AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE ANNUAL REPORT 2014 CONTENTS AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE 118th ANNUAL REPORT 2014 4 2014 HIGHLIGHTS 18 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 28 CEO’S REPORT 35 BROADCASTING, SCHEDULING & INFRASTRUCTURE 45 FOOTBALL OPERATIONS 65 COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS 83 AFL MEDIA 87 PEOPLE, CULTURE & COMMUNITY 91 Game Development 108 Around the Regions 119 LEGAL, INTEGRITY & COMPLIANCE 135 STRATEGY & CLUB SERVICES 139 AWARDS, RESULTS & FAREWELLS 154 Obituaries 157 FINANCIAL REPORT 162 Concise Financial Report WINNING FEELING Coach Alastair Clarkson is a contented man after Hawthorn’s back-to-back premiership win. Ñ 4 AFL ANNUAL REPORT 2014 HIGHLIGHTS 5 2,828,139 The Seven Network audience for the 2014 Toyota AFL Grand Final which was the most watched program on television in 2014 in Australia’s five biggest capital cities. 3,733,409 The national metropolitan and regional audience for the 2014 Toyota AFL Grand Final. 99,460 THE ATTENDANCE HAPPY HAWKS Skipper and dual AT THE 2014 TOYOTA Norm Smith medallist Luke Hodge leads the Hawthorn celebrations after a superb Grand AFL GRAND FINAL Final display. Õ 6 AFL ANNUAL REPORT 2014 HIGHLIGHTS 7 PICTURE PERFECT The redeveloped Adelaide Oval 32,333 attracted more than a million The average attendance per game fans to the venue, for the 2014 Toyota AFL Premiership at an average of more than 46,000 Season, the fourth highest average a match. 6,402,010 attendance per game in the world Ô TOTAL ATTENDANCE for professional sport. 4,727,623 The total average aggregate FOR THE 2014 TOYOTA television audience for each week of the 2014 Toyota AFL AFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON Premiership Season. 804,377 The total number of AFL club members in 2014, a record established by the clubs for the 14th successive season. 8 AFL ANNUAL REPORT 2014 HIGHLIGHTS 9 SURPRISE PACKET Brisbane’s Lewis Taylor upset more-fancied rivals to win the NAB AFL Rising Star. Ñ MAJOR AWARDS BROWNLOW MEDAL Matt Priddis $215.9 WEST COAST EAGLES MILLION The AFL makes a range of NORM SMITH MEDAL payments and distributions to clubs which in 2014 totalled $215.9 million compared with Luke Hodge $209.2 million in 2013. HAWTHORN $206.8 COLEMAN MEDAL MILLION Lance Franklin The total gross payments to players SYDNEY SWANS in 2014 made up of $188.9 million in gross player payments, $16.2 million in additional services agreements and $1.7 million in employment and marketing agreements with BOLD EAGLE NAB AFL RISING STAR associates of clubs. The 2014 total West Coast’s was a 4.7% increase on the 2013 Matt Priddis total of $197.5 million. was a popular winner of the Lewis Taylor Brownlow Medal. BRISBANE LIONS Ö 10 AFL ANNUAL REPORT 2014 HIGHLIGHTS 11 DEMON LIFT-OFF Melbourne’s Tayla Harris became a social media sensation with this soaring mark in the women’s exhibition match at Etihad Stadium. 1,017,835 Ò TOTAL DOMESTIC PARTICIPATION IN THE GAME IN 2014, THE FIRST TIME THE 1 MILLION MARK HAS BEEN ACHIEVED BUDDING STAR Sydney Swans draftee Isaac Heeney strutted his stuff for NSW/ACT at the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships. Ñ 194,966 THE NUMBER OF LAUNCHING PAD The Woomeras program helps develop young Indigenous females on and FEMALES PARTICIPATING off the field. Ó IN THE GAME IN 2014 12 AFL ANNUAL REPORT 2014 HIGHLIGHTS 13 WORLD STAGE The 25 competing teams are represented at 2695 the launch of the International Cup. The number of community Ô clubs which fielded 13,531 teams in 267 community leagues 25 TEAMS throughout Australia PARTICIPATED IN THE FIFTH 178,552 The number of NAB AFL Auskick participants in 2800 community INTERNATIONAL CUP centres around Australia HOSTED BY THE AFL IN AUGUST, 2014 14 AFL ANNUAL REPORT 2014 HIGHLIGHTS 15 PINK LADY More than 12,000 women and men, including former Hawk champion Shane Crawford and AFL CEO 12,000 Gillon McLachlan, participated in the Field of Women THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE on the MCG. Ò WHO PARTICIPATED IN FIELD OF WOMEN BEFORE THE MELBOURNE v WESTERN BULLDOGS GAME AT THE MCG WHICH RAISED MORE THAN $500,000 FOR BREAST CANCER NETWORK AUSTRALIA SWANS SPIRIT Luke Parker typified Sydney’s resolve in 2014, helping take the club all the way to the Grand Final while winning his first Bob Skilton Medal as club best and fairest. Ñ CHAIRMAN & BORN LEADER Geelong’s Joel Selwood capped a brilliant season with selection as captain of the Virgin Australia CEO’S REPORTS All-Australian team for a second consecutive year. MIKE FITZPATRICK, CHAIRMAN Õ GILLON McLACHLAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 18 AFL ANNUAL REPORT 2014 CHAIRMAN'S REPORT 19 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT During a period of significant transition, the AFL has focused on revised revenue sharing to give CHANGING OF THE GUARD AFL Commission every club an opportunity for on-field success. Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick and the outgoing MIKE FITZPATRICK Andrew Demetriou CHAIRMAN welcome new CEO Gillon McLachlan. Ñ am pleased to report that in 2014 the season to win his third premiership, It was also a period of significant While Gill has the experience and His service to University Blues our game achieved steady growth, and a captain who joined former Hawk transition for our organisation, with APPOINTMENT OF knowledge to lead the AFL, he also was recognised with life membership introduced a revised approach to Gary Ayres and Adelaide champion the appointment of a new Chief Executive GILLON McLACHLAN outlined to the AFL Commission a detailed of the club in 2003. revenue sharing that we believe will Andrew McLeod as two-time winners Officer, Gillon McLachlan, and three new view of the challenges and issues for the Gill joined the AFL as a strategic planner The appointment of a Chief Executive strengthen the on-field competition, of the Norm Smith Medal as best afield AFL Commissioners, who bring significant future of Australian Football and his plan in May 2000 and was appointed General Officer is arguably the most important and appointed a new leadership in the Grand Final. Hawthorn is a great business, football, community and to meet those challenges. Manager, Commercial Operations in 2003 decision a board of directors must make. at the AFL Commission, at CEO and club on and off the field. leadership skills to the AFL Commission. We were pleased with the strong before assuming additional responsibilities I After Andrew Demetriou announced executive level. During 2014, the AFL Commission Former Foxtel and NewsCorp Australia support we received for Gill’s appointment for broadcasting and major projects in 2006. his resignation as Chief Executive Officer These achievements took place focused on a number of strategic items: Chief Executive Kim Williams joined the from all sections of the AFL industry. In 2008, he was promoted to the role in March 2014, the focus of the AFL during what has been a challenging time ÆÆA revised competitive balance policy AFL Commission in March 2014 to replace In his previous roles with the AFL, of Chief Operating Officer with Commission was to identify the best for our game, and we finished the year designed to give each club a chance Chris Lynch, while Major General Simone including as Deputy Chief Executive Officer responsibility for broadcasting and digital person for what we think is the biggest making key decisions with the interests to compete strongly on-field regardless Wilkie and former West Coast Eagles and to Andrew Demetriou, he has built a media, fixturing, venue agreements and job in Australian sport. of our supporters and fans at heart. of its financial strength. Sydney Swans ruckman and Macquarie reputation as a strong consensus leader stadia infrastructure. AFL Commissioners Linda Dessau The 2014 Toyota AFL Premiership ÆÆManaging the issues related to the Bank executive Jason Ball were appointed who has been involved in some of the He was appointed Deputy Chief and Bill Kelty joined me on a team, Hawthorn, delivered a virtuoso supplements program conducted by as AFL Commissioners-elect in December biggest decisions our game has made Executive Officer in December 2012. sub-committee to oversee the selection performance on Grand Final day and the Essendon Football Club in 2012. 2014 to replace Bill Kelty and Linda in recent years. The AFL Commission looks forward process which included identifying indeed during the whole season – great At the time of finalising this report, Dessau, who will retire from the AFL While he has had considerable to working with Gill, his executive team, up to 100 potential candidates via football, wonderful teamwork, a tough the Anti-Doping Tribunal was still Commission at our Annual General Meeting experience in the business of the AFL, the AFL clubs and our key partners and an executive search. coach who battled a severe illness during considering the charges. in March 2015. Ò including commercial operations, contributors to the game on the continued The list was narrowed down to 20 broadcasting, the establishment of AFL development and growth of Australian and finally to three candidates who Media and major stadium projects, he also Football at all levels. were interviewed by the AFL Commission. has a good understanding of the game In appointing Gillon McLachlan to at a community level having played more the role, we were delighted to be able than 200 games of amateur and country A revised competitive balance policy to select someone from within our game football, including three years as captain and in our view he was the outstanding designed to give each club a chance of the University Blues Football Club in In our view, he was the outstanding candidate for the job. to compete strongly on-field the Victorian Amateur Football Association.