3:47:46 PM Tue 6 May, 2003
Paul Gough
afl.com.au
It’s one of the toughest jobs in the AFL – chief executive of the notoriously unstable Richmond Football Club.
After all this is a club that since its last premiership in 1980 has had ten changes of coach and six changes of chief executive.
But the Tigers’ newest CEO Ian Campbell is more than prepared for the task of returning Richmond to its former position as one of the competition’s strongest clubs both on and off the field.
Campbell is one of the most experienced sports administrators ever to be appointed as chief executive of an AFL club with the Melbourne-born 46-year-old joining the Tigers after spending the past 27 years based in the United States.
During that time he not only established the National Basketball Association business in Australia – which by 1995, with turnover of more than $100 million was the NBA’s most profitable business – but also built up the Nike brand in Europe to the stage where they achieved more than $1 billion in sales in Europe in 1991.
So in comparison, dealing with the daily pressures at the AFL club with arguably the biggest, most passionate and most demanding supporter base in the business should be a piece of cake.
“You hear things and read things,” Campbell said of Richmond’s reputation for instability on Tuesday.
“But I look at it on a relative basis - do we have 30 per cent of the players in jail this season?”
“The answer is no but in the US that is not uncommon so on a relative basis I think differently from people who aren’t coming in from a different environment.”
“Remember I’ve had (NBA superstar) Michael Jordan yelling at you because he doesn’t want to go back on court and there are 15,000 people waiting for him and live television in Japan so it doesn’t bother me at all.’
Campbell said his immediate challenge was to lift the Tigers’ membership, saying it was unacceptable for a club of Richmond’s size to have only 22,000 season-ticket holders as is the case this year.
“We have got huge membership issues we have to address – our membership is alarmingly low for like Richmond with an enormous supporter base.
“When you look at the other big clubs in Melbourne, we should be in the mid 30,000s and over time that has to be the realistic target.”
However while Campbell believes there are areas in which Richmond needs to improve its off-field operations, he was full of praise for the modern-day AFL competition after having been away from his native Melbourne for so long.
In fact Campbell scoffed at the regular criticism the AFL receives for being out-of-touch with the fans and for games being too expensive to attend.
“I know that has been an argument and comment here but from my viewpoint I would have to say no.
“If I want to go to a decent NBA game I pay $US85 for one seat for a six year-old (about $A134) so I don’t think there is a disconnection between the AFL and the fan here.
“The AFL as it is – being the number one league in this country, is an incredible value for money league.
“People can be fickle – but I think what they lose sight of is the global perspective and that is you’ve got NBA franchises and European soccer clubs that are losing tens of millions of dollars a year.
“So people need to take a step back and say the AFL is a world class league and the clubs on a relative basis are doing a very good job.”
Paul Gough
afl.com.au
It’s one of the toughest jobs in the AFL – chief executive of the notoriously unstable Richmond Football Club.
After all this is a club that since its last premiership in 1980 has had ten changes of coach and six changes of chief executive.
But the Tigers’ newest CEO Ian Campbell is more than prepared for the task of returning Richmond to its former position as one of the competition’s strongest clubs both on and off the field.
Campbell is one of the most experienced sports administrators ever to be appointed as chief executive of an AFL club with the Melbourne-born 46-year-old joining the Tigers after spending the past 27 years based in the United States.
During that time he not only established the National Basketball Association business in Australia – which by 1995, with turnover of more than $100 million was the NBA’s most profitable business – but also built up the Nike brand in Europe to the stage where they achieved more than $1 billion in sales in Europe in 1991.
So in comparison, dealing with the daily pressures at the AFL club with arguably the biggest, most passionate and most demanding supporter base in the business should be a piece of cake.
“You hear things and read things,” Campbell said of Richmond’s reputation for instability on Tuesday.
“But I look at it on a relative basis - do we have 30 per cent of the players in jail this season?”
“The answer is no but in the US that is not uncommon so on a relative basis I think differently from people who aren’t coming in from a different environment.”
“Remember I’ve had (NBA superstar) Michael Jordan yelling at you because he doesn’t want to go back on court and there are 15,000 people waiting for him and live television in Japan so it doesn’t bother me at all.’
Campbell said his immediate challenge was to lift the Tigers’ membership, saying it was unacceptable for a club of Richmond’s size to have only 22,000 season-ticket holders as is the case this year.
“We have got huge membership issues we have to address – our membership is alarmingly low for like Richmond with an enormous supporter base.
“When you look at the other big clubs in Melbourne, we should be in the mid 30,000s and over time that has to be the realistic target.”
However while Campbell believes there are areas in which Richmond needs to improve its off-field operations, he was full of praise for the modern-day AFL competition after having been away from his native Melbourne for so long.
In fact Campbell scoffed at the regular criticism the AFL receives for being out-of-touch with the fans and for games being too expensive to attend.
“I know that has been an argument and comment here but from my viewpoint I would have to say no.
“If I want to go to a decent NBA game I pay $US85 for one seat for a six year-old (about $A134) so I don’t think there is a disconnection between the AFL and the fan here.
“The AFL as it is – being the number one league in this country, is an incredible value for money league.
“People can be fickle – but I think what they lose sight of is the global perspective and that is you’ve got NBA franchises and European soccer clubs that are losing tens of millions of dollars a year.
“So people need to take a step back and say the AFL is a world class league and the clubs on a relative basis are doing a very good job.”
