There is no doubt being a professional sporting club in Western Australia it is an extremely tough market in which to compete. There is limited media coverage for any team that may compete with the two AFL teams, despite many of the other codes having more people playing their sport. Such coverage also impacts on the ability to attract sponsorship dollars. Then finally it comes down to running a very tight ship financially so that money is not spent unnecessarily.
Sadly sometimes areas in which administrators feel that a saving is wise and fair has a far greater impact that may appear when the decision was announced.
At the weekend the Perth Glory put in a very lacklustre performance in Adelaide, against a team that is low on confidence and has struggled to replicate the form of last year. Sure Perth Glory were missing Griffiths and a few other players through injury and also Rhys Williams through suspension, but the team looked well below the intensity levels they have shown in previous games.
One could ask whether the fact that the players have been advised that the club will not be picking up the tab for their wives and girlfriends at the Most Glorious Player dinner at the end of the season had an impact. It may seem a small thing, but many players feel the decision to be downright stingy. They feel that they have done their part all season, and the least the club could do is pick up the tab for their partners at the end of the season.
From a Club perspective one can see their point of view as a cost price ticket would come in at around the $100 mark. There are 25 players listed in the first team squad. So to pick up the tab for the players and their partners would be a bill of $50,000.
Yet these are things that need to be costed at the start of the season and a way found to ensure that the players, coaching staff, and the admin staff who work long hours and miss out on family time, are given some reward for their efforts. It is important that all involved at the club are allowed to enjoy the end of the season with those who support them at home.
The word is the playing group has decided that none of them will now be taking their partners, so upset are they by this decision.
To add to the rumblings amongst the playing group those representing the club in the NPL are also beginning to become a little restless. It is believed that those on contracts to play for the club in the NPL competition are not being paid, and some are questioning the benefit of playing for the club when at other NPL clubs they would be being paid. Many of these players do not have drivers licences, and when not relying on parents to take them to and from games have to use public transport to get to training. Many are still students. What is apparently causing angst is currently it is costing them to be a part of the team as basic expenses to get to training are not being covered. Hopefully this will be sorted out in the very near future, as it does not reflect well on the club.
When it comes to trying to save money surely there has to be better ways. As an administrator at the club it is always going to be hard to keep everyone happy, players, coaches, fans and staff, but it is vital that first up you keep those who work for you happy.
