Bendigo FL discussion 2025

[ROOTA#6]

Yet here we are with Kyneton departed, Maryborough gone, Castlemaine potentially going down swinging. Surely you can see a trend here? If you can’t see bias you need to open your eyes wider, albeit that’s likely difficult given your club allegiance.
You’re right that the points system was created by the administration…. yet the seasonal points allocation is in their control, and it’s impossible to argue they haven’t used that as a support lever - through nothing but fear of backlash from certain clubs if it was to make life even a tiny bit tougher for them.

I have no affiliation to any club these days. I did have the privilege of being involved at a club in Bendigo and saw just how hard people worked and the professionalism shown to try to put the club in the best possible position to succeed.

I come from a club in the mallee that faces great challenges every season to operate. The club went winless for 2 straight seasons and almost folded or merged a couple of times. Not once did anyone at that club whinge or sook about league admin…they just worked hard, innovated and found different ways of doing things to hopefully continue to survive and compete.

 

[localfootyguru]

I have no affiliation to any club these days. I did have the privilege of being involved at a club in Bendigo and saw just how hard people worked and the professionalism shown to try to put the club in the best possible position to succeed.

I come from a club in the mallee that faces great challenges every season to operate. The club went winless for 2 straight seasons and almost folded or merged a couple of times. Not once did anyone at that club whinge or sook about league admin…they just worked hard, innovated and found different ways of doing things to hopefully continue to survive and compete.

Roota, I see your point although in my experience, administrators have done nothing to support non Bendigo based clubs and strategically look at football in the region. They have known there were problems for many years with clubs struggling to survive and poaching players from fellow clubs using various incentives in order to keep their club going. This along with a points and salary cap system that has more holes in them than swiss cheese was supposed to correct all the issues - what absolute rubbish. Both AFL Victoria and previous members of the AFL Central Victoria board and the BFNL were told numerous times of the issues my club and other clubs both in the BFNL and other leagues faced and nothing was ever done to support us. The agendas from so called ‘influential’ clubs were seen as far more important than the survival of clubs like mine (Maryborough FNC). The best example in recent times of where the BFNL is at and being out of touch was the admission of Broadford FNC, a topic that has been done to death here.

Whilst I agree as a club we need to evolve, work hard and try a range of initiatives/ practices to stay afloat, those in charge play a key role in the future of the game in the region. Unfortunately on many occasions despite our approaches, we received ‘radio silence’. My club has unfortunately and sadly gone into recess and perhaps when a few more occur (which is likely), someone may wake up and think there is a problem we need to address. At this time I feel those in charge just shrug their shoulders, put out some corporate speak statement and quickly move on. There seems to be little to no accountability for those in charge and we at club land often pay the price.

All very frustrating and sad from my perspective.

 

[JP Ollards]

I'd love to know when was the last time an afl club went to maryborough and ran some clinics. There seems very little connection from the problems in afl victoria and the afl.

We have 10 afl clubs in Victoria, they all hold community camps, I'm yet to see one in corowa, maryborough, etc where there are problems with footy. They don't seem to care.

Even a club like kangaroo flat needs help, even sit down with the club and help them with a 5 year plan and ways of getting there. Junior numbers outside of under 12s are dwindling, we have powerful clubs monopolising junior systems, state wide.

You can't just say get a good coach and problem solved. Look at maryborough, Andrews, Brennan, Abraham, Lavers all good coaches, zero impact.

I really think in 10 years time footy outside the afl will be stuffed and I think that's their plan. As more people will go and watch the afl.

 

[beesknees22]

I'd love to know when was the last time an afl club went to maryborough and ran some clinics. There seems very little connection from the problems in afl victoria and the afl.

We have 10 afl clubs in Victoria, they all hold community camps, I'm yet to see one in corowa, maryborough, etc where there are problems with footy. They don't seem to care.

Even a club like kangaroo flat needs help, even sit down with the club and help them with a 5 year plan and ways of getting there. Junior numbers outside of under 12s are dwindling, we have powerful clubs monopolising junior systems, state wide.

You can't just say get a good coach and problem solved. Look at maryborough, Andrews, Brennan, Abraham, Lavers all good coaches, zero impact.

I really think in 10 years time footy outside the afl will be stuffed and I think that's their plan. As more people will go and watch the afl.

Why would AFL Vic go to Corowa?

 

[ringo1]

Roota I do see your point although in my experience, administrators have done nothing to support non Bendigo based clubs and look at football in the region for a long time. They have known there were problems for many years with clubs struggling to survive and poaching players from fellow clubs in order to keep their club going. This along with a points and salary cap system that has more holes in them than Swiss cheese was supposed to correct all the issues - what absolute rubbish. Both AFL Victoria and previous members of the AFL Central Victoria board and the BFNL were told numerous times of the issues my club and other clubs both in the BFNL and other leagues faced and nothing was ever done to support us. The agendas from more so called ‘influential’ clubs were seen as far more important than the survival of clubs like mine (Maryborough FNC). The best example in recent times of where the BFNL is at and being out of touch was the admission of Broadford FNC, a topic that has been done to death here.

