The shameful Storms?
Posted by: kezza
23rd Apr 2010 05:35pm
I am stounded by the latest developments regarding salary capping and the alledged fraud carried out by the hierachy of the Victorian Storms! Have we asked for this, by enforcing salary capping? Should it be ditched, in favor of wealthy clubs controlling the premiership? Should we look at the entire AFL's books? How far does it go? Should we then look into NRL and other sporting bodies? This whole thing leaves a bad taste in the mouth of fans, players, and the companies that support them. Where does this leave the game? Does anyone have opinions they want to share?
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Comments 16
Anonymous
it is shamefull
amar93
it is shameful
Chazza
I might add to all this... the claim that "we don't have the players" is BECAUSE of the Salary Cap. Where are the Ellery Hanley's, Cliff Watson's, Tommy Bishops, Malcolm Reilly's these days?
The English Premier League is crammed with players from all corners of the globe simply because they can pay them! (AND each squad of 25 MUST include 8 locals).
Imagine a dozen or so Russell Crowe's involved in the NRL with no salary cap restrictions. Suppose Singo decided he wanted to take lower tiered Newtown on again, not like the early 80'sbut this time seriously. You could almost guarantee they would be promoted the following season.
Pearl
No one should ever be astounded by greed, we live in a capitalist society and people will cheat if there is a personal benefit or gain over another person of group they think they won't be exposed for. Like so many others I am unhappy about salary cap breaches but more so dissapointed and angrey with the NRL and the way they inforce salary cap requlations, the attitude when the NRL catches some club cheating they wave the flag telling all you can't beat the salary cap. The NRL needs to restructure the salary cap to include discounts for long term players coming to the end of careers, one clud players and junior development within local club boundreie. If the NRL really want to support the game I grew up playing, watching and supporting and as a dad encouraged my children to love they would put money into the junior level and teach the kids playing park footy about loyality, trust, dedication and most importantly that playing footy with your mates is great fun. Don't forget the supporters the cost of taking a family to watch your team is nout of the reach of the working man. The NRL and clubs need to be reminded that the reasion Rugby League kicked off in the first place was to give the working man a game he could be proud of.
fitzy
Yes i think that salary capping is a good thing for all codes of sport ,at least the clubs that are not performing as well as others can have a better shot at buying reputal players so at least they can have a chance in the leage,and if clubs break the cap then yes they should be punished.
ApHeX
@ Chazza, that grief will soon disappear. Premier League teams that are relegated are about to start receiving multi-million dollar payments as compensation for lost sponsorship etc, which will be spent on playing talent to get them straight back up.
ApHeX
Would love to see Cardiff get up, after coming so close last year. Would be a fairytale given where they were in '96. And would like to see the Jacks get up too, if for no other reason than it would continue the great South Wales derbies.
Chazza
The Parachute Payment system isn't new - this is the 5th year and - as you rightly say - they are paid throughout all 4 Leagues. Your post said "Premier League teams that are relegated are about to start receiving multi-million dollar payments ... which will be spent on playing talent to get them straight back up. ".
That to me suggests a new system. The only 'new' payment is under the existing Parachute Payments System... an additional £8million per year for a further 2 years should teams remain unpromoted.
That money incidentally is NOT totally on playing talent. It requires allocations to grounds, junior football, etc. And most certainly doesn't guarantee it will "get them straight up".
I'd suggest the hopes of last year's Premier league dropouts Hull and the financial basket case Portsmouth for re-entry in 2010-11 are, at best, minimal with Burnley some possibility.
And you didn't mention Middlesbrough by the way - currently 2nd from bottom of Championship League and relegated from Premier League 2008-9.
Off the point here but what odds that two Welsh clubs enter the PL next season? Neither Cardiff nor Swansea have been there before and are currently 2nd and 3rd with a 6 and 3 point buffer.
ApHeX
English FA pay each team relegated from the Premier League an average of €12million a year for 4 years in "parachute payments" from the coffers of TV rights revenue (€16million/year for first 2 years, €8million/year second 2 years). Every team in the Premier league gets about €30million per year in TV Rights revenue, so these payments are a gesture of goodwill between Premier League & English FA which control lower divisions. Championship teams receive less than €1million per year in TV Rights revenue. That extra €10million or so per year makes a large difference in terms of recruitment etc. And these payments actually filter through every English Division, with all teams now getting a share of Premier League TV deal.
Just because those payments dont appear on a website you look at, doesn't mean they don't exist. Try a google search, or a search of BBC website. All mentioned there. And I never stated that "relegated teams were being supported to go straight back up". I merely pointed out the payment system that is now in place. How clubs choose to spend the money is up to them.
