VFL life membership for the man who blew the whistle on the Footscray-Fitzroy merger

TWENTY-FIVE years ago Dennis Galimberti blew the whistle on the Footscray-Fitzroy merger. This week he was honoured with life membership of the VFL.

Dennis Galimberti who resigned as Footscray's chief executive. p/. 4Sept96. /football

TO proponents of the Footscray-Fitzroy merger 25 years ago, he was Dennis the Menace.

Dennis Galimberti was chief executive of the Bulldogs when he learned from a director at the best and fairest that the club was poised to amalgamate with the Lions, becoming known as Fitzroy Bulldogs and playing out of Princes Park.

The date is branded in his mind: Monday, October 2, 1989.

Galimberti was horrified at what was being proposed. There had been no consultation with members, let alone the man in charge of the club’s day-to-day operations.

And the next day’s edition.

The Sun front page from October 3, 1989.

“I couldn’t get the word out quickly enough,’’ he was saying this morning.

Galimberti phoned radio station 3AW, resigning on air. And he called the sports desk of the Sun, alerting reporter Michael Stevens to what were apparently advanced arrangements.

His broad outline of them formed the basis of a Page 1 article the next day, written by Stevens and Tony De Bolfo and headlined, “VFL clubs to merge: Bulldogs and Lions Linked in Footy Shock’’.

“The deal has been done for two weeks, and will be announced tomorrow,’’ the newspaper quoted Galimberti.

“The Footscray board is meeting the VFL Commission tomorrow and Footscray’s licence to participate in the AFL will be terminated.”

Led by lawyer Peter Gordon and stalwart supporter Irene Chatfield, there was an immediate uprising from the Footscray faithful and after legal skirmishes and a rattling of tins the merger was eventually scuttled.

Galimberti remembers it as a turbulent time. Friendships were fractured and enemies made (he has not spoken to his then-president, Nick Columb, for 25 years).

But he’s proud he “pre-announced’’ the deal, believing it would have gone through without his intervention.

“The club could have been lost at that point if I hadn’t blown the whistle,’’ he said.

“The VFL, as it was then known, had everything in place when I found out about it, even down to transferring the player contracts to Fitzroy. If I hadn’t gone public with it on October 2, 1989, I reckon the club wouldn’t be in existence today.’’

While Galimberti is most remembered for dragging attention to the merger, his involvement in football encompasses five decades.

That was recognised at the JJ Liston Trophy presentation on Monday night when he received life membership of the VFL. He became a life member of Footscray in 2000 and of Sandringham in 2008.

“It’s fantastic. I know everyone says this, but I never thought I was in line for it,’’ Galimberti said of his VFL gong.

“It was good of Sandringham to nominate me. It’s a real honour. When I look through the list of other VFL life members, I’m humbled to be in their company.’’

Galimberti played for Box Hill Under 19s and was on the VFL reserve grade umpiring list in 1979. It sounds impressive, but he calls himself a “failed’’ player and reached only suburban level as an umpire. His chief memory of his umpiring days is of encountering a slight but tough kid from Oakleigh Districts. He had an unusual name and uncommon ability. It was David Rhys-Jones.

Let go after one year as a whistlie, Galimberti decided to channel his passion for the game in administration.

A chance came in 1981, when he glimpsed an advertisement from Hawthorn calling for a team manager and runner for its Under 19 team.

He applied to be runner, but coach Bob Keddie thought him too qualified and gave him the manager’s role.

“The club could have been lost at that point if I hadn’t blown the whistle.’’— former Footscray CEO Dennis Galimberti

Galimberti followed Keddie to Sandringham, accepting the honorary secretary’s position. He didn’t know what he was in for — he was responsible for everything from recruiting, marketing and player liaison. Then a lawyer, his desk at Maurice Blackburn effectively became Sandy’s front office.

Under his stewardship, Sandringham won the 1985 premiership, its first since 1962. The grand final against Williamstown is notable for the Seagulls selecting 14-year-old Ron James. Later, Galimberti got to know James at Footscray, and was heartbroken when he was killed in a water skiing accident on New Year’s Day in 1990.

Footscray had appointed Galimberti chief executive in 1987 and he stayed until 1996, the most tumultuous period in its history. It staved off the merger, but financial difficulties continued to tail it.

Recharging batteries running low after a decade at the top level, Galimberti took a break after finishing with the Bulldogs.

But he returned to Sandringham as a board member in 1999. At the invitation of president Gary Gilchrist, he wrote a 40-page paper assessing the club’s future in the revamped VFL, recommending an alignment with Melbourne. The alliance produced four premierships.

At the end of 2016, Sandringham will break ties with St Kilda and operate as a stand-alone club.

It won’t be easy. “But at least we’ll be in control of our own destiny and won’t have to rely on an AFL partner,’’ Galimberti said.

It goes without saying he’ll be kicking in for the Zebras.