What's happening in the Bendigo Football League #3

[MtMen]

You can add Echuca to this list as it went to the Goulburn Valley around the same time as Rochester.

What a joke! an equalisation fund???? yeah, lets reward poor management of clubs by giving them handouts.

If Rochester can be at the top of the GV with a town of 2,000 surely Kyneton and Castlemaine can be even competitive in the BFL with populations of 6,000 and 7,000.

If Gisborne can be competitive in all three grades of footy in recent years why can't Kyneton. Management?? Club Culture?? I don't think it deserves some cash handout or equalisation fund. I can guess where that money would go.... to some guy from Melb who is coming for one year to soak up some coin.

And Rochy and Echuca left the BFL nearly 50 years ago. Might be time to move on from that one.

 

[albury]

What a joke! an equalisation fund???? yeah, lets reward poor management of clubs by giving them handouts.

If Rochester can be at the top of the GV with a town of 2,000 surely Kyneton and Castlemaine can be even competitive in the BFL with populations of 6,000 and 7,000.

If Gisborne can be competitive in all three grades of footy in recent years why can't Kyneton. Management?? Club Culture?? I don't think it deserves some cash handout or equalisation fund. I can guess where that money would go.... to some guy from Melb who is coming for one year to soak up some coin.

And Rochy and Echuca left the BFL nearly 50 years ago. Might be time to move on from that one.

So all the country clubs in the BFL are poorly managed - but not the city one?

Anyway, what are your constructive comments to assist country clubs in the BFL to compete against city of Bendigo counterparts who for example can recruit players coming to Bendigo to work or study and don't as a club have the same travel burden?

 

[MtMen]

So all the country clubs in the BFL are poorly managed - but not the city one?

Anyway, what are your constructive comments to assist country clubs in the BFL to compete against city of Bendigo counterparts who for example can recruit players coming to Bendigo to work or study and don't as a club have the same travel burden?

Thats one thing you are doing right. At least you're asking the questions and throwing up ideas to fix the current inequities, so that is always positve stuff. i just think you missed the mark.

And this "travel burden" issue sounds made up too. Going on that logic White Hills, North bendigo and Huntly should be the power clubs of the HDFL and Colbo and Locky the cellar dwellers. Or another example, Echuca, Rochy and Mansfield should struggle in the GV and the Shepp sides be the powerclubs. But that isn't the case.

But lets keep thowing up ideas to improve the competitveness of the BFL as it would be great for everyone to see the top sides rotated year after year.

 

[razor ray]

u will all have seen the borough boys have signed another top player: kane bloxsidge from the peel thunder

now go back to post #1027 from "investor", dated 18/12/09. main sponsor has downsized and "a few boys r taking pay cuts" he wrote

with robins/lock/g train/ketterer/the jacobs boys/josh bowe/the kerang on ball player {think his name is coates} and others to pay, now add bloxsidge to the list

2 blues must have got another big sponsor if the 2009 one is trousering the spending --- lotss of boys on the 2010 list 2 pay
at least they'll save on balraj's pay check this season

 

[ash dancer]

So all the country clubs in the BFL are poorly managed - but not the city one?

Anyway, what are your constructive comments to assist country clubs in the BFL to compete against city of Bendigo counterparts who for example can recruit players coming to Bendigo to work or study and don't as a club have the same travel burden?

as a locky player at the time when we moved to the bendigo league, it was a bit of a rude awakening coming from a real country footy league, with only under 18s, and a lot of the games for us were travelling by bus because they were an hour and a half . no amenities for the netballers which played at seperate venues to the footy in some towns and quite a big step up from the seconds to seniors. it may not be like this now, but it is why i beleive it isnt a country league, to me it reminds me more of a metro league. so maybe country towns no matter how well managed or how big dont belong in the BFL. sorry if this sounds like a copeout.
another thought is, how the americans play division championships so if castlemaine want a crack at rolling bendigo league teams they can at the end of the season but they dont have to travel there every 2nd week. ok...ok... i just love the thought of a big chunky gold ring at the end of the season. any one

 

[albury]

as a locky player at the time when we moved to the bendigo league, it was a bit of a rude awakening coming from a real country footy league, with only under 18s, and a lot of the games for us were travelling by bus because they were an hour and a half . no amenities for the netballers which played at seperate venues to the footy in some towns and quite a big step up from the seconds to seniors. it may not be like this now, but it is why i beleive it isnt a country league, to me it reminds me more of a metro league. so maybe country towns no matter how well managed or how big dont belong in the BFL. sorry if this sounds like a copeout.
another thought is, how the americans play division championships so if castlemaine want a crack at rolling bendigo league teams they can at the end of the season but they dont have to travel there every 2nd week. ok...ok... i just love the thought of a big chunky gold ring at the end of the season. any one

All good comments above and at least you guys are addressing the issues - yes I may miss the mark with some of my comments, but that is not so important.