In 02/03 West Ham, WBA, & Sunderland were relegated with parachute payments of €5.1million. WBA & Sunderland were promoted straight back up, and West Ham the following year, after receiving a second payment. In 06/07 Birmingham, WBA & Sunderland were relegated with parachute payments of €7.5million. Birmingham & Sunderland were promoted straight back up, with WBA continuing to receive payments until they too were promoted again. It doesn't happen every year, but the vast majority of teams that have been relegated since 02/03 with parachute payments have been promoted again in the future, with only Leeds, Crystal Palace, Norwich & Southampton failing to be promoted back into Premier League, though Leeds & Southampton have since gone into Administration for poor financial decisions.
Chazza
Don't know where you got that from but it's not true. Go to footballeconomy.com - not a word mentioned.
In any case the idea that relegated teams will be supoorted to "go straight back up" is farcical.
Chazza
Isn't the salary cap situation akin to socialism? It's designed to make every club equal but it works no better in principle than the USSR did.
The English Premier League is the strongest, highest standard and highest paid domestic championship in the world. The one that players world-wide aspire to.
No salary cap!
Ansd don't come bajk with the argument that the Big Four dominate - they do. But the clubs below them make a very good business just by being there.
Watch the grief when relegation happens.
Chazza
Never did I suggest anyone in the USSR starved and your comment is plain silly but it does give a clue to the rest of your thinking.
I merely pointed out that the Salary Cap is akin to Socialism and it failed there. And apart from Korea, China and Cuba which are hardly giving people freedom of choice, it's failed everywhere else too.
You failed to point out that England, (population 51 million not the UK's 62 million) has 92 teams in their 4 four Football Leagues. We have 16 in one. Those 16 teams are in the main cities ... total population around 12.5 million. Do the math - the figures favour us at 720000 per team to England's 550000 per team. Your argument simply doesn't stack up.
I repeat, promotion and relegation and no salary cap DOES work and there's the proof. The top competition in the world, arguably, is also the top competition in England.
But your post gives us "The simple version"?
On the one hand you tell us there isn't the money in League to support two tiers for promotion and relegation and on the other, you go off and suggest weekly International AND National AND State competitions!
You say we don't have the players yet the Salary Cap forces probably 30 or so overseas every year.... players like Steve Menzies with 330 plus games for the one club! Lost and gone from the NRL.
Weekly internationals, etc? Good grief!
Or maybe you have a portfolio full of airline shares.
Pearl
Yes, the salary cap could be viewed as socialism; but not quite as severe as the USSR, I don't think any one has gone with out a feed.
Australian Rugby League has for over twenty years worked on spreading the game to a wider supporter base thus the inclusion of teams such as Melbourne Storm, to spread the game they also needed to spread the talent to give supporters teams that are competive.
I agree English Premier League holds a very high standard, fortunatly for them they have a vast amount to players and money at ready disposal with a huge multi national population close to their league and all want a part of the action.
Australia and New Zealand haved a population of some 26m, England alone some 60m; our league is miles from the people and money require to run like Premier League.
Sorry no salary cap would see the strong clubs dominate, clubs below the strength don't make a good living just being there they struggle. It's the way of the no salary cap world when we have limited player strength and money.
Inorder to religate teams you need to have atleast a two leval competion and there are just not enough teams, players and money to support a reigation system.
I would suggest the following;
1/ International Competion including England, France, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands, played home and away on a weekly basis. The Rugby League eqivelant to Rugby Union Super 14's.
2/ Australian National Competion with teams representing each state and territory, played home and away on a weekly basis.
3/ State Competion with teams representing local regions, played home and away on a weekly bacis.
Players would be selected from their local competion to represent at state level, players from state level to represent at national, level playes from national level to represent at international level.
Players would be selected and droped on proformance and match payments payed to fit the level they played at week to week. throughout the year.
Players would be payed a sign on fee dependant on their rating.
Clubs would be offered discounts of salary cap for promoting player longjevity, loyality, and junior development of players within their ranks.
Well thats the simple version.
PukPuk
There are so many loop holes in the salary capping that it is likely all teams in all sports have little ways of getting that bit extra to retain high profile players, including deferred inducements realisable after their contract or playing life has concluded.
MichaelG123
Yes i do believe that the afl should look into the clubs books because if the melbourne storm got away with cheating for years who says that the afl don't cheat to buy players. I also believe that after what has happened that all clubs whatever code including A League, NRL and AFL are all aware of the consequences that have been given to the melbourne storm. It has given the club a bad reputation and i am sure that a club would rather have a good reputation than cheat and eventually have a bad reputation!
matt
The thing is that because the Storm are away from all the hype of Sydney and Brisbane they thought they could get away with it.People forget that the Storm had a bigger salary cap than everyone else when they first joined the comp to make it more attractive and to help start the club , off memory it was a few 100K and was only for the first 3 years.I think there are still a few teams doing the same but have been very lucky not to get caught.