Are AFL clubs getting a fair deal when it comes to off-field finances?

Footy clubs compete for premiership points on the field each week, but some of their toughest battles are fought off it.

The race for members and revenue is intense. The AFL administration does its best to level the financial playing field.

Some clubs earn more cash than others, and AFL distributions vary significantly as a result.

Over the past two decades, a dramatic gulf has developed between the league's haves and its have-nots.

The AFL has used its new broadcast largesse to equalise resources for needy clubs, putting them in a much-better position than they would have otherwise been.

Administrators have long grappled with the question of whether the divide between rich and poor is inevitable and unavoidable.

AFL distributions aren't the only things keeping clubs afloat. A football club is essentially a community-owned, medium-sized business. Most are as big as an average RSL club. They try to raise revenue through various means.

Some clubs diversify their income streams through pokies or public gyms.

But their biggest earner remains charging people to watch their teams play football. Clubs sell tickets and merchandise to their fans, and charge sponsors to promote their products and services.

Some fans and pundits cite lack of exposure as a reason that smaller clubs are not as financially well-off.

The perception is that clubs with the marquee fixtures draw in more money because of when and where they get to play.

But how much of an impact does that really have?

Tony Corke — who runs the popular Matter of Stats website — has studied the impact of game times on crowd sizes for games.

«The historical data shows that the difference between a Friday night slot and a Saturday afternoon one for the same fixture might be as large as