A historic amateur club is considering a move to a new league for 2024

A historic amateur club will hold an extraordinary general meeting to vote on a potential move to a new league in 2024. Find out why here.

Wayne Schultz in action for Ivanhoe. Picture: Andy Brownbill

A historic amateur club is considering a move to a new league for 2024.

Ivanhoe, which joined the Victorian Amateur Football Association – then known as the Metropolitan league – in 1934, will hold a vote next week to decide its home for next season and beyond.

The Hoers will hold an extraordinary general meeting on Thursday, August 10, to vote on a move to the Northern Football Netball League.

Without school old boy affiliation, player retention and recruitment as well as travel are among the factors behind the potential move.

Ivanhoe president Peter Rawley said all members would have a chance to have their say on the club’s future.

“At the end of last year the committee was looking at forward planning and identified player retention and recruitment remained a challenge for us,” he said.

“We thought we’d explore different options, we created a sub-committee, and it investigated remaining in the VAFA, exploring joining the Northern and even a potential merge with another local club.

“Six or seven weeks ago that sub-committee recommended we explore the opportunity to join the Northern Football Netball League.”

Rawley said the club had done a lot of research on what it would take to move away from amateur football.

“One of the opportunities we don’t have currently in playing in the VAFA is the offer of renumeration.

“That’s going to take on different levels of us being an amateur club transitioning to a professional club, we understand that will be a slow process.

“We’ve talked to several other clubs about how they did that, Eltham Turtles, Banyule, even some people at Kilmore.

“We feel being able to reward players playing at our club, that could be match payments, incentives for best players or even merch and gear that we could supply, and all those are not permitted under VAFA rules.

“The other feedback we’ve got is the nature of local, in terms of the geography of teams.

“Should we go to Northern, there are teams a considerable distance, such as Kilmore and Kinglake, but … hopefully we’d move through the grades in time and the location would be appealing to players.

“Whereas the VAFA is across all metropolitan areas, this year we can find ourselves playing in Glen Eira, Murrumbeena, Oakleigh and down as far as the peninsula.

“We found that was a little bit of a stumbling block for attracting players that have always played in the Northern.

“That’s also about attracting coaches, volunteers, supporters to follow the team, members, staff and all that sort of thing.”

Ivanhoe is the VAFA’s ninth oldest continuous member.

It would be the third amateur club to join the NFNL since 2015 following Banyule and Old Eltham Collegians, while Kilmore (Riddell District) and Kinglake (Outer East) have also joined.

The Hoers have produced a host of VFL/AFL players since its inception in 1910, none bigger than the likes of Albert and Harry Collier.

VFL chief commissioner and Australian Football Hall of Famer Jack Hamilton, Brisbane Lions and Sydney CEO Andrew Ireland and legendary recruiter Neville Stibbard also started out at Ivanhoe Park.

After winning the Division 2 premiership last season, its first since 1969, Ivanhoe has endured a difficult 2023 in Division 1.

The club is facing relegation with just two wins, which would leave it in the VAFA’s fifth tier, while a move to the NFNL would likely see the Hoers enter in Division 3.

Despite the on-field struggles, Rawley says the club has never been better off off-field.

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“Our club is in its strongest position in its 113 years,” he said.

“Over the last three years we’ve done a lot of work to get the football club in a strong position, long before any thought of going to the Northern.

“We wanted to make sure the club was in a position to fund elite coaching, have better facilities, equipment and all the rest of it to make us an attractive organisation.

“We have significant support from sponsors to continue supporting us financially whether we’re in the Northern or remain in the VAFA next year.”