THE majority of Victorian AFL clubs are set to receive millions in additional funding from the State Government, with an announcement expected today.
Sources last night confirmed that the State Government was to announce that the bulk of Victorian clubs would receive grants for various projects, with an emphasis on community involvement and partnerships.
Details of the funding have been closely guarded.
The financially precarious North Melbourne and Melbourne are believed to be among the larger beneficiaries, with Geelong understood to have missed out on this round of funding, on the grounds that the Cats have already been pledged $6 million from the Brumby Government for their $28 million ground development.
Minister for Sport, Recreation and Youth Affairs, James Merlino, is expected to make the announcement at Punt Road Oval today, alongside AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou, with Richmond and Hawthorn also among the clubs to receive substantial additional funding.
Traditional powerhouses Carlton and Collingwood are also to receive money, with the Blues already having obtained millions for the redevelopment of Princes Park into an elite training facility.
Carlton has reversed its financial fortunes over the past 12 months, following the arrival of billionaire president Richard Pratt and chief executive Greg Swann, but, while its cash position is now strong, the Blues still have a sizeable debt.
The Magpies, whose turnover and football department expenditure is the highest in the competition, are expected to receive less funding than the financially struggling clubs, such as North Melbourne and Melbourne.
The Brumby Government has already earmarked $3.75 million to North Melbourne to establish a state fencing centre at Arden Street.
Richmond, too, has a redevelopment plan that involves money from government and local government sources; it has been pledged $2 million from the State Government, another $2 million from the local council and confirmed a $2-million Federal Government grant three weeks ago.
Collingwood has, in effect, lost de facto state government funding with the loss of the Transport Accident Commission sponsorship, president Eddie McGuire volunteering to cancel the partnership, worth $500,000, after rookie list player Sharrod Wellingham was booked for drink driving.
The Western Bulldogs, also perennially cash-strapped, managed to obtain a pledge for $8 million from the Howard government in September 2004, with a further $3 million committed by the Victorian Government to the large redevelopment of Whitten Oval into a community facility.
The Bulldogs' development will see leisure, health and social services operating out of the revamped Whitten Oval precinct, with a focus on youth issues such as drugs and alcohol abuse.
Government funding, especially at state level, has become increasingly crucial to Victorian clubs with nearly all of them reliant on it for training and ground facilities.
