The "remarkable financial resurgence" of Australian Football League side North Melbourne has continued, with the team announcing on Thursday that it "had recorded a profit for the seventh time in eight years," according to Daniel Cherny of THE AGE. The Kangaroos made A$529,507 ($385,692) for the year ending Oct. 31, "a period that saw North make the preliminary final for the second straight season." The club "has managed to trim its debt" to just A$1.2M ($870,000), having previously edged A$8M ($5.83M). Club CEO Carl Dilena said, "We still operate in a challenging economic environment, so this outcome is a credit to the tireless effort of our staff and the unwavering commitment of our amazing members and supporters." The team broke its membership record in '15, "with 41,490 people signing up with the club." The success has "occurred in spite of North's strict non-gambling stance." The club has "formally eschewed poker machines and sponsorships with corporate betting agencies," and in '13 North Melbourne became the first AFL club to "become a signatory to the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation charter" (THE AGE, 12/10).
