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WEDNESDAY APRIL 14, 2004
Sponsor rescues Demons
Cash-strapped Melbourne faced the prospect of travelling to Sydney on the day of its round five clash with the Swans next week, before being rescued by a sponsor that will finance an additional night at a hotel.
Sportal understands that until just a matter of days ago ? when Melbourne organised for an additional night?s accommodation to be paid for by a sponsor - the team would have flown to Sydney on Saturday before playing at Telstra Stadium later that night.
It is common practice for teams to travel the day before playing interstate, but so dire is the financial position of Melbourne, it was battling to cover the costs of accommodating approximately 30 people on the Friday night before its round five match.
?Just Fruit?, a wholesale fruit company and sponsor that supplies fruit to the Demons? players, recently agreed to financing the additional night in Sydney ? believed to cost around $4,000 - before next Saturday night?s game.
The AFL pays for clubs to spend one night at an interstate city, with clubs usually opting to spend the evening before a day match, or two evenings interstate in the case of an away night game.
Demons coach Neale Daniher said that it is vital that his side - which is yet to play a match on Sydney?s Telstra Stadium - spend the night in Sydney on Friday before playing the following day.
?We believe that for our own preparation we need to go up there the night before. We haven?t seen the stadium yet. And it?s basically a four-hour trip, once you leave your home and get up to Parramatta,? Daniher said on Wednesday.
?Four hours is very fatiguing and it doesn?t allow the Melbourne football team to put in its best performance against the Sydney Swans. And we need to do that. You can?t just go up and play Sydney, a top four team, and go in with 80 percent ability.
?We need to give our team and our players the best possible chance,? he said.
?We?ve gone to a sponsor, a supporter, to pay for the extra night. For other clubs that?s not an issue, but for us it is a big issue.?
A Melbourne coterie group financed the promotion of rookie Aaron Davey to the senior list on the eve of the home-and-away season. Davey went on to win the National Rising Star nomination for the best performing young player in round one. It costs clubs approximately $15,000 to promote a rookie to the senior list.
Rookies receive a standard annual wage of $25,000 and receive additional payments should they be elevated to the senior list during the home-and-away series.
Sponsor rescues Demons
Cash-strapped Melbourne faced the prospect of travelling to Sydney on the day of its round five clash with the Swans next week, before being rescued by a sponsor that will finance an additional night at a hotel.
Sportal understands that until just a matter of days ago ? when Melbourne organised for an additional night?s accommodation to be paid for by a sponsor - the team would have flown to Sydney on Saturday before playing at Telstra Stadium later that night.
It is common practice for teams to travel the day before playing interstate, but so dire is the financial position of Melbourne, it was battling to cover the costs of accommodating approximately 30 people on the Friday night before its round five match.
?Just Fruit?, a wholesale fruit company and sponsor that supplies fruit to the Demons? players, recently agreed to financing the additional night in Sydney ? believed to cost around $4,000 - before next Saturday night?s game.
The AFL pays for clubs to spend one night at an interstate city, with clubs usually opting to spend the evening before a day match, or two evenings interstate in the case of an away night game.
Demons coach Neale Daniher said that it is vital that his side - which is yet to play a match on Sydney?s Telstra Stadium - spend the night in Sydney on Friday before playing the following day.
?We believe that for our own preparation we need to go up there the night before. We haven?t seen the stadium yet. And it?s basically a four-hour trip, once you leave your home and get up to Parramatta,? Daniher said on Wednesday.
?Four hours is very fatiguing and it doesn?t allow the Melbourne football team to put in its best performance against the Sydney Swans. And we need to do that. You can?t just go up and play Sydney, a top four team, and go in with 80 percent ability.
?We need to give our team and our players the best possible chance,? he said.
?We?ve gone to a sponsor, a supporter, to pay for the extra night. For other clubs that?s not an issue, but for us it is a big issue.?
A Melbourne coterie group financed the promotion of rookie Aaron Davey to the senior list on the eve of the home-and-away season. Davey went on to win the National Rising Star nomination for the best performing young player in round one. It costs clubs approximately $15,000 to promote a rookie to the senior list.
Rookies receive a standard annual wage of $25,000 and receive additional payments should they be elevated to the senior list during the home-and-away series.
