To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Tigers’ 1974 premiership, Richmond Media is transporting Yellow and Black barrackers back in time throughout 2024 to follow the Punt Road path to that tremendous triumph. Today, in a sign of things to come that year, here is an article from The Age newspaper, by Peter McFarline, about Richmond being at loggerheads with the VFL hierarchy.
The VFL has refused Richmond’s request for a special meeting of directors to discuss the television right negotiations, Richmond president Mr. Ian Wilson said last night.
“I rang the VFL Administrative Director, Mr. Ian McCutchan, yesterday and he said: ‘I am not going to call a meeting’,” Mr. Wilson said.
Mr. Wilson is also Richmond’s VFL director.
“Richmond is disgusted by the attitude of Mr. McCutchan. We are extremely annoyed at the lack of information directors are given,” Mr. Wilson said.
“Mr. McCutchan is taking the attitude that he will call a meeting when he thinks the time is right, not when we, the directors, think so.
“Mr. McCutchan is a paid servant of the League. It is about time the 12 clubs started running the League, not Mr. McCutchan.”
Mr McCutchan said yesterday: “Richmond’s request for a special meeting of directors has been noted and a meeting of clubs will be called when the negotiating committee feels it has information which should be relayed to the clubs.”
He said negotiations between the VFL and the two television stations, HSV-7 and ABV-2, “were continuing”.
Mr. Wilson said he was a director of several companies, and as such he could call on, and receive an answer from company secretaries about company business.
“It appears this is not so with the VFL,” he said.
“We have been told nothing. But we are particularly annoyed with(VFL president) Sir Maurice Nathan’s handling of the TV negotiations, especially the circumstance where Channel 9 withdrew.”
Mr. Wilson said Channel 9 had been a great help to the game, especially in its promotion of the Cazaly awards, and Footy Olympics, in conjunction with Truth newspaper.
“There has been a lot of criticism of the VFL in newspapers in the past week. As a VFL director, I want to know the facts and why there has been criticism. I, or my co-directors, just haven’t been told,” Mr. Wilson said.