The point I am trying so hard to make is that it is just not good enough for the CEO of the Bendigo Board to make comments like 'the leaque is in a healthy state'. (They are his exact words). The problems faced by clubs like Castlemaine, Kyneton, Maryborough are considerable/not easy to solve but hell in the hell is the board going to deal with them when it won't even accept that they exist?

The loss of clubs like Echuca, Rochester and others may have been a long time ago, but it is important to learn by history and not make the same mistakes over again (as almost happened with Gisborne).

I realise I must sound like a broken long playing record so I am going to personally give this topic a rest - but I hope others can see what I am saying.

 

[The fatman]

All good comments above and at least you guys are addressing the issues - yes I may miss the mark with some of my comments, but that is not so important.

The point I am trying so hard to make is that it is just not good enough for the CEO of the Bendigo Board to make comments like 'the leaque is in a healthy state'. (They are his exact words). The problems faced by clubs like Castlemaine, Kyneton, Maryborough are considerable/not easy to solve but hell in the hell is the board going to deal with them when it won't even accept that they exist?

The loss of clubs like Echuca, Rochester and others may have been a long time ago, but it is important to learn by history and not make the same mistakes over again (as almost happened with Gisborne).

I realise I must sound like a broken long playing record so I am going to personally give this topic a rest - but I hope others can see what I am saying.

Being from a country club there are pros and cons for both sides. To get the competition to be one wear 75% of the games played can be won by either side would probaly be having the comp in a healthy state. The board definetly know that there has to be something done to help the country clubs. I think by giving cash to go and buy players is not the way but maybe by making facillities at grounds to be the best that are going around would help attract players. Have a time frame to set these kind of projects into place.
If you go back to when the country clubs have won flags you would probaly find that out of that team that 12-15 of them players are local or come from under 20 minutes away. The problems that happens and that are called bad management are that you start to bottom out in your cycle of kids coming through. Everyone who puts up there hand to be on a Football or any committee has some wish to have some sucess wether it being winning games of football netball or to holding a money making fund raising event that goes well. At kyneton we have been bottomed out for 7-8 years. Each year it gets harder to recruit the right players to keep you kids that are coming through to stay interested in playing at the club. Players ask for an extra $200-300 to go to team that at the bottom compared to side that can say we will be playing finals.
2 years ago on our list we had 4 players that played senior football aged between 22-26. Which is probaly where players start playing there better football. Last year we lost alot more players for reasons of not having success. player that had been there for 10 years and needed to go somewhere for some sucess and then followed players at 21-22 that had played 30-50 senior games that go to clubs that can talk about having sucess. A few that went to Lancefield got a premiership and i thing all the others played at least a final. So after being down it would have been justified in there head to leave.
The youth of today are vastly different in the choices that they have to make. Gone are the days of footy in winter cricket in the summer. They have alot more hours available to work the shops aren't shut at 12 on saturday and opened on monday morning. They probaly need more money to live mobile phones ect compared to years ago. To change clubs is easy to do loyalty is a word that is now very rare.
Winning is the best way to get people to your games so we have to recruit now and then try and get people back in the gate. The towns change Kyneton is full of comuters now that spend 2 hours on a train 5 days a week and then weekend comes lets get things done around the house. We as a commitee have to try and capture a slice of this market. We as a country side have the advantage over sides such as south and sandhurst as we have a comminuty in Kyneton. To get the comminuty to follow you can be very good for you. It can be easy to loss them as well upset a few here and there and the pack may follow. Thats what we have to do get them on side and being competitive is a start.
To all those that sit on computers and have there say i hope you realise what actually has to get done for you to get through the gate and see the ball bounced. The volunteer is the most under rated part of footy. They all get told how to do there job and when asked a lot of people with the big ideas go missing.
Lets hope that in 2010 we can have a season that throws up a few surprises.
Sorry about the spelling english not my best subject at school.

 

[CharlieSlim]

So who will win the league this season???

 

[maineman]

This has developed into an excelent discussion.

One can only hope the BFL board are aware of it and do some listening.

I don't think that travel is a real issue for Castlemaine, most footy clubs have to travel in the bush.

