Richmond will join fellow AFL clubs Collingwood and Geelong in having their own stand-alone reserves side from 2014.
It means next season will be the last year of the Tigers’ current alignment with VFL club Coburg.
The two clubs had originally planned to maintain the alignment until the end of 2014, but have agreed to an earlier split.
Having a stand-alone side playing in the VFL means Richmond will have greater control over the way they prepare their players for the top level.
Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale said the success of the Fighting Tiger Fund, which was launched last year and through which the club has already raised $5.5 million of their $6 million target, helped enable the move.
“We have been very clear that one of our major football priorities was the establishment of a stand-alone reserves side, and this will become a reality in 2014,” Gale said.
“The outstanding support of the Fighting Tiger Fund and other decisions we have taken to improve our financial position have enabled the club to make this important football decision.
“We believe it will allow us to fast-track the development of our emerging talent, which is critical to the success of our football team into the future.”
Gale said while the alignment with Coburg had proved challenging, the Tigers decided against walking away from it at the end of this year, as they wanted to spend another year ensuring they left the VFL club in good shape to continue in their own right.
Richmond will use Sunday’s MCG clash with North Melbourne to thank those who have supported their fundraising campaign, with a number of events planned as a tribute.