How Ballarat Football League is shaping up ahead of 2021 season
East Point is looking to make it a premiership hat-trick in 2021. So which clubs are ready to challenge the Kangaroos’ Ballarat Football League supremacy?
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It’s a new era for the Ballarat Football League.
Not only is the competition stepping into the great post-COVID unknown, it is doing it on its own two feet after dumping regional administrators AFL Goldfields.
The move will reduce costs for the BFL’s 11 clubs and will see the league introduce a new standalone women’s competition in 2021.
Lessons have been learnt from 2020 as contingency plans continue to be discussed and put in place in case of future outbreaks and how the league and clubs can survive financially.
Ballarat Football League chairman Adrian Bettio sat down with Ben Higgins to discuss some of the big issues facing the competition.
ONE VOICE
The Ballarat Football League will govern itself this season after splitting with regional administrator AFL Goldfields.
It’s hoped the move will strengthen the league’s governance and at the same time reduce financial pressures on clubs.
Adrian Bettio was elected BFL chairman in 2019 and oversaw the move away from a centralised model.
He said it was important everyone in the league was on the same page.
“We were in a situation where our administration staff were finding it difficult trying to answer too many masters and weren’t quite sure were the direction was coming from,” Bettio said.
“As a board we liked to think we were in charge but operational staff were receiving mixed messages from the board and Goldfields.
“Now that we’re operating autonomously there’s no question where the direction is coming from, everybody’s clear and on the same page.
“From a financial point of view we haven’t got that burden of a service contract, it was becoming onerous.
“Over the last five years it was climbing to a point where it was no longer manageable and the only way to manage it was pass on costs, so we’ve slashed costs and clubs have benefited from that.”
General manager Shane Anwyl had previously been employed by AFL Goldfields but will now work directly for the BFL.
The Ballarat League wasn’t the only competition to severe ties with AFL Goldfields, the Riddell District Football League also decided to go it alone leaving the Maryborough-Castlemaine, Central Highlands and AFL Goldfields Women’s leagues remaining under the centralised banner.
FINANCIAL STABILITY
Like all football leagues and clubs, 2020 was tough for the Ballarat Football League.
A loss of $215,000.00 for the financial year was reported at the league’s recent AGM with the pandemic seeing income fall by as much as 90 per cent.
However, the BFL has been able to protect clubs from the financial shock without passing on majors costs.
Positively, Bettio says sponsorship revenue for the 2021 season has already surpassed expectations and the league’s outlook is very healthy.
“We weren’t accepting payments from sponsors, which was the only fair thing to do, and we relied on our cash in the bank,” he said.
“One of our majors sponsors is Bendigo Bank and they’ve provided us with $100,000 if we need it as an overdraft.
“Financially, we’re OK, we’ll get through this season no problem.
“We’ve budgeted for a certain amount of sponsorship and we’ve exceeded that already, well exceeded it.
“We asked all our clubs to submit their financial statements so we’re aware of where they stand financially.
“The understanding we have at the moment is clubs are surviving quite well, there are a couple of clubs going through a bit of hardship and we’ll continue to work with them.”
Reduced affiliation fees following the move away from administrator AFL Goldfields will further improve club finances in 2021.
SEASON 2021
Bettio admits there is still an air of nervousness as the 2021 season gets closer.
COVID-19 continues to impact communities across Australia and Victoria is currently in a third lockdown period after the contagious UK variant escaped hotel quarantine.
A second cancelled season is a possibility, hopefully remote, but short precautionary lockdowns could still impact this year’s football season.
The BFL is working through contingency plans with clubs in the hope of being prepared if the worst occurs.
“There’s a little bit of nervousness still, I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t the case, nervousness about what might happen in two or six months time,” Bettio said.
“I think we’re well enough equipped that everyone is prepared if there’s a disruption at some point and we’ll deal with it as best we can.
“We’re actually in the process of discussion contingency plans at the moment. We haven’t dotted the Is yet but that’s a conversation that’s going on right now.”
