Actually FU BLU, you should be worried that the new pokies at Sky City will suck people out of Trillion Trust venues.
I actually agree with much of Bluemagic's original list above. In addition to NZF paying more attention to the league let me add that they specifically look at finding a more sustainable funding model than relying heavily on the current distributed pokie funding approach. Even if that means working with a single pokie trust to bulk fund the league.
Actually that's not a bad idea. All the pokie trust money could be pooled and distributed equally amongst the franchises which would be a boost for the struggling ones. Provided NZF is kept from grabbing some of it for themselves.
However the downside is the franchises who make the biggest effort and bring in the trust money would be effectively subsidizing the ones who don't put in the same effort. Wouldn't the temptation then be for the smaller franchises to just ride on the coat-tails of the more successful ones? The end result would be a diluted league with the strugglers doing better and the top franchises downsizing.
There's also the danger that forcing ACFC, the most successful money-raiser in the ASBP, to substantially spread its income would make it harder for the club to mount a serious O League campaign. It's a loss making enterprise putting out a good O League side and competing in the CWC. If that's hampered further then there's the danger of the whole ASBP missing out on the vital O League prizemoney.
What's needed is a serious injection of funding as prizemoney in the ASBP. Then the franchises are rewarded by effort.