The final profit figure was reached on total revenue of $36.24 million and has also been achieved without the $500,000 dividend paid to every other AFL Club for participating in the AFL Telstra website network.
The Club’s financial stability is further underlined with net assets in excess of $17.4 million. The Club has cash reserves of just under $5.5 million having spent $3.7m on capital works in the past 12 months.
The final figure also allows for a $316,111 payment made by Essendon Football Club to its 10 affiliated sporting clubs as part of the Club’s commitment to the local community. The Club has now provided just under $1 million in distributions to these clubs over the past three years.
In the past year Essendon has also employed additional recruiting staff, sports science and player development resources as part of its Football 2010 strategy.
The Club also approved the implementation of an IT strategy that will cost over $1.1 million for new software systems, hardware upgrades and people, upgraded its marketing resources and completed the construction of a new gymnasium at the Windy Hill Fitness Centre.
Managing Director, Peter Jackson, said it is a very significant result considering the Bombers have finished at the bottom end of the ladder for the past three seasons.
""This year’s profit indicates we have achieved our business plan objective to insulate the club’s financial stability from prolonged downturns in on-field performance which is a fact of life in the modern game,"" he said.
""Importantly, we have achieved this result yet still been able to make significant investments for the future across the Club and we will continue to take that approach.
""We are not about maximising profit. Obviously the Club needs to remain financially strong but more importantly we want to be competitive on the field and a relevant and important part of the wider community.
""To record such a strong profit in a year where we didn’t play finals - and following a very poor 2006 season - is a testament to the commitment of our members, sponsors and fans and we thank them for their invaluable support of this proud club.
""We also have great business partners in Hutchison, who has been our major partner since 2001, Puma, Samsung, Abey, NAB, Channel 7, Coca-Cola, Foster’s Australia, Musashi, Yakult, Toyota, JAL, Don Smallgoods and Tyrrell’s Wines.
""Off- field we are in a very healthy position but we are very focussed on improving on-field in 2008 and beyond. That is our primary reason for being and on-field success is what our supporters want and expect.""
Mr Jackson said the most pleasing part of the 2007 profit is that every part of the club’s business contributed with membership and merchandise results particularly encouraging. Merchandise was the stand-out with a year-on-year net contribution increase of 63%.
Essendon continues to maintain its independent website. In 2006/07 the 21.6 million page impressions represented a year-on-year increase of 17.2%. The website averaged 94,538 unique browsers per month which represented an enormous 28% increase year-on-year.
""It was a strategic business decision but also a decision we took because we wanted to ensure we could engage on-line with our supporters as efficiently and effectively as possible,"" Jackson said.
""The website generated significant revenue but that is only part of the story.""
Essendon chairman, Ray Horsburgh, said the excellent result is a tribute to the hard work done by Managing Director Peter Jackson and his team.
""This result vindicates the carefully planned strategic direction set by the board and implemented by Peter Jackson and his management team,"" Mr Horsburgh said.
""When it comes to considering financial strategy, we have some very capable people on the board including Finance Director, Tim Jonas, and our recent casual board appointment, Ray Gunston, who has an outstanding background in financial management and will be a valuable addition should members appoint him at the upcoming election.""