However, there is a growing positivity in the community with clubs returning to pre-season training before Christmas and practices matches only a matter of weeks away.
It’s a critical time for the league to bounce back as strongly as possible.
“I think the best thing is the positive message, isn’t it,” Bettio said.
“Perception is very important, even from the league’s point of view, you’re trying to attract players and sponsors.”
SALARY CAP
The Ballarat Football League announced a salary cap of $100,000 in August last year.
It is a reduction on the $140,000 clubs were limited to in 2020 but importantly brings the BFL up onto level terms with regional metropolitan rivals such as the Essendon District and Western Region leagues.
Eastern clubs such as Sunbury, Melton, Melton South, Bacchus Marsh and Darley are now more competitive in the recruiting market.
Bettio was confident the league had found a strong middle ground.
“I think it’s been met favourably, there were one or two clubs that would have liked to see it reduced further but, mind you, there were one or two that wanted to see it go up a tad as well,” he said.
“It equalises the competition right across, I think it’s been a good thing.
“In retrospect, clubs might have had an issue with it at first because it was a significant change but I think now they’re all on board.”
Player points are also a critical tool in equalisation.
All BFL clubs will be limited to 43 points per game in 2021 except Melton South which will have a 47-point cap and Sebastopol which has 45 to play with.
Players who played with a club in 2019, did not transfer ahead of the 2020 season, and remain with the same club in 2021 are eligible for a one-point reduction.
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
Another benefit of moving away from the AFL Goldfields model is an improved focus on women’s football in Ballarat.
The BFLW will kick off in 2021 with open age, youth and junior competitions.
Clubs are still able to enter teams but Bettio believes seven or eight teams will compete in the inaugural senior competition this season.
“One thing we’re really excited about is embarking on a rebranding of women’s football, the BFLW, that was previously run through AFL Goldfields,” he said.
“It never really had its own identity, so moving forward it will have its own identity and we’ve had a lot of excitement from clubs, including clubs which were previously outside our league.
“It will certainly give it a lot of strength and with the resources we’re putting into it we’re quite confident it will be successful.
“We’re looking at seven or eight teams at this point and that will grow, there’s no doubt about that.”
Since 2018 the Ballarat-based Greater Western Victoria Rebels have had 10 players drafted to the AFLW, including No.2 pick Sophie van de Heuvel (Geelong) in 2018 and No.7 pick Sophie Molan (Richmond) in 2019.
CAN ANYONE BEAT EAST POINT?
The Kangaroos went back-to-back in 2019 after being Sebastopol in the grand final.
It will have been 574 days by the time Round 1 rolls around on April 17 and several teams have recruited strongly to knock East Point off its perch.
Just 31 percentage points separated minor premier from fourth in the 2019 home-and-away season pointing to the evenness of the competition.
Despite having home ground advantage in the elimination finals, third-placed Darley and fourth-placed Sunbury were both shock losers.
Bettio said the title was anyone’s in 2021.
“There’s a lot of unknowns, Sebas will give it a red-hot go and I think Ballarat will be a lot stronger this year.”
“The sleeper this year, in my view, will be Bacchus Marsh. They’ve brought in some really talented ex-TAC (NAB League) players and they’ve got a really good mix of locals as well.”
BIG ADDITIONS
Three of the biggest arrivals in the Ballarat Football League will be off the field in 2021.
North Ballarat has attracted former Western Bulldogs head coach Brendan McCartney while Ballarat has locked in three-time Hawthorn premiership star Josh Gibson.
Darley’s under-19s will have an Australian Football Hall of Famer leading them in 2021 with Doug Hawkins signing on.
Another former Bulldog, Fergus Greene, will link up with Lake Wendoree when he’s not with VFL club Box Hill.
Sunbury has locked in Tyson Lever full-time after the defender parted ways with VFL club Coburg.
Read Part 3 of the regional footy series tomorrow.
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