I think the real problem facing the country clubs is the same problem facing country towns. The bigger centres are adding more and more chain stores which are taking the business out of the local towns. A huge percentage of people in Castlemaine would spend most of their money in Bendigo, I would imagine the same would be said for Maryborough in Ballarat.

Therefore the local businesses don't have the cash flow to sponsor the local clubs and creating the amount of money needed to compete in the BFL becomes impossible.

Meanwhile the Bendigo clubs access sponsorship built on the same consumer spending that the country clubs relied on, making the gap even greater.

There is no solution for that problem that I can see unless country footy went amateur which would be a great thing but will never happen.

I think going forward there will be many more very local competitions with clubs competing against clubs in a similar location with similar economic possibilities.

Thus I think you will see Castlemaine in the MCDFL before too long, probably Maryborough as well and Kyneton probably in a more local league too.

A team like Strath has a much better long term outlook after one year than a club going 150 which is sad, but the reality I think.

 

[fifth quarter]

some great points made recently by Ox from Kyneton and maineman from castlemaine
at the 09 BFNL AGM I know Kyneton voted AGAINST a fourth man on the senior i-change bench for 2010. Wasn't told how C'maine voted but have a feeling ronny cawthan wouldn't have been in favour of it.
But it was a tied vote [ five-all] and my source told me the BFNL board with the casting vote decided against introducing four on the senior bench for this season. they did this on the basis the clubs had NOT voted conclusively for the introduction

as has been mentioned before on this thread c'maine (and kyneton for that matter) have changed complexions since 1999-2000. Kyneton has become a fine dining destination with at least 3 restaurants rated very high in the state's overall list and the Maine has a big arts community --- remember they hold a State Arts Festival every 2 years in the Maine. It runs for 10 days.

Hadn't thought of the supermarket thing, but that makes sense. Have been on the highway just past-5.30 pm on a weekday and there's heaps of cars on the freeway heading towards the maine turnoff or already on it.
Stlll, there appear to be plenty of tourists/weekenders on the castlemaine streets @ w-ends so imagine they are spending in the shops and cafes like togs and safs. also a lot of tourists in piper st., kyneton on w-ends, also.

 

[GIMP2]

If everyone played for the love of the game then there would be no problem at all. Coin and selfish overated footballers are killing country footy...full stop.

 

[Doona2]

If everyone played for the love of the game then there would be no problem at all. Coin and selfish overated footballers are killing country footy...full stop.

Players are only worth what a club deems they are worth to help improve their list or premiership aspirations. Club's will always have varying appraisal's on players and what they can do for them, for example Elmore in the HDFL may offer a bloke $200, and then Mounts may offer $400 - not entirely the players fault in my opinion, club's statewide have also added a lot of fuel to this now out of control fire that is country football in the past decade or so....

 

[maineman]

some great points made recently by Ox from Kyneton and maineman from castlemaine
at the 09 BFNL AGM I know Kyneton voted AGAINST a fourth man on the senior i-change bench for 2010. Wasn't told how C'maine voted but have a feeling ronny cawthan wouldn't have been in favour of it.
But it was a tied vote [ five-all] and my source told me the BFNL board with the casting vote decided against introducing four on the senior bench for this season. they did this on the basis the clubs had NOT voted conclusively for the introduction

as has been mentioned before on this thread c'maine (and kyneton for that matter) have changed complexions since 1999-2000. Kyneton has become a fine dining destination with at least 3 restaurants rated very high in the state's overall list and the Maine has a big arts community --- remember they hold a State Arts Festival every 2 years in the Maine. It runs for 10 days.

Hadn't thought of the supermarket thing, but that makes sense. Have been on the highway just past-5.30 pm on a weekday and there's heaps of cars on the freeway heading towards the maine turnoff or already on it.
Stlll, there appear to be plenty of tourists/weekenders on the castlemaine streets @ w-ends so imagine they are spending in the shops and cafes like togs and safs. also a lot of tourists in piper st., kyneton on w-ends, also.

Castlemaine did vote against for purely financial reasons.

The problem with the changing make-up of the town is the businesses thriving are not the type who return money into country footy. They are also not the type patronised by members of country footy clubs so it is difficult to enlist their support.

If everyone played for the love of the game then there would be no problem at all. Coin and selfish overated footballers are killing country footy...full stop.

Players are only worth what a club deems they are worth to help improve their list or premiership aspirations. Club's will always have varying appraisal's on players and what they can do for them, for example Elmore in the HDFL may offer a bloke $200, and then Mounts may offer $400 - not entirely the players fault in my opinion, club's statewide have also added a lot of fuel to this now out of control fire that is country football in the past decade or so....