Whilst I agree as a club we need to evolve, work hard and try a range of initiatives/ practices to stay afloat, those in charge play a key role in the future of the game in the region. Unfortunately on many occasions despite our approaches, we received ‘radio silence’. My club has unfortunately and sadly gone into recess and perhaps when a few more occur (which is highly likely), someone may wake up and think there is a problem that we need to address. At this time I feel those in charge shrug their shoulders, put out some corporate speak statement and move on. There seems to be little to no accountability for those in charge and we at club land often pay the price.

All very frustrating and sad from my perspective.

Roota, I see your point although in my experience, administrators have done nothing to support non Bendigo based clubs and strategically look at football in the region. They have known there were problems for many years with clubs struggling to survive and poaching players from fellow clubs using various incentives in order to keep their club going. This along with a points and salary cap system that has more holes in them than swiss cheese was supposed to correct all the issues - what absolute rubbish. Both AFL Victoria and previous members of the AFL Central Victoria board and the BFNL were told numerous times of the issues my club and other clubs both in the BFNL and other leagues faced and nothing was ever done to support us. The agendas from so called ‘influential’ clubs were seen as far more important than the survival of clubs like mine (Maryborough FNC). The best example in recent times of where the BFNL is at and being out of touch was the admission of Broadford FNC, a topic that has been done to death here.

Whilst I agree as a club we need to evolve, work hard and try a range of initiatives/ practices to stay afloat, those in charge play a key role in the future of the game in the region. Unfortunately on many occasions despite our approaches, we received ‘radio silence’. My club has unfortunately and sadly gone into recess and perhaps when a few more occur (which is likely), someone may wake up and think there is a problem we need to address. At this time I feel those in charge just shrug their shoulders, put out some corporate speak statement and quickly move on. There seems to be little to no accountability for those in charge and we at club land often pay the price.

All very frustrating and sad from my perspective.

Question: When are we going to get some of the past greats into admin positions? Males or females who have played the game and been in the trenches at Club Land? Time to up the pay scale and get 'Football' people involved.

 

[Truck]

Why would AFL Vic go to Corowa?

He asked why AFL clubs aren’t holding their community camps in communities that local afl clubs are struggling. Eg Corowa and Maryborough.

Get the hawks or tigers into Maryborough for a week and hold clinics with all the schools to get kids excited about footy.

 

[MortlockWatcher]

I agree that it would be nice to see community camps in areas where football is experiencing a downturn. Unfortunately, the closest that some clubs get to receiving assistance from higher up while in a dire state is a gig in Fox Footy's Carlton Draft.

I know that some clubs like Campbell's Creek are not going to get much more than a financial sugar hit and 15 minutes of publicity out the Carlton Draft, but for clubs like Longwood it has helped play a role in turning their situation around as they jumped a few spots up the ladder a year or two after Cam Mooney went there and their future is a lot brighter.

 

[localfootyguru]

I'd love to know when was the last time an afl club went to maryborough and ran some clinics. There seems very little connection from the problems in afl victoria and the afl.

We have 10 afl clubs in Victoria, they all hold community camps, I'm yet to see one in corowa, maryborough, etc where there are problems with footy. They don't seem to care.

Even a club like kangaroo flat needs help, even sit down with the club and help them with a 5 year plan and ways of getting there. Junior numbers outside of under 12s are dwindling, we have powerful clubs monopolising junior systems, state wide.

You can't just say get a good coach and problem solved. Look at maryborough, Andrews, Brennan, Abraham, Lavers all good coaches, zero impact.

I really think in 10 years time footy outside the afl will be stuffed and I think that's their plan. As more people will go and watch the afl.

I couldn’t answer that question about when an AFL club came to Maryborough. We as a town don’t exist in the football landscape. AFL community camps are just a box ticking exercise generally and they go to the bigger centres and miss smaller football mad communities.

Another good example of this and the lack of understanding of regional areas is the playing of an AFL practice game at North Ballarat, a venue that already hosts AFL fixtures. Why can’t this be played at say Ararat who have a fantastic venue or even here in Maryborough. That’s right, our grounds apparently don’t meet AFL standards - what rubbish.

As for coaches here at Maryborough we have had some good ones, one of the issues is none of the guys you listed lived in town and travelled. Lavars was a terrific coach but moved back to Geelong and the others came from Ballarat. Coby Perry was outstanding as a coach and with an improved list of players would have done very well. We were keen for him to continue as his work with our young players was exemplary.

