The bitter impasse over commercial rights and stadium returns between the AFL and Etihad Stadium has been resolved with Victorian tenant clubs set to reap a windfall from a new agreement which promises a guaranteed $100,000 return from every home game.
The two parties have been at war over the past 18 months and ended up in court after disputes over pourage rights, the stadium naming rights and the agreements the stadium has with other sports bodies. But a magic bullet of a $5.5 million injection of cash into tenant clubs' coffers per year has resolved all issues and no further legal action will be taken.
The new agreement also clears the way for Etihad Stadium to proceed with other major events, such as the AC/DC concerts in February 2010. The AFL will alter its intended fixture for the NAB Cup next season to accommodate those concerts, while it will offer more flexibility in the future in terms of fixturing.
As part of the agreement, Etihad Stadium will host an additional 130 matches between 2015 and 2025 when the AFL takes over the stadium as part of the original agreement. It will mean that the average number of games held at the venue in the final 10 years of the agreement will increase from 30 to around 40.
"This is a great result for Victorian-based AFL clubs playing home matches at Etihad Stadium and it is recognition of the impact of our clubs and their supporters on the stadium economy," AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said.
"This is one of the great stadiums in the world for players and for spectators and I want to thank Ian Collins and the Etihad Stadium Directors for their support of AFL clubs. I also want to pay tribute to our club Presidents, led by David Smorgon, for their whole hearted support of the AFL in finding a successful resolution."
The agreement comes hot on the heels of a similar deal with the MCG, where home clubs will also receive a guaranteed $100,000 per game.
Demetriou said that the extra $1.1 million generated by these deals for home clubs would help ensure the future of all Victorian-based clubs and that the agreement had the unanimous support of all Victorian club presidents.
Etihad Stadium CEO Ian Collins said the resolution was the end of a long 18 months for both the AFL and the stadium, but that the right outcome had been achieved.
"It's probably been a torturous venture along the way. We probably started off in June, July last year looking at what the stadium could do for football and what football could do for the stadium," Collins said.
"We've had to balance our investors' requirements with what the AFL and clubs requirements are now and are to be in the future and I think it's a win-win for all parties concerned."
"I think the clubs playing out of here will benefit by it, we'll be contributing 5.5 million per annum over and above what the clubs already earn out of the stadium. They'll pass through to each of the teams which play here. I think that's terrific."
"The win for us is that we get more product. An extra 130 games over the 15 years of the deal, plus more flexibility in our agreement with the AFL in terms of staging other major events."