Ballarat league says ‘yes’ again to Gisborne

BALLARAT Football Netball League board chairman Rob Simmonds is optimistic Bendigo league club Gisborne will see its wish to switch leagues finally granted in the months ahead.

The Ballarat league has again voted to accept Gisborne into the competition, with the board and clubs approving the motion with 79 per cent backing last week.

While support for the motion was down from 90 per cent compared with last year’s vote, it has nevertheless paved the way for the Bulldogs to forge on with their bid to exit the Bendigo league.

Their move was ultimately blocked last season by the Bendigo league, whose position was backed by AFL Victoria following an appeal to the governing body.

But it remains unclear how the Bendigo league will lean this time around, with its board having undergone significant changes in personnel since last time.

Five new board members were appointed in January this year, with one of them, Brett Fitzpatrick, eventually elected as the chair.

Having made no secret of its desire to lure Gisborne to the Ballarat league, Simmonds said the board, which has undergone significant changes of its own in personnel in recent weeks due to a spate of resignations, was thrilled with the outcome of the vote.

“It only had to be a two-thirds majority, so we had a bit more wiggle room. Even if another club didn’t want to go with Gisborne, we would have been safe,” he said.

“Obviously I am definitely pleased for our league, but I am really pleased for Gisborne.

“They have to, for the survival of their club, make the move. They have been a great and strong club for over a century, and clearly, they are battling with Bendigo being so far away and the travel factor is killing them.

“If this helps them survive as a club for however the next many years, it’s a great result for them.”

A move to the Ballarat league will create instant local derbies with Sunbury, Melton, Darley and Bacchus Marsh, all within 15 to 30 minutes away.

The Bulldogs have not enjoyed a similar rivalry since Kyneton’s departure from the Bendigo league at the end of the 2023 season.

Their annual practice match against Sunbury, alternated yearly between Clarke Reserve and the Bulldogs’ home at Gardiner Reserve, is regularly their biggest home crowd of the season.

Simmonds praised the synergy that had developed during discussions between the BFNL and the Gisborne Football Netball Club.

 

“When we met their committee last year and were going through the process, we respected them – a genuine committee with high integrity,” he said.

“And I think they really respected our board in being so diverse.

“They liked the fact that we weren’t just focused on senior men’s footy and were very holistic about our league.”

The vote of approval comes two months after Gisborne members emphatically endorsed the move in a club vote and at a time when the Bulldogs are sitting atop the senior league ladder following a 54-point win over early season pacesetter South Bendigo.

Gisborne’s A-grade netball team sits third on the ladder, with all five teams, including A-reserve, B-grade, B-reserve and 17-and-under occupying spots in the top five.

For the Bendigo league, a decision on Gisborne’s future comes at the same time as it must weigh up whether to accept a pair of newcomers of its own to the competition, with both Maiden Gully YCW and Marong pursuing entry into the BFNL from the Loddon Valley league.

Located in a massive growth corridor of Bendigo, Marong has won the past four senior LVFNL premierships, along with three reserves and two under-18s flags.

While Maiden Gully YCW has struggled for football success in recent times, it too is located in a major growth corridor and is perceived as financially secure.

Their separate bids to switch leagues were strongly endorsed by way of club member votes.

Meanwhile, following the departure of several members of the Ballarat league board in the last few weeks, six casual appointments were made last week, ahead of the Gisborne vote.

Joining the board are former league chairman Adrian Bettio, Kirsty McLean, Matt Curran, Shane Richardson, Mark Shelly and Peter Shanahan. McLean and Shanahan are also former board members.