Official Club Stuff North Ballarat - 2019 Return to VFL Unlikely

[The_Wookie]

Maybe they should have just done what the AFL did with Melbourne - have AFL Victoria appoint someone to oversee the board - before dropping the side. How there isnt a Goldfields based VFLW team bemuses me

 

[Roogal]

The club texted all members the link to the Club Website this morning - From the Roosters Website at 9.15 am today:

MEMBERS UPDATE
19 September 2017

Dear Members,

The North Ballarat Football Club has proudly represented Ballarat and the Greater Western region of Victoria in the VFL Competition for 22 Seasons.

On Thursday 14 September 2017, the Club was informed by AFL Victoria this would not continue.

The Club is extremely disappointed and frustrated by this decision made by AFL Victoria and believe it is a huge injustice to the Club, but more-so to the thousands of people involved including the players, members, officials, coaches and parents – all of whom give so much to our Club and are the lifeblood of football in our region.

The Club believes it presented to the Executive Management of AFL Victoria an honest and transparent assessment of the Club’s position and identified key strategies, including completed, current and future actions to build a Club the region would be proud of.

The North Ballarat Board of Directors is unanimous in its view that excluding the Roosters from the VFL in 2018 will have a detrimental effect on the Club and its ability to re-join the competition in 2019. We are disappointed that AFL Victoria has chosen not to assist and support the Club’s plans to rebuild, instead sidelining VFL in Ballarat.

To date we have received minimal correspondence with AFL Victoria. The letter we received gave only the outcome and did not offer any explanation as to how or why they came to their decision. It’s only via the media that we learn that it was (apparently) based on the Club’s lack of financial security, AFL Victoria’s reference to turmoil in our governance structure over the previous two to three years and that it would take time to establish a new regionalised presence.

I’d like to take this opportunity to assure the people of Ballarat and the Greater Western Victoria region that:

1. Our Club together with the Sports Club are both in a very strong financial position, are profitable and have no debt. In the past 12 months, the Club has provided over $700K in grassroots donations including funding to the VFL team, local sporting clubs and community organisations, and still recorded an operating profit.
2. The Board have been working diligently since elected in February 2017 to develop a new governance structure which would ensure the long-term stability and prosperity of a VFL team to represent Ballarat and the Greater Western region in 2018 along with a solid structure within the club itself. This was very clearly outlined and presented to AFL Victoria with a set of transparent and measurable deliverables.

The Club has requested an urgent and detailed explanation from the Board of Directors and Executive of AFL Victoria to clearly identify the key criteria that the North Ballarat Football Club has not either met or addressed in order to satisfy their requirements. Unfortunately, at this time, this request has not been granted.

I would like to invite all Members to attend an Information Session to be held at the North Ballarat Sports Club on Wednesday 27 September 2017 commencing at 7 pm. At this meeting, we will outline the position of the club and plans moving forward, there will be opportunity to ask questions.

To our Members and the people of Ballarat and Greater Western region, we can assure you – we are 100% committed to you and we will not give up. Our Members and the Community we serve are our greatest asset and the North Ballarat Football Club will work tirelessly to have a team that represents Ballarat and the Greater Western region back in the VFL and build a Club that is bigger, better and stronger than ever.

Kind Regards

John Nevett
Chairman
North Ballarat Football Club

 

[Roogal]

Latest Club Update

As a result of the public meeting at the Club last Wednesday night, the President has posted the following statement:

Dear Members,

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank the Members who attended last night’s Information Session.

The information presented to Members, focused on the actions taken and plans in place around the Club’s future involvement with a team in the VFL, the business operations and options for governance change.

The Board appreciates the support and feedback received, showcasing the passion that Members have for their Club and ensuring the Club continues to evolve and provide pathways for sport in Ballarat and the Greater Western Region of Victoria.

Members showed a strong support for the Club to explore all options to ensure a return to the VFL Competition at the earliest possible time. On this basis, I will be contacting AFL Victoria to commence discussions and negotiate in good faith about the requirements AFL Victoria have for the Roosters to return to the VFL Competition as the proud representative of our Club, City and Region.

Kind Regards
John Nevett
Chairman
North Ballarat Football Club

 

[Roogal]

BALLARAT COURIER:

How the North Roosters believe they will make it back into the VFL

October 23 2017 - 3:14PM

North Ballarat Football Club chairman John Nevett has revealed some bold plans he hopes will see a return to the Victorian Football League.

The establishment of a new club – which will include a new board and new name – is part of the discussions taking place as efforts are being made to win back the licence North Ballarat lost during September.

