV. With a whole new generation of AFLW heroes to support, 8 female participation has skyrocketed. 4-13_2019 Annual Report_Highlights_FA.indd 8 25/2/20 14:24 4-13_2019 Annual Report_Highlights_FA.indd 9 25/2/20 14:24 MAJOR AFL AWARDS BROWNLOW MEDAL NAT FYFE FREMANTLE NORM SMITH MEDAL DUSTIN MARTIN RICHMOND COLEMAN MEDAL JEREMY CAMERON GWS GIANTS NAB AFL RISING STAR SAM WALSH CARLTON Fremantle skipper Nat Fyfe became just the 15th player in history to claim multiple Brownlow Medals with his 11 second win in 2019. 4-13_2019 Annual Report_Highlights_FA.indd 10 25/2/20 14:24 4-13_2019 Annual Report_Highlights_FA.indd 11 25/2/20 14:24 MAJOR AFLW AWARDS NAB AFLW BEST & FAIREST ERIN PHILLIPS ADELAIDE CROWS NAB AFLW GRAND FINAL BEST ON GROUND ERIN PHILLIPS ADELAIDE CROWS NAB AFLW LEADING GOALKICKER STEVIE-LEE THOMPSON ADELAIDE CROWS NAB AFLW RISING STAR MADISON PRESPAKIS CARLTON Crows superstar Erin Phillips confirmed her status as the best player in the game by winning her second NAB AFLW 13 Best and Fairest. 4-13_2019 Annual Report_Highlights_FA.indd 12 25/2/20 14:24 4-13_2019 Annual Report_Highlights_FA.indd 13 25/2/20 14:24 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT Richard Goyder Chairman he 2019 year for Australian Football saw one of the defining moments in our game’s 161-year history, and clearly opened our eyes for all the possibilities that lie before us in the future. As Chairman of the AFL Commission, it was a privilege to be at Adelaide Oval on TMarch 31, 2019, when a capacity crowd of 53,034 packed into the ground for the third AFLW Grand Final – the largest crowd for a standalone women’s sporting event in Australian history. The Adelaide Crows were too strong for Carlton, claiming their second premiership within three years, but the day showed us where the game can next be taken. Our men’s competition continues to be strong – a year of records across home and away attendance, membership (again surpassing one million paid-up fans) and participation – but the desire of women and girls to be part of our game at every level drives our growth. It is the AFL Commission’s responsibility as custodians of the game to harness this latent support, further grow our game for both men and women, and ensure that the strength built over this past century-and-a-half is properly harnessed. To that end, with a three-year CBA now established for our female players, the AFLW competition has expanded again in 2020 to 14 teams with the Gold Coast Suns, Richmond, St Kilda and the West Coast Eagles fielding teams for the first time. The Adelaide While no definitive timeline is set as we manage the Crows’ second talent build to expand the elite competition, it is our AFLW premiership goal that all 18 clubs field both an AFL and AFLW team victory was watched by a within the short to medium term. capacity crowd of 53,034 at Adelaide Oval, the largest attendance for a standalone women’s sporting 14 event in Australia. 14-23_2019 Annual Report_Chairmans Report_FA.indd 14 25/2/20 14:25 14-23_2019 Annual Report_Chairmans Report_FA.indd 15 25/2/20 14:25 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT RICHARD GOYDER Membership and Support for the year, and representing the 19th consecutive year of AFLW has continued growth since the 2000 season was brought forward participation to grow, with club due to the impact of the Olympic Games in Sydney. membership passing Eleven of the 18 AFL clubs broke their records – The personal commitment made by someone who a record 14,000 in Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong Cats, loves our game, either to be a member of an AFL club its third season. And there were fans of all Gold Coast Suns, GWS Giants, Hawthorn, Melbourne, or a participant at community level, is the bedrock of ages including these Richmond, Sydney Swans and reigning premiers the Australian Football. two young Lions West Coast Eagles. My fellow Commissioners and the AFL Executive are supporters (below). AFLW membership increased again after its third grateful to every person who made that commitment in season, with 14,006 members across the 10 clubs. 2019 – a year in which our previous record participation Participation continued to rise on the back of the numbers and previous record membership numbers record numbers previously achieved. were both surpassed. In 2019, participation rose to 1,716,276 from 1,649,178 We think that Australian Football is at the centre in 2018, with the growth in female participation providing of many communities, particularly in our country towns, the lion’s share of that increase. and we will continue to support football at all levels The number of women and girls increased from across the country. 530,166 to 586,422. AFL club membership reached a record 1,057,572 members, topping seven figures for the second straight 16 17 14-23_2019 Annual Report_Chairmans Report_FA.indd 16 25/2/20 14:25 14-23_2019 Annual Report_Chairmans Report_FA.indd 17 25/2/20 14:25 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 2019 ANNUAL REPORT RICHARD GOYDER AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE THE AFL’S HOME AND AWAY SEASON TOTAL ATTENDANCES OVER THE PAST FIVE SEASONS: 2019 – 6,951,304 2018 – 6,894,770 2017 – 6,732,601 2016 – 6,306,333 2015 – 6,351,578 AFL attendances The record crowd for the AFLW Grand Final was not an aberration for the game, as Australian Football fans were again to the fore in record numbers for the AFL season. Across the 198 home away matches, a record of 6,951,304 fans was established, surpassing the previous highest of 6,894,770 set in 2018. I commend the 18 clubs, who do an amazing job to build their fan bases, which is reflected through the record memberships established across the competition. Through the 2019 Toyota AFL Premiership Season, 12 separate rounds were attended by at least 300,000 fans, with matches played in every state and territory, as well as a game in China. The attendance numbers reflect great credit on our fans, particularly when considering the number of matches played at smaller-capacity venues outside of our mainland capital cities in Alice Springs, Ballarat, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Launceston, Shanghai and Townsville. Seven clubs increased their attendance numbers from 2018 – the Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, the GWS Giants, West Coast Eagles and the Western Bulldogs – with premier Richmond averaging an extraordinary 59,994 fans per home game, the fourth-highest average crowd for any team in AFL/VFL history. Despite the AFL Jubilant skipper continuing to take Congratulations to Richmond Trent Cotchin and Appointment of games to venues The 2019 Toyota AFL premiership season was capped off by a coach Damien outside mainland Hardwick raise Helen Milroy capital cities, such dominant Grand Final performance from Richmond, which claimed the premiership as the St Kilda-Gold its second premiership in three seasons. cup after their At the March 2019 meeting, Professor Helen Milroy Coast clash at While the GWS Giants fought bravely against a heavy injury toll convincing win was appointed as the first Indigenous AFL Commissioner Riverway Stadium in through the season to reach their first Grand Final, the Tigers were over the Giants. Townsville, the 2019 in the competition’s history.