AFL Victoria boss slams GDFL boss coercion claim

AFL Victoria boss Steven Reaper has slammed an explosive letter from a league president suggesting the country football governing body’s actions towards some competitions was tantamount to “coercion”.

AFL Victoria boss Steven Reaper has slammed an explosive letter from a league president suggesting the country football governing body’s actions towards some competitions was tantamount to “coercion”.

In the letter, Geelong and District league president Neville Whitley requested AFL Victoria convene a meeting with all of Victorian leagues to “discuss their concerns and air their grievances in a proper and democratic manner”.

Speaking to The Weekly Times, Whitley said the push for leagues to join the regional administration centres was one of the main grounds for concern, as well as competition restructures.

But Reaper said he took “offence” to the suggestion AFL Victoria was “trying to coerce leagues and bully them into the administration”.

Regional administration centres have been developed in country Victoria following Peter Jackson’s review of country football in 2011.

In the letter, which has since been sent to football representatives across the state, Whitley said he had been “requested, supported and encouraged to advise that there are some leagues throughout Vic & metro football that are not in support of the tactics and procedures of AFL Vic (sic)”.

“Some feel they are forcing well-organised leagues to restructure and join regional administration centres. This could be perceived as our way or the highway to the stage of being coercion,” he wrote.

Whitley said while some leagues required assistance, others could stand alone but “it seems that the one system is being made to fit for all”.

He also said other leagues “would be quite happy” to affiliate with their local commission, but “administer and control their own leagues”.

While Whitley’s letter is only signed off by him, he said there were other leagues involved in its drafting and it would be supported.

“We are not opposing clubs being under this system if they wish to, but if you’re strong enough and good enough and still promoting Aussie rules football, why shouldn’t it continue in that way instead of paid people telling clubs what to do?” he said.

“We’re of a concern it’s divide and conquer. Who knows, it may fall into place this is way to go, but we are a bit concerned that under the Peter Jackson review one of his statements was ‘this is not a takeover by AFL or any sole body’ … we believe this seems to be a little bit of a takeover of all the leagues to force them into regional administration centres.”

Whitley also said: “I must admit we have a fairly good relationship with AFL Barwon”.

The establishment of administration hubs was recommended in the Jackson review as a way to “decentralise authority” and reduce administration costs and efforts.

Reaper said it was not a takeover but “it is trying to improve football”.

He also said he had been inundated with responses to the letter and “fair to say (Whitley’s) views are not the views of the majority”.

“I think you’re dealing with a handful of recalcitrants hanging onto a power base, not acting in the best interests of football but acting in the best interests of what their competition might look like rather than football as a whole sport,” Reaper said.

“There doesn’t need to be a get together, because of the support that has come through from the leagues (on Thursday).

“We will deal with those issues on a one-on-one basis at a local level, that is the role of a region commission.”

However after next year leagues will need to have plans in place to join their local administration centres, or risk their affiliation to their commissions and their access to things such as AFL Victoria’s insurance programs and talent pathways.

“This has been clearly laid out in Jackson review this is where we were heading ... we wanted at some point to have leagues to be in the regional administration centres, so almost seven years on from that review and it’s timely we start thinking towards it in more structured fashion,” Reaper said.