Nevett said an important part of the process was to organise a meeting with AFL Victoria to seek clarity around potential rivals for a licence out of Western Victoria. “At that meeting, the first thing that we will be doing is asking them whether or not there are other players for the licence other than ourselves, because we can’t go ahead and make all the changes if it’s just going to be a waste of time,” Nevett said.

Nevett said the potential new VFL club would receive a percentage of profits from the North Ballarat Sports Club, but would also require significant sponsorship funding to operate. A new name is definitely on the agenda, but Nevett felt the Roosters tag should probably stay. “If we come back, we’ve got to be able to keep the history of the Roosters,” he told The Courier. “It has got to go away from North Ballarat. It has to be seen that this is a club that’s actually representing more than just North Ballarat or Ballarat for that matter.”

After significant cash concerns in recent years, Nevett said North Ballarat was now in a strong financial position to run a VFL program. This comes after the City of Ballarat forked out more than $5 million to North Ballarat to acquire the Eureka Stadium precinct. “That enabled us to clear our debt with the bank and enabled us to put something like $2.5 million or $3 million in the bank,” Nevett, who took over as chairman in February, said.

“And a year out of the VFL means there’s more money. And then there will be more money coming out of the compensation claim. That’s our view.”

Nevett said former chairman Peter Wilson had been involved in recent discussions after offering his support to the board in recent weeks. He said he hoped Wilson could spearhead the board of a potential new VFL club.

If a new VFL club is to be created, Nevett hinted at potentially merging the boards of the North Ballarat Football Club and North Ballarat Sports Club, while keeping the existing North Ballarat Junior Football Netball Club set-up, which runs teams in the Ballarat league.

 

[Dogs till i die]

Good luck, hope a VFL team returns from the Ballarat area. Pardon my ignorance, but what is the link between the Roosters and North Ballarat City who play in the BFL, if there is one? Will the Roosters play in the BFL in 2018?

 

[Roogal]

Good luck, hope a VFL team returns from the Ballarat area. Pardon my ignorance, but what is the link between the Roosters and North Ballarat City who play in the BFL, if there is one? Will the Roosters play in the BFL in 2018?

North Ballarat City were created by the North Ballarat Sports Club to fill the vacuum left between the BFNL Under 18s and the BFNL Seniors when the North Ballarat Senior team joined the VFL in 1996. On your second part of your question, the Roosters are seeking clarification from AFL Victoria as to the situation with any other rival bidders for the Ballarat franchise. There are rumours that AFL Goldfields is putting together a proposal for a representative team from several Leagues. The Roosters are formulating a business plan and will submit their proposal to rejoin the VFL under a new management structure, a new name, and business model sometime in early 2018.

 

[Dogs till i die]

North Ballarat City were created by the North Ballarat Sports Club to fill the vacuum left between the BFNL Under 18s and the BFNL Seniors when the North Ballarat Senior team joined the VFL in 1996. On your second part of your question, the Roosters are seeking clarification from AFL Victoria as to the situation with any other rival bidders for the Ballarat franchise. There are rumours that AFL Goldfields is putting together a proposal for a representative team from several Leagues. The Roosters are formulating a business plan and will submit their proposal to rejoin the VFL under a new management structure, a new name, and business model sometime in early 2018.

Realise you are a Roosters supporter Roogal, but do you think a revamped, more sustainable Roosters is better for the VFL than a more representative team from the area? Playing devil's advocate here with no vested interest, but I think the VFL is a better comp with a Ballarat presence, just not sure what is best. The BFL is a very parochial local comp. and I'm not sure there is an appetite for VFL footy up there.

 

[thegreig]

Will anyone actually get around a new team that isn't North Ballarat? It sounds good in theory but so did Bendigo Golds...
I know it's a glass half empty view but the VFL is really just a reserves comp these days, which will makes it hard for any new club without a long history and/or existing fan base.

 

[Roogal]

Will anyone actually get around a new team that isn't North Ballarat? It sounds good in theory but so did Bendigo Golds...
I know it's a glass half empty view but the VFL is really just a reserves comp these days, which will makes it hard for any new club without a long history and/or existing fan base.

Bloody good question! I think that AFL Goldfields are mindful of not repeating the mistakes made by the Bendigo Bombers when they separated from Essendon. I think that more people in Ballarat will get behind an AFL Goldfields team that is being fed by four different leagues and based out of Mars Stadium. The footy fans of Ballarat will turn up in large numbers to watch and support a competative team that represents their community. That was the problem with North Ballarat, they were still very much regarded as North Ballarat even after 22 years in the VFL competition. It's not unlike the dilema that Port Adelaide have in the AFL. Apart from PA supporters, the other 1.7 million South Australians hate their guts and support the Crows and other SANFL teams.

