Facility development grants help profit rise for AFL’s Western Bulldogs

The AFL’s Western Bulldogs has announced increased revenue and a $5.19 million profit for the financial year ending 31st October - the Club’s ninth consecutive year of total profits.

With revenue rising by 12.6% to almost $47 million, much of the profit through 2021/22 derived from Victorian Government grants for the redevelopment of its Whitten Oval and Skinner Reserve facilities which contributed $3.8 million after factoring in expenses.

For accounting purposes, while all Whitten Oval Redevelopment grants received are recognised as income, the cash received is utilised to build physical and enduring assets for the Club.

The Club also experienced a lift in sponsorship and commercial revenue, up by 7.8% to almost $11 million for the period. Membership income was also up by 20% to $9.1 million after the club tallied 50,941 subscriptions for the year, up 9%. This was the first time the Bulldogs passed 50,000 members and the club additionally secured 3,781 subs for its AFLW squad which it claims ranked it first in numbers for an AFL women’s program.

As with sporting clubs across the country, the return of crowds saw gate receipt revenue at $3.1 million which provided the year’s financials with a major boost after the Bulldogs posted a mere $400,000 from matches in the previous season.

Total attendance at its Marvel Stadium matches was 254,833 (average 28,316) which ranked it second among clubs playing home games at the venue.

The balance sheet for the year improved with total assets up 15.7% on the last period to $88 million of which $4.8 million is held in cash or cash equivalents. The recent completion of Whitten Oval and Skinner Reserve redevelopments was also reflected on the balance sheet.

The total equity position for the club was up 9% to $62 million.

Other key metrics from the year include a 10.9% growth in social media followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, ranking it in the top nine AFL clubs. The Bulldogs claim fan following is at 338,000, up 30% and placing it first among AFL clubs.

The annual report says the Western Bulldogs delivered $70.7 million in value to its partners, a 30% increase on the previous year and benchmarking the club fifth in the competition.

Major sponsor, Mission Foods, will enter its 15th year as a backer and all AFLW partners renewed for the season including Priceline, Pancake Parlour and CoinSpot.

The club said other commercial highlights for the year were the introduction of new partner initiatives such as Kicking in for the Kids, Retro Round, the Women in Business Lunch and its High Performance Leadership short course. New merchandise products were released over the year and online auctions via its website were introduced.

The Club finished the financial year with net assets of $62,231,139 (up from $57,042,718 in 2021) and cash on hand of $29,292,366 (up from $24,439,706 in 2021).

Commenting on the result, Bulldogs Chief Executive, Ameet Bains stated “it has been another busy year for our football club, with our AFL and AFLW teams playing three seasons combined, spanning 11 months of the year, and with significant work being undertaken on the VU Whitten Oval redevelopment.

“While the past few years have been difficult for most, we are buoyed by our strong financial position, which allows us to keep investing in important Club and community projects and initiatives, as well as providing for our football programs.”

The Club will hold its Annual General Meeting on Monday 19th December.

Click here to download the Club’s 2022 Financial Report.

Lower image shows the Western Bulldogs' EJ Whitten Stand. Credit: Western Bulldogs.