The AFL are just happy to see players drafted and have completely disconnected from country footy. This is even seen by the allowing of private schools to poach country players to move to Melbourne and be drafted from their programs along with a metropolitan Under 18 club who receive all the plaudits. Minimal recognition of the home club of the player and what they did for them to get there.

I could go on and on but what has happened at my club is a good example of the ineptness of many trying to support country football of which there really isn’t too much being done that can leave positive legacies for the future.

 

[harsh. but fair]

At an absolute minimum if the BFNL doesn’t announce changes to its finals format and start playing games away from QEO in the first couple of weeks they have not learnt a thing from the last two years. It could be revealed at the agm as a positive reset that it’s not all about the Bendigo based clubs. As a matter of interest what dividend if any do clubs get at end of year taking into account a big whack of revenue comes from finals?

 

[Forest St End]

As a matter of interest what dividend if any do clubs get at end of year taking into account a big whack of revenue comes from finals?

As far as I’m aware dividends died out after the hub came in. They took over running finals and tendered operations rather than clubs being rostered on.

 

[AlburyE]

At an absolute minimum if the BFNL doesn’t announce changes to its finals format and start playing games away from QEO in the first couple of weeks they have not learnt a thing from the last two years. It could be revealed at the agm as a positive reset that it’s not all about the Bendigo based clubs. As a matter of interest what dividend if any do clubs get at end of year taking into account a big whack of revenue comes from finals?

Would you play at neutral venues or the home ground of the team which finished higher on the level?

 

[Forest St End]

Roota, I see your point although in my experience, administrators have done nothing to support non Bendigo based clubs and strategically look at football in the region. They have known there were problems for many years with clubs struggling to survive and poaching players from fellow clubs using various incentives in order to keep their club going. This along with a points and salary cap system that has more holes in them than swiss cheese was supposed to correct all the issues - what absolute rubbish. Both AFL Victoria and previous members of the AFL Central Victoria board and the BFNL were told numerous times of the issues my club and other clubs both in the BFNL and other leagues faced and nothing was ever done to support us. The agendas from so called ‘influential’ clubs were seen as far more important than the survival of clubs like mine (Maryborough FNC). The best example in recent times of where the BFNL is at and being out of touch was the admission of Broadford FNC, a topic that has been done to death here.

Whilst I agree as a club we need to evolve, work hard and try a range of initiatives/ practices to stay afloat, those in charge play a key role in the future of the game in the region. Unfortunately on many occasions despite our approaches, we received ‘radio silence’. My club has unfortunately and sadly gone into recess and perhaps when a few more occur (which is likely), someone may wake up and think there is a problem we need to address. At this time I feel those in charge just shrug their shoulders, put out some corporate speak statement and quickly move on. There seems to be little to no accountability for those in charge and we at club land often pay the price.

All very frustrating and sad from my perspective.

I’m so glad you post here lfg, it’s such a good take on the issues.

You can interchange Maryborough/Kyneton/Castlemaine into these posts because the issues and experiences are all the same.

This rubbish about whinging clubs needing to life themselves belongs with wanting the VFL back or demanding AFL players man up and kick long.

It is an indisputable fact that I think we all agree on, that the AFL and by extension the hub has failed in its custodianship of the game. They have failed to address the challenges facing clubs, failed to produce an equalisation policy that is effective and in fact have made things more uneven, and take the cowardly approach of letting clubs determine the structure of the game in the country.

Whatever else we disagree on, I don’t think there’s anyone that is claiming the hubs have been good for the game or that they have made any positive contribution at all.

Where we cross wires is some people assert clubs speaking out about that are somehow absolving themselves of any responsibility for their own performance.

That is just not the case. Have the three clubs made good and bad decisions over the last 25 years? Of course they have. Have they had good and bad operators in various positions over those years? Of course they have. Personally I’d suggest they are no more or less well run than any other club but that’s a matter of opinion.

What isn’t a matter of opinion though is there are things that those clubs simply cannot control.

They can’t determine the population of their community and how many people of each age group live there. They can’t dictate the financial markets and control the trend towards globalisation and franchise business or the size of business in their community. They can’t control the education system and determine which types of schools operate in their area.

There are many of these high level complex demographical factors that impact the prospects of clubs and it takes an organisation like the AFL to have the resources to analyse and adapt to them, but they have failed to do so.

That’s why good clubs are pissed off and complaining and why they will continue to do so. And rightly so.

 

[harsh. but fair]

Would you play at neutral venues or the home ground of the team which finished higher on the level?

Take your pick. Time for change to at least prove the board has sympathetic and or understanding ear

 

[AlburyE]

Take your pick. Time for change to at least prove the board has sympathetic and or understanding ear

What do you prefer?

 

[ROOTA#6]

What do you prefer?

Play em all at Maryborough

 

[harsh. but fair]

What do you prefer?

