Carlton, Collingwood, Fitzroy, and Richmond had each volunteered to devote a significant proportion of their 1916 gate receipts to what were known as Patriotic Funds and also conduct a number of special fund raising activities; however, in June 1917, an audit by the VFL of the money that each club's "patriotic fund raising" had delivered over to the State War Council disclosed that the four clubs, which had appeared to all and sundry to be suffering considerable financial distress during the 1916 season due to the reduction in gate receipts, etc., had apparently discovered that their fund raising had involved an extraordinarily large amount of "expenses". From its recorded "patriotic fund raising" receipts of ₤918, Fitzroy could only deliver ₤152 after "expenses", Collingwood ₤40 from ₤664, Richmond ₤90 from ₤614, and Carlton nothing at all from ₤884. The State War Council censured the clubs, and appointed its own supervisors to oversee the clubs' fund raising in 1917.