Couldn't agree more. I know Castlemaine have had a couple of their talented U/18 kids offered $300+ a game to move to other local sides.

They are good talented kids but $300 a game is stupid money and there is no way Castlemaine could afford to match it to players of their standing.

Unfortunately I can't see any way to control the money in country footy. Things like the points system are pipe dreams, the only way it could happen is if every club agreed on a policy but once again, never going to happen.

 

[6from7]

Players are only worth what a club deems they are worth to help improve their list or premiership aspirations. Club's will always have varying appraisal's on players and what they can do for them, for example Elmore in the HDFL may offer a bloke $200, and then Mounts may offer $400 - not entirely the players fault in my opinion, club's statewide have also added a lot of fuel to this now out of control fire that is country football in the past decade or so....

Haven't you got that the wrong way around Doona?

 

[Doona2]

Haven't you got that the wrong way around Doona?

ha ha, purely an example mate

 

[dirkdiggler69]

Being from a country club there are pros and cons for both sides. To get the competition to be one wear 75% of the games played can be won by either side would probaly be having the comp in a healthy state. The board definetly know that there has to be something done to help the country clubs. I think by giving cash to go and buy players is not the way but maybe by making facillities at grounds to be the best that are going around would help attract players. Have a time frame to set these kind of projects into place.
If you go back to when the country clubs have won flags you would probaly find that out of that team that 12-15 of them players are local or come from under 20 minutes away. The problems that happens and that are called bad management are that you start to bottom out in your cycle of kids coming through. Everyone who puts up there hand to be on a Football or any committee has some wish to have some sucess wether it being winning games of football netball or to holding a money making fund raising event that goes well. At kyneton we have been bottomed out for 7-8 years. Each year it gets harder to recruit the right players to keep you kids that are coming through to stay interested in playing at the club. Players ask for an extra $200-300 to go to team that at the bottom compared to side that can say we will be playing finals.
2 years ago on our list we had 4 players that played senior football aged between 22-26. Which is probaly where players start playing there better football. Last year we lost alot more players for reasons of not having success. player that had been there for 10 years and needed to go somewhere for some sucess and then followed players at 21-22 that had played 30-50 senior games that go to clubs that can talk about having sucess. A few that went to Lancefield got a premiership and i thing all the others played at least a final. So after being down it would have been justified in there head to leave.
The youth of today are vastly different in the choices that they have to make. Gone are the days of footy in winter cricket in the summer. They have alot more hours available to work the shops aren't shut at 12 on saturday and opened on monday morning. They probaly need more money to live mobile phones ect compared to years ago. To change clubs is easy to do loyalty is a word that is now very rare.
Winning is the best way to get people to your games so we have to recruit now and then try and get people back in the gate. The towns change Kyneton is full of comuters now that spend 2 hours on a train 5 days a week and then weekend comes lets get things done around the house. We as a commitee have to try and capture a slice of this market. We as a country side have the advantage over sides such as south and sandhurst as we have a comminuty in Kyneton. To get the comminuty to follow you can be very good for you. It can be easy to loss them as well upset a few here and there and the pack may follow. Thats what we have to do get them on side and being competitive is a start.
To all those that sit on computers and have there say i hope you realise what actually has to get done for you to get through the gate and see the ball bounced. The volunteer is the most under rated part of footy. They all get told how to do there job and when asked a lot of people with the big ideas go missing.
Lets hope that in 2010 we can have a season that throws up a few surprises.
Sorry about the spelling english not my best subject at school.

fatman even though i have had a dig at your side in the past i think what you have said here is absolutely spot on.
great post !

 

[BANFORLIFE]

Can someone please inform me why the Bendigo Football league website is so poor. The current poll is who will when the 2009 Grand final and the last news article is about the training squad picked for the interleague game in May of 2009.

Is it because the people have no time to update the site or is it because they don't think it is important to keep people informed.

 

[zakster]

not good news for the 2 blues boys
reason why big burra sponsor is downsizing his $$$$$$ at c'bury park --- has family members, footy and netty, playing at ycw

family wants to know why their club cant get the $$$$$$$, so dad has agreed i would say ycw could be big improvers, norfolk and other lvfl people

urgent need for at least 2 major sponsors right now at dekka's outfit .... might be that incoming recruits get less pay than they expected

 

[TheKITC]

You are allowed to say Mick McKern instead of 'big burra sponsor' Zakster, everyone knows who you mean and those who don't probably want to...