Bendigo is a good analogy here. The Bendigo Bombers didn't even really have a home ground of their own, a social club or anything which the Roosters always had at their disposal. The Ballarat Council are firmly on the record that Mars Stadium will be handed over to any Ballarat representative VFL Club and that the North Ballarat Sports Club will get their marching orders if its not the Roosters. That said, I wouldn't write off the Roosters yet. They are still quite cashed up, still have their facilities and hold a fighting reserve of a couple of million dollars from which to start rebuilding their VFL team if given the green light.

If the Roosters don't get the nod as the VFL team and are forced to relocate from their existing facilities, then one would imagine that a similar facility to what Lake Wendouree have at the CE Brown Reserve will be built at the Northern Number 2 Oval and that will become North Ballarat's new home. I've even heard local gossip about them already putting the feelers out about building a new facility at Invermay in the event that they are not granted a new lease at Mars.

 

[Roogal]

Realise you are a Roosters supporter Roogal, but do you think a revamped, more sustainable Roosters is better for the VFL than a more representative team from the area? Playing devil's advocate here with no vested interest, but I think the VFL is a better comp with a Ballarat presence, just not sure what is best. The BFL is a very parochial local comp. and I'm not sure there is an appetite for VFL footy up there.

You make some good points and you are right about the parochialism of the BFNL. But the issue isn't that Ballarat people are not supportive of the VFL, the wider Ballarat Football Community are not supportive of North Ballarat Football Club. After all, the Roosters mercilessly flogged and humilated the rest of the BFNL between 1970-1996. There is as much love for them in Ballarat as what there is in South Australia for Port Adelaide. It's that bad.

I believe that Ballarat people will get behind a team formed by AFL Goldfields acting as a VFL feeder team for the best players selected from across the various AFL Goldfields Leagues. Such a team would have Mars Stadium as its base, a magnificent social club and probably four times as many members and supporters as what the North Ballarat Roosters could muster. Interestingly, the Western Bulldogs have provisionally offered to support a Ballarat VFL entity, although even Peter Gordon has admitted that that may be very conditional considering that the Western Bulldogs already have their own VFL team.

 

[Obi fella]

Will anyone actually get around a new team that isn't North Ballarat? It sounds good in theory but so did Bendigo Golds...
I know it's a glass half empty view but the VFL is really just a reserves comp these days, which will makes it hard for any new club without a long history and/or existing fan base.

It's not a reserves comp to the stand alone clubs.

 

[thegreig]

It's not a reserves comp to the stand alone clubs.

Yeah and look what happened to Bendigo Golds when they went back to being a stand alone club. That's my point, I don't see the club being viable unless you have the history and support like Port or Williamstown do with 100+ years of VFA(L) heritage. North Ballarat Roosters may not represent the entire region but they have history and dedicated fans who see the VFL as more than just a reserve competition, the new Ballarat club won't.

 

[Roogal]

Yeah and look what happened to Bendigo Golds when they went back to being a stand alone club. That's my point, I don't see the club being viable unless you have the history and support like Port or Williamstown do with 100+ years of VFA(L) heritage. North Ballarat Roosters may not represent the entire region but they have history and dedicated fans who see the VFL as more than just a reserve competition, the new Ballarat club won't.

We might argue that the AFL has manufactured clubs 'out of nothing' which had no prior 100+ years of AFL (or prior VFL) history too, consider:

• Adelaide Crows
• West Coast Eagles
• Greater Western Sydney Giants
• Gold Coast Suns

 

[Jezza23]

A few rumors that 6 north boys are taking a break and heading over to London to play for the West London Wildcats. Anyone know if this is true?

 

[Roogal]

A few rumors that 6 north boys are taking a break and heading over to London to play for the West London Wildcats. Anyone know if this is true?

Can't verify that, but former Captain Andrew Hooper has signed on with Werribee and a couple have recently gone over to the Sebastopol Burras. The coach Marc Greig has gone over to the 'Rebels'.

 

[thegreig]

We might argue that the AFL has manufactured clubs 'out of nothing' which had no prior 100+ years of AFL (or prior VFL) history too, consider:

• Adelaide Crows
• West Coast Eagles
• Greater Western Sydney Giants
• Gold Coast Suns

True but the difference is that the AFL is the elite competition of the country and those cities represent huge areas in a national competition. I guess there's no knowing until/if it happens

 

[Roogal]

True but the difference is that the AFL is the elite competition of the country and those cities represent huge areas in a national competition. I guess there's no knowing until/if it happens

True, and as I often say on various threads ... time will tell.

