AFL GOULBURN MURRAY ANNUAL REPORT 2016 / 2017 Presented to members at the Annual General Meeting, 22 March 2018 at AFL Goulburn Murray “To promote, manage and develop Australian Rules football and netball in the Goulburn Murray region through leadership, direction and governance.” AFL GOULBURN MURRAY 2016 / 2017 Commissioners Nicholas Rolfe – Chairman Peter Foott Peter Nelson Andrew Chittick Greg Freer Wayne Limbrick Nick Nagle Staff Region General Manager – Martin Gleeson League Operations League Operations Manager – Grant Wilson League Operations Officer – Ted Lindon Junior Competitions & Events – Bree Boyle League Operations Officers – Sharon O’Dwyer (part time) (commenced March 2017) Tribunal Secretary – Ian Howard Development Football Development Manager – Mark Lambourn Football Development Manager – Greg Liddell Football Development Manager – Trevor Mellington Business Services Administration Officer – Melissa Wells (part time) Commercial & Marketing Officer – Mason Thorn (commenced March 2017, departed July 2017) Commercial & Marketing Officer – Paul Brown (commenced August 2017) Consultant Accountant – Michelle Adams Communications Adviser – Sam Saracino Region Administration Centre Goulburn Valley League – David Roff (Chairman) Kyabram District Football Netball League – Wayne Ryan (President) Northern Country Women’s League – Chris Thomas (Chairman) Shepparton District Junior Football League – Mick Betson (President) Seymour District Junior Football Netball League – Donna Slevin (President) Goulburn Campaspe Junior Football League – David Trewick (President) Goulburn Valley & District Sports Trainers Association – Denis Scott (President) Office Address Office: Kialla Park Community Centre, Reserve Street, Kialla, Victoria, 3630 Postal: PO Box 1253, Shepparton, Victoria, 3630 Phone: (03) 5823 9800 Email: [email protected] www.aflgoulburnmurray.com.au /AFLGoulburnMurray @AFL_GM @AFL_GM AFL Goulburn Murray 2016-2017 Annual Report 2 AFL Goulburn Murray 2016-2017 Annual Report 3 REGION GENERAL MANAGER’S REPORT The 2017 season was once again a productive year with many programs consolidating and building their impact in the local community. League and club relationships continue to evolve with higher service levels and deeper relationships being formed between club volunteers and staff. The 2017 season also brings to an end the Commission’s first Strategic Plan period with a new Strategic Planning process to be put in place at the start of the 2018 season to drive the Commission’s agenda and activities over the next four years. Much has been achieved over these past four years and a more comprehensive Strategic Plan Scorecard will be released when the new planning process commences. Events and projects were big on the agenda over the past 12 months with the Commission hosting Essendon for a Community Camp in Kyabram and Rochester and the delivery of the Free Footy Festival in the Maude Street Mall Shepparton, an event which saw over 5,000 descend on the Mall for heaps of free activities on the AFL Grand Final public holiday in September. In fact, with the KDFNL Grand Final held at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve on Saturday 24 September, the GVL Grand Final played the next day at Deakin Reserve on 25 September and the Free Footy Festival on Friday 29 September the Region Administration Centre delivered three 5,000+ people events in six days in the Greater Shepparton area – a significant undertaking! A major Commission project finally came to fruition with the opening of the new Region Administration Centre at Kialla Park Community Centre in July. The new office is a great acquisition for staff and the broader football netball community and the Commission would like to thank Greater Shepparton City Council CEO Peter Harriott and his team for their support in bringing the project to reality. Another significant Commission undertaking for 2017 was the commencement of the Northern Country Women’s League which was fantastically supported by MBCM Shepparton and the Australian Sports Foundation to initially get the competition off the ground. The feedback from participants was outstanding and there is now a genuine participation opportunity for women in the Goulburn Murray to play our great game. The Junior Football Future Directions Project is a massive project which ran alongside the full length of the season. There have been some fantastic and enlightening discussions throughout the course of the review and the 27 draft recommendations bear testament to the effort and work that members of the football community have put in. There is still significant work and consultation to do in this study and 2018 will see the final recommendations ratified for future implementation. From a staffing perspective we welcomed Ted Lindon to the full time role of League Operations Officer for the KDFNL after filling a short term contract in 2016. Mason Thorn joined us in a Commercial & Marketing role before his departure in July provided an opportunity for Paul Brown to join the team. Sharon O’Dwyer commenced in a part time role to manage