Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett believes that AFL clubs should be relegated to VFL if they fail to meet key performance indicators
Outspoken president Jeff Kennett says the rivers of gold are over in the AFL, declaring there should be a significant cost for teams who fail to meet key performance indicators. See his controversial letter to Hawthorn members.
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Hawthorn president and coronavirus cabinet member Jeff Kennett has declared that the “rivers of gold” to the AFL have dried up and that clubs that do not lift their game should be relegated to their respective state league.
The league yesterday secured a reduced broadcast deal, with its deal with Channel 7 extended for another two years.
But Kennett warned that the deal should be seen as the beginning of structural change and that clubs and the league must become “a lot more businesslike” and that courage would be required to look at the long-term.
“The rivers of gold that have flowed to the AFL have finished,” he wrote in a letter to Hawthorn members.
“We must reduce our costs, not only to limit the draw down on the debt facility secured, but to position ourselves for a future unexpected event.
“Whether we are an assisted or unassisted club we must all work together with the AFL to secure our future.”
He said that clubs would have to agree on a set of key performance indicators to measure growth over the next three years, with those clubs that are unable to prove their value to the competition and that “non-performance” cannot be held up by others.
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“The timeline for these KPIs should be three years with an evaluation taking place in the third year of performance,” he wrote.
“If clubs and their boards do not meet the KPIs set, they should be relegated to the VFL.
“No longer can non-performance be supported. This is not directed at any club and is only prospective. Emotion alone is not sufficient a reason for non-performance.
“The AFL must take a more commercial view to the conduct of our code.”
Kennett later maintained on radio that “those that are inefficient” should not be supported by clubs that are, and that it would be “irresponsible” not to learn from the COVID-19 crisis with the “hard yards” about to start.
He said the effects of this year would not be known until the end of 2021.
In the letter, he highlighted the financial difficulty of his own club, Geelong and Collingwood in the 1990s.
“Each was able to rebuild,” he said.
“The same opportunity exists for every club, and every club must improve its current position.
“Suffice to say, the whole code is going to be involved in structural change in the years ahead.”
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