West Adelaide Football Club turns around financial woes

WEST Adelaide is on target to turn years of financial struggle into a $200,000 surplus this season.

West Adelaide Football Club fans Doug Allen and Bobby Manning at City Mazda Stadium.

WEST Adelaide's appearance in next month's Foxtel Cup final has boosted lifted hopes they club can win its their financial battle.

The Bloods will receive a minimum $50,000 to when they play East Fremantle in the final of the competition on August 6, and $100,000 if they win.

It comes as CEO Kym Russell says reveals West is on track to record a $200,000 surplus this season - without factoring in the Foxtel Cup - thanks to good crowds, membership and a booming junior program.

Russell stressed that the financial battled for the Bloods was far from won, ahead of a fundraising campaign in the second half of the year.

But he said the club was beginning to turn its situation around.

In March, the club opted to sell five poker machines after recording a $286,000 loss on the back of losses in 2011 and 2010.

An independent auditor's report at the time described the club's financial position as not viable, but CEO Kym Russell now says West is on track to recover.

"We're not out of the woods, things are still tough, but we're going well in a lot of little areas,'' Russell said.

"Attendances are still 13 per cent up on the same time as last year and that's translated into catering revenue being up.

"Membership is up. We have 1900 financial members, which is up about 150 from last year.

"Junior membership is up and kids footy clinic numbers are up.''

The financial turnaround has allowed the Bloods to pay back about $300,000 of their debt to the Australian Taxation Office, and reduce its cut bank debt by about $50,000 to just over $1 million.

Mr Russell said the club had developed a payment model to reward players and the club coffers for their Foxtel Cup performance.

He also expected the national exposure the Bloods received by making the final to help its profile when recruiting next season.

"We've got a distribution model which will allow the players and the club to benefit from making the final,'' Russell said.

"The players haven't been paid yet for playing in the Foxtel Cup. The SANFL (salary) cap says we can pay a player up to what they would normally get for playing in a SANFL match.''

Russell also confirmed the Bloods would host East Fremantle in the Foxtel Cup final next month at AAMI Stadium.

He encouraged Bloods members and other SANFL fans to get behind the club as it flew the flag for SA.

"We'd love all West Adelaide members and supporters to come down and if other SANFL supporters want to come down as well that would be great.''