Australian Football League side Richmond Tigers can "at least plot for on-field success" in the knowledge it remains among the "most financially secure clubs in the league," according to Caroline Wilson of THE AGE. While the "pain of its third straight elimination final defeat continues to haunt the Richmond psyche," the Brendon Gale-led administration will record its seventh straight profit "to the tune of" A$500,000 ($356,000) for '15. Having eliminated the last of its debt two years ago, the club now "boasts significant cash reserves." While the profit was "significantly down" on '14's A$1.3M, Gale said that the Tigers took a "deliberate view to invest more money into football" with the club now ranked about eighth in the AFL in football spending, up from 10th the previous year. Richmond is now "close to touching the soft spending cap" imposed by the competition and will debate next year whether to exceed it beyond '16. Richmond also paid a A$200,000 ($143,000) tax into the equalization fund, a fund that Gale -- along with most CEOs in the competition -- agrees "demands reviewing." The Geelong Cats will lose some A$500,000 in '15 and yet have contributed A$300,000 ($214,000) into the fund, which will net little more than A$3M ($2.1M) "to go towards the financially struggling clubs." Of current club operations, Gale said, "It's tough out there. We've had a strong result and a modest surplus but it's tough" (THE AGE, 11/12).
