AWARDS, WINNERS & RESULTS [9 ] AWARDS, WINNERS & RESULTS [9 ] AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE 110 TH ANNUAL REPORT 2006 Objectives and Outcomes 4 Marketing, Communications Concise Financial Report 114 and Public Affairs 74 Directors’ report 116 Chairman’s/CEO’s Reports 14 AFL Foundation 80 Lead Auditor’s Independence Chairman’s report 16 AFL SportsReady 82 Declaration 118 Ron Evans retires 22 Income Statements 119 Finance and Administration/ Corporate Governance 24 Statements of Recognised 84 CEO’s report 26 Legal and Business Affairs Income and Expense 119 Broadcasting, Strategy Finance and Administration 86 Balance Sheets 120 2006 payments to clubs 88 and Major Projects 34 Statements of Cash Flows 121 Legal and Business Affairs 89 Notes to the Concise New television agreement 36 2006 Awards, Results Financial Statements 122 Directors’ Declaration 124 Football Operations 40 and Farewells 90 Independent Audit Report 124 AFL Tribunal 44 2006 premiers 92 10-year Financial Summary 125 Umpiring department 46 Jock McHale Medal 94 AFL Committees and Advisors 126 Total Player Earnings 49 Norm Smith Medal 95 AFL Next Generation 127 Brownlow Medal 96 National and International 2007 fixture 131 Game Development 50 Premiership season 98 2006 results 99 FRONT COVER: Jubilant West Coast players Participation 54 Coleman Medal 100 celebrate after winning the 2006 premiership. NAB AFL Rising Stars program 56 NAB AFL Rising Star 101 AFL NSW/ACT 60 NAB Cup 103 AFL Queensland 61 Coca-Cola AFL Commercial Operations 62 All-Australian Team 104 Commercial Operations Coca-Cola International revenues, 2005-2006 66 Rules Series 105 Membership 69 Australian Football Attendances 70 Hall of Fame 106 AFL Life Members 108 Retirees 110 Obituaries 112 AWARDS, WINNERS & RESULTS [9 ] AWARDS, WINNERS & RESULTS [9 ] The West Coast Eagles take to the MCG before their thrilling 2006 Toyota AFL Grand Final triumph over the Sydney Swans. OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES Financial viabilitY OBJECTIVES ■ Continue building a strong financial base for the competition while maximising economic benefits for all stakeholders. ■ Grow total revenues while capturing a greater share for the AFL and the clubs. ■ Ensure all clubs are financially secure and operating effectively. ■ Provide for the future. KEY OUTCOMES Broadcasting Ensure all clubs are financially secure ■ Secured five-year television broadcasting agreement ■ Next Generation strategy adopted by AFL Commission with Seven and Ten networks worth a record allocates $1.4 billion for the period 2007-2011: $780 million. ■ Record $650 million to AFL clubs. ■ Cash component of television agreement is ■ Record $208 million to game development. $690 million, a 70 per cent increase on the ■ $82 million to establish a Future Fund. previous agreement. ■ Largest broadcast rights agreement for Australian sport. Support to AFL clubs includes: ■ ■ Secured five-year new media agreement worth Base distribution of $449 million or $28.1 million $60 million with Telstra, a 200 per cent increase per club. on the previous agreement. ■ An extra $96 million or $1.2 million per year ■ Secured three-year radio rights agreements of per club. some $8 million, a 240 per cent increase on ■ Annual special distributions and strategic previous agreement. partnership funding totalling $36 million over five years. Corporate partnerships ■ Prizemoney, signage and membership revenue totalling $69 million over five years. ■ Renewed agreements totalling nearly $16 million with partners including Toyota, Foster’s Australia, Qantas, InterContinental Hotels Group, Kellogg’s, City Provide for the future of Melbourne, Rebel Sport, Origin Energy and Sony ■ The Future Fund will strengthen the competition’s Computer Entertainment. asset base through investment to secure new ■ New agreements totalling more than $2 million with revenue streams. Medibank Private, Tabcorp, Betfair and Pedigree. LEADER OF MEN: After 289 matches, five club best and fairest awards, three premierships, a Brownlow Medal and All-Australian selection on five occasions, champion Brisbane Lions captain Michael Voss called it a day at the end of 2006. 5 OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES COMPETITION AND THE GAME OBJECTIVES ■ Maintain competitive nature, and attractiveness of the game. ■ Stronger AFL competition presence in NSW and Queensland. KEY OUTCOMES ■ Toyota AFL premiership season attendance of Stronger competition presence in NSW and 6.204 million, second highest on record, down south-east Queensland 1.27 per cent on record set in 2005 (6.28 million). ■ Carrara secured as an AFL venue with Gold Coast City ■ 2006 finals attendance of 532,178, up 11 per cent Council investing $2 million and the AFL $1 million (52,000) on 2005 finals total attendance. in first stage of redevelopment. ■ Combined total attendance of 6.74 million people, ■ Two premiership season matches, a NAB Cup only 27,618 fewer than 2005, when an all-time game and a regional challenge match played at premiership season attendance record was set. Carrara in 2006. ■ Staged nine finals in four states and 29 off-field ■ Agreement with Kangaroos to play 10 premiership events for 12,000 people. season games at Carrara from 2007-2009. ■ An estimated 161,700 people attended Grand ■ Gold Coast City Council to invest further $500,000 Final week events at Federation Square; 100,000 in Carrara for 2007. people attended Grand Final parade; 12,000 people ■ $20 million allocated as part of Next Generation attended post-Grand Final concert at Punt Road Oval. strategy to develop south-east Queensland and western ■ Record club membership of 519,126, the sixth Sydney for the AFL competition. successive year of growth. One in 39 Australians ■ Strategy adopted for Sydney market with focus on is a member of an AFL club. building the AFL brand via the Sydney Swans. ■ Average weekly national metropolitan TV audience ■ Agreement secured with Melbourne and Western for each round of 3.94 million, 2 per cent lower than Bulldogs to play games in Canberra. record of 4.03 million set in 2005. ■ Average unique browsers per month on AFL/Telstra network of 1.51 million, 27 per cent up on 2005. Trends in game ■ Research indicates more continuous play. ■ Less stoppages and less stop time. ■ Average player congestion (flooding) decreased. ■ Decline in contested marks arrested. ■ New ruck rule eliminated PCL (knee) injuries to ruckmen at centre bounces in 2005. ■ 2006 finals generally played at high level. ELITE COMPANY: Chris Grant set a new mark for the Western Bulldogs in 2006, breaking Doug Hawkins’ record of 329 games. Grant finished the season on 336 matches. 6 THE FUTURE: Participation in the game at all levels continued to grow in 2006, with another record mark for the NAB AFL Auskick program. OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES Participation OBJECTIVES ■ Continue to drive high levels of participation in community programs in all states and territories. ■ Increased presence in multicultural communities. ■ Increase the game’s attraction for women. ■ Broaden international presence. ■ Grow the game in NSW and Queensland. KEY OUTCOMES Participation International ■ Record participation of 581,839 in 2006, up ■ AFL South Africa established, with 3000 registered 7.8 per cent on 2005. Sixth successive year participants in competitions in North-West Province. of growth. ■ AFL under-18 Indigenous team toured South Africa in ■ Growth of 5.6 per cent in NAB AFL Auskick March, 2006, for matches against South African team. program to 147,371 participants. Eighth successive ■ International registered participation of 30,000 in year of growth. 12 countries with bodies affiliated with the AFL. ■ Transition from NAB AFL Auskick to junior club football continued to improve, with a 42 per cent increase in the number of under-9 teams to 1171. NSW and Queensland ■ Funding of $4.5 million confirmed by Shire of ■ Transition from junior participants (9-12) to youth (13-18) continued to improve with an 8 per cent Baulkham Hills for Withers Road complex in Sydney. increase in the number of under-13 teams to 681. ■ $21 million Blacktown Olympic Park project launched by NSW Government and City of Blacktown. Quality environments ■ In past two years, primary inter-school competitions have grown from 36 teams in Sydney to 356 teams ■ Approval for a further 21 facility projects at country in 2006 for years 5 and 6. football and netball clubs in Victoria, bringing to ■ 75 projects worth $4.5 million under joint initiative Agreement with all major independent schools to run between the AFL, Victorian Government, Football AFL programs for the first time in 2007. Victoria and the Victorian Country Football League. ■ Six-week Friday night competition introduced in 2006 for private/independent schools in Sydney. ■ $12.5 million allocated under Next Generation to support facility development at community level. ■ 37 per cent increase in participation in NSW/ACT in 2006 to a total of 84,132. Participation in metropolitan Sydney increased 43 per cent to 35,000. Growth of game demographically ■ 11.5 per cent growth in Queensland to 69,796. ■ Multicultural project launched in partnership with ■ Victorian Government, with development officers at In south-east Queensland, participation increased Hawthorn, Collingwood, Western Bulldogs, Richmond 9.1 per cent to 49,895. and Essendon. ■ Next Generation will see more than $100 million allocated for continued growth in NSW and Queensland. ■ Participation by women in the game increased 23 per cent in 2006 to 11,795 participants. 9 OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES RELATIONSHIPS OBJECTIVES ■ Strengthen connection to the community. ■ Improve management of relationships with supporters. KEY OUTCOMES Brand tracking Community ■ In 2006, 2984 interviews were conducted in annual ■ Essendon-Richmond match helped raise funds for AFL brand tracking study. an appeal supporting families of six local teenagers ■ 59 per cent of people nationally “have an interest” in killed in February near Mildura. AFL. Of these 86 per cent said they “regularly follow” ■ AFL and SANFL helped raise $600,000 for families AFL and 35 per cent said AFL was the sport they were of those killed in Gladstone factory explosion in April.