Country football administration: GDFL boss says common sense prevails

GEELONG and District Football League president Neville Whitley says “common sense prevailed” after finally getting his moment with Victoria’s country footy administrators.

GEELONG and District Football League president Neville Whitley says “common sense prevailed” after finally getting his moment with Victoria’s country football bosses.

GDFL president Neville Whitley. Picture: Alison Wynd

The representative group of the football gathering at Bungaree had their meeting with AFL Victoria on Tuesday, allowing them to voice some of the concerns raised by leagues, clubs and umpires last month.

Whitley was the driving force behind the Bungaree meeting, and has argued that well-run leagues should be allowed to keep taking care of their own affairs, rather than be forced to join AFL Victoria’s regional administration centres (RACs).

Now he is hoping he has that wish.

“It was quite a successful meeting from both sides of things and common sense prevailed, probably, in the finish,” he said.

“At least we’ve been able to present our case and I think we will be able to work together going forward with these changes.”

He says that on Tuesday AFL Victoria agreed that leagues:

WOULD have no time limit on when