the NCWL and did a great job in ensuring the competition got off to such a promising start. With Ted departing at the end of the season to pursue opportunities in Melbourne, Sharon joined the team in a full time capacity as the League Operations Officer for the KDFNL and the NCWL. It is also important to acknowledge the tireless and committed work that AFL Goulburn Murray staff put in to service our League partners. Our staff have a great passion for their work, for community football and netball and also share the ability to pull together as a team to get work done. AFL Goulburn Murray 2016-2017 Annual Report 4 This is no more evident than during a chaotic end of season period where five finals series were delivered concurrently and during the three and a half months that staff endured the portable office demountables at Kialla Park whilst the office redevelopment was taking place. I would also like to thank and acknowledge the work that the seven Commissioners do behind the scenes. Their strategic thinking, direction, counsel and openness to discussion is of great support to me personally and is always focused on the achieving the greater good for the game. Specifically, I would like to acknowledge Wayne Limbrick who is stepping down from the Commission. Wayne has been an integral part of the Commission since its inception and is always available to provide guidance and support on key issues. His passion for the game is immeasurable and he should be proud of his contribution to the governance of the game over the past five years. I would also like to acknowledge the Executives of each of the Region Administration Centre partner leagues. Specifically GVL Chairman David Roff, KDFNL President Wayne Ryan, NCWL Chairman Chris Thomas, Shepparton DJFL President Mick Betson, Seymour DJFNL President Donna Slevin, Goulburn Campaspe JFL President David Trewick and GV&DSTA President Denis Scott. Their collaborative approach to working with staff and clubs is first rate and provides great leadership for their community. Community football and netball doesn’t exists without its sponsors and to that end thank you to our major partners Seymour Toyota, Tatura Milk, Australian Sports Foundation, MBCM Shepparton, Loco Sportswear, Fun City and Bendigo Health Carer Support Services who have all helped us to deliver on a range of club and participation focused initiatives in the last 12 months. Finally, it is the volunteers at club land which keep our game alive and I would like to acknowledge and recognise their enormous contribution to community football and netball. I’m sure 2018 will once again be an exciting season and I am looking forward to continuing to be a part of the growth of our great game. Martin Gleeson Region General Manager AFL Goulburn Murray 2016-2017 Annual Report 5 REGION ADMINISTRATION CENTRE AFL Goulburn Murray 2016-2017 Annual Report Goulburn Valley League (GVL) In a history making night the Goulburn Valley Football League and Goulburn Valley Netball League delegates voted to join forces under the one governance model on 15 February 2017. The new entity accepted all current member clubs, Life Members and the history of both the football and netball competitions into a revamped and unified structure and brand. To assist the integration process the Board expanded to nine members with Jacqui Thomson, Sandra Witham and Jacqui Hudgson elected to join current members David Roff (Chairman), Mick Williams, Phillip Friedlieb, Freddo McMahon, Quentin Thomson and Rhonda Kortum to form the new GVL Board. The sale of the Dunkirk Avenue in April 2016 led to the establishment of club facility development program with an intent to invest $120,000 across the League’s 12 clubs in facility funding for the benefit of club members. As at the end of the season seven clubs had benefited from this program with $70,000 being invested for a combined return of $417,000 of capital improvements across the League. This is a unique and innovative program by the Board to invest substantially in club facilities. Due to recent sponsorship and revenue growth the League also invested in 2017 in providing the Sports Chaplaincy Australia program and Blue Q (now Everproof) programs to assist clubs with welfare services and managing their child protection accreditations respectively. The Match Review Panel (MRP) was introduced in 2016 with great success in reducing the number of Tribunal hearings thus decreasing volunteer workload and associated costs. The MRP was developed on the back of each senior game now being filmed and being made available to each club for their own coaching and review purposes. With the amalgamation of football and netball under the one banner the League’s Strategic Plan was reviewed to keep pace with developments and, in an exciting initiative, the new GVL Hall of Fame interactive display will be a feature of the new AFL Goulburn Murray office in 2018. The League endured a narrow loss to arch rival Ovens & Murray FNL in the AFL Victoria Community Championships and has now lost the last two games for a total of 11 points in this cutthroat competition.