In many ways it has been easier for clubs like West Coast, Adelaide, Gold Coast and GWS to gain traction as new clubs as they never had the local baggage, prejudices and antipathy working against them as what established clubs moving up from say the SANFL (like Port Adelaide) and the WAFL (like Fremantle) did when they joined the AFL. It's fair to say that in South Australia that probably only 20% (at most) of the state will get behind the Power in any way because of their history as a former SANFL club. The same might be assumed about Fremantle, whereas the other two teams from those states are perhaps far more palatable for traditional SANFL and WAFL supporters to get behind.

This was always North Ballarat's dilemma with Ballarat when they joined the VFL. Local BFL supporters in 1996 were glad to see them go from the local competition which they had totally dominated since the early 70's. It's fair to say that even as the VFL team, they were still regarded by most in the Ballarat Football community as representing North Ballarat and not Ballarat as a whole. They could never muster any more than about 20% of the local football supporter community behind them in the 22 years that they were in the VFL.

With the recent downfall of the Roosters from the VFL and the breaking up of the team so far; I can only describe the vibe and commentary from BFNL supporters on the BFNL threads in Bigfooty and the commentary in the Ballarat Courier and throughout Facebook as one of "Schadenfreude"; a beautiful German word, which literally translates as 'Damage Joy' or revelling in somebody else’s failure or demise. Yet to counter this, most of these commentators agree that Ballarat should have a team in the VFL that represents the city as a whole. I get the vibe that most would like to see the AFL Goldfields construct a team that represents the elite from the BFNL, Riddell District, Maryborough Castlemaine District, CHFL and Club 18 Leagues. With that, you may well see a team that has considerably stronger support and backing from across the whole community.

Of course, these Football Leagues represent townships including Sunbury, Gisborne, Bacchus Marsh, Melton, Castlemaine, Daylesford, Creswick, Maryborough and of course Ballarat representing a population footprint of 300,000.

 

[Roogal]

From Ballarat Courier 28 May 2018:

North Ballarat 2019 Return to VFL Unlikely

North Ballarat Football Club chairman John Nevett concedes it is unlikely there will be a local presence in the VFL by 2019.

Nevett said there was still a commitment from the club to try reclaim a place in the statewide competition, but revealed much of the board’s recent focus had been on completing the lease and compensation arrangements following City of Ballarat’s compulsory acquisition of the Mars Stadium precinct. “I think we are running out of time,” Nevett said of the prospects of a VFL entity next year.

“I don’t want to discount the ability for something to occur in 2019, but realistically I think that time might have got away from us. Not through anything that we haven’t done or should have done, nothing was ever going to happen until the arrangements in regard to occupation up at Mars Stadium was resolved in terms of the compulsory acquisition.”

Nevett felt those discussions were close to being finalised and when they are, more attention is then expected to be given to the football team. “We would be looking for AFL Victoria to see that we are genuine and the full discussion needs to be had in regards to how you can bring it back and when,” Nevett told The Courier.

Nevett said the board had established a four-person working party to focus on the football team. He said the board would eventually need clarity around what AFL Victoria’s plans are for the future of the VFL competition, with widespread speculation that the AFL will soon bring back its own reserves league. This could rob the VFL of most of its teams.

The North Ballarat Roosters were told in September last year that it had lost a place in the VFL for 2018. This termination of licence came after 22 seasons in the competition and followed long periods of governance problems and poor on-field results. The Roosters won one game and finished last in 2017 and managed three wins for second-last on the ladder in 2016.

These results were in stark contrast to the club’s golden era of three consecutive premierships in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

 

[Roogal]

The North Ballarat Sports Club had been holding back on its business case and future for a VFL team until the issues regarding the Ballarat Council's compulsory acquisition of its sports club and change rooms, and the club's future at Mars Stadium had been settled. The good news is that the matter has finally been put to rest last Friday.

The $5.5 million acquisition of the club's facilities was finally announced as settled with both the club and the Council having agreed on a $440,000 per-year lease of the facilities with the club having priority access to Mars Stadium arena for their games. The Club President stated that now that the air has been cleared, it now paves the way for the Club Board to focus on a new business case centred on guaranteed access to all Mars Stadium facilities for a new VFL team venture that will be administered by the North Ballarat Sports Club but operated under a new name and as a separate entity to the NBFC. They have conceded that a 2019 return is out of the question, but will take their time to re-organise, secure sponsors and present their new plan for a 2020 return to the VFL.

 

[Fizzler]

I think NB should give up on the VFL thing and instead there should be a united Ballarat team.