In the pursuit of fairness, I will go neutral venue. Also frees up volunteers of host club to make a good earn from canteen, bar, whatever fundraiser idea they want to have crack at without distraction of putting a team on park. But at end of day it’s about acknowledging the comp is way bigger than the QEO. It would also send a message to Moama and others who might be looking at joining that things are a changing and the Bendigo-centric goggles might be worn out.

 

[harsh. but fair]

Play em all at Maryborough

Sentiment is right, but in reality not practical. The prospect of a second semi or more realistic qualifying final, both played on a Saturday, would be a great story to sell.
Why the BFNL didn’t jump on the public holiday Friday grand final beggars belief.
Maybe hub employees already got their afl gf tickets sorted for next day and had plans for Young & Jackson’s sesh on the day before already locked & loaded.
Watch the Hampden league get a record crowd this year.

 

[Forest St End]

In the pursuit of fairness, I will go neutral venue. Also frees up volunteers of host club to make a good earn from canteen, bar, whatever fundraiser idea they want to have crack at without distraction of putting a team on park. But at end of day it’s about acknowledging the comp is way bigger than the QEO. It would also send a message to Moama and others who might be looking at joining that things are a changing and the Bendigo-centric goggles might be worn out.

If I’m right about the dividends (lfg might be able to comment on that) then AFL CV can’t afford to lose the money because they have to pay staff.

If that’s the case it’s hard to see why a club would want to host the finals at a neutral venue. And you couldn’t tender out the games without knowing where they were being played.

I can’t see how it can work, what happens in other leagues?

 

[harsh. but fair]

If I’m right about the dividends (lfg might be able to comment on that) then AFL CV can’t afford to lose the money because they have to pay staff.

If that’s the case it’s hard to see why a club would want to host the finals at a neutral venue. And you couldn’t tender out the games without knowing where they were being played.

I can’t see how it can work, what happens in other leagues?

Got a better idea. Get out of hub arrangements asap or go the way of GV League.
Employ your own person/s, whose sole purpose is the BFNL and its member clubs and not raising money to pay a third party to run the show like they do in some of best run comps in state.
Can also be a bit more vocal towards city hall without the obvious conflict. Even afl vic knows it’s a flawed model and the majority of major leagues have gone to independent management arrangements.
Go and spend few days with these comps and pick their brains.
It’s hardly rocket science.
But clubs need to be pushing change and can’t see any evidence of this so you’re stuck with more of same

 

[MortlockWatcher]

If I’m right about the dividends (lfg might be able to comment on that) then AFL CV can’t afford to lose the money because they have to pay staff.

If that’s the case it’s hard to see why a club would want to host the finals at a neutral venue. And you couldn’t tender out the games without knowing where they were being played.

I can’t see how it can work, what happens in other leagues?

Most metro comps are neutral venues announced in July. Their advantage is that the can chose a Division 1 venue to host Division 3 finals.

A number of WA leagues go home venue for lead-up finals with a set venue for GF, either as a set venue or on rotation.

Maybe it could be an option to choose home venues (higher placed team) for the first two weeks of the finals and then QEO for the prelim and grand finals. If a team from outside of Bendigo finishes higher, then they deserve the benefit of a home final in the first two weeks.

The only issue I see is that now that the league tenders out (i.e. clubs pay for the right) for catering, etc. for all finals at QEO, then the BFNL won't want to surrender any of that revenue stream, even for the pursuit of fairness and equity.

 

[JP Ollards]

The grand final has to be at the qeo, it's the best venue to play footy in Bendigo, but play finals in Eaglehawk, maryborough, gisborne etc and make sure the ground at the qeo is cherry ripe

 

[Coach_Beard]

Question: When are we going to get some of the past greats into admin positions? Males or females who have played the game and been in the trenches at Club Land? Time to up the pay scale and get 'Football' people involved.

pay peenuts and get what you pay for.
look at the aflw the nab league and even some vfl vflw clubs and who is involved ahead of who could or should be.
adminstration jobs and afl vic roles seems to mirror the same model.
castlemaine coach obviously better off finanically to not be full time at a afl club and its no secret that the better metro coaches are around or upwards of $40,000 to $50,000 tax free.
not bad if you can get it on top of full time jobs

 

[Coach_Beard]

Got a better idea. Get out of hub arrangements asap or go the way of GV League.
Employ your own person/s, whose sole purpose is the BFNL and its member clubs and not raising money to pay a third party to run the show like they do in some of best run comps in state.
Go and spend few days with these comps and pick their brains.
It’s hardly rocket science

had no idea until recently the rdfl went from losing their own once run run league, got placed in a ballarat based hub but are now self managed on behalf of the fee paying clubs again.
perhaps talk to a few down there as that comp seems to be going ok off the field as well as on.