However I believe you are correct in saying he will be getting more involved at YC, not sure he will be completely distancing himself from Eaglehawk though...

I keep hearing it but the signings keep rolling in. This seems to be a wait and see issue. Could there really be a mass walk out if the money dries up? Would be a sad indictment on the how the game is going really, particularly if the players have been there a while!

 

[Norfolk & Clew]

not good news for the 2 blues boys
reason why big burra sponsor is downsizing his $$$$$$ at c'bury park --- has family members, footy and netty, playing at ycw

family wants to know why their club cant get the $$$$$$$, so dad has agreed i would say ycw could be big improvers, norfolk and other lvfl people

urgent need for at least 2 major sponsors right now at dekka's outfit .... might be that incoming recruits get less pay than they expected

Yep I have heard he'll be putting some more money into YCW, although him pulling out of sponsoring the borough wasn't just to do wit his family at YCW, I have heard (who knows how legitimate) he is only throwing money at YC because he had a fall out with the borough or someone involved anyway.

Will be interesting to see if ycw start throwing around money

 

[derrick7]

You are allowed to say Mick McKern instead of 'big burra sponsor' Zakster, everyone knows who you mean and those who don't probably want to...

However I believe you are correct in saying he will be getting more involved at YC, not sure he will be completely distancing himself from Eaglehawk though...

I keep hearing it but the signings keep rolling in. This seems to be a wait and see issue. Could there really be a mass walk out if the money dries up? Would be a sad indictment on the how the game is going really, particularly if the players have been there a while!

1) Eaglehawk, like most clubs, completes a budget in October and signs & re-signs players according to that budget. Country Clubs are pretty organised nowadays and actually complete budgets & cash flows. What possible sense would it make to sign players and not pay them? Just ill-informed muckraking!

2) Bendigo teams do not pay as much as other leagues, that is what i have learnt from 15 years of recruiting. I am not saying top bendigo players play for nothing but when a bendigo team signs a quality player it is generally because of Family/Friend connection, played there before, former Pioneer/Bomber player or moved to town for job or school.

Many of the new Eaglehawk Players do fall into this category!

3) Mick has not missed a training session and is still heavilly involved in fundraising & organised a major fundraiser post season. Had lunch with him today and seemed excited about the year. Passionate Eaglehawk man.

 

[Hoops33]

New year is here, with all this lively discussion and the AFL NAB cup only 3 weeks away, I am getting very excited for the upcoming BFL season. Whats the go with Peel Thunder?? Why is there so many players from this area coming and going there? Did notice on their website a large Bendigo Bank Advertisment........
Speaking with an official at Strath Storm (which isnt spoken of much here), it looks like they have maintained their B&F top 10 and in good discussions with ex pioneers. Wicks and Marr the only departures of note..

 

[good player out of luck]

Speaking with an official at Strath Storm (which isnt spoken of much here), it looks like they have maintained their B&F top 10 and in good discussions with ex pioneers. Wicks and Marr the only departures of note.

Can anyone confirm where the wayne kerr, mr stormy, tim wicks is actually playing.

 

[ash dancer]

Speaking with an official at Strath Storm (which isnt spoken of much here), it looks like they have maintained their B&F top 10 and in good discussions with ex pioneers. Wicks and Marr the only departures of note.

Can anyone confirm where the wayne kerr, mr stormy, tim wicks is actually playing.

i can still remamber the day simsy told me they shut the mity pub, im not a big crier but that was so sad.

 

[The fatman]

1) Eaglehawk, like most clubs, completes a budget in October and signs & re-signs players according to that budget. Country Clubs are pretty organised nowadays and actually complete budgets & cash flows. What possible sense would it make to sign players and not pay them? Just ill-informed muckraking!

2) Bendigo teams do not pay as much as other leagues, that is what i have learnt from 15 years of recruiting. I am not saying top bendigo players play for nothing but when a bendigo team signs a quality player it is generally because of Family/Friend connection, played there before, former Pioneer/Bomber player or moved to town for job or school.

Many of the new Eaglehawk Players do fall into this category!

3) Mick has not missed a training session and is still heavilly involved in fundraising & organised a major fundraiser post season. Had lunch with him today and seemed excited about the year. Passionate Eaglehawk man.

Seem Mick McKern is the talk of the thread and citzen of the year. I must ask Derrick how much has Mick been doing behind the scenes to get the citzen of the year award of you.
If Mick hasn't missed a training there maybe a spot for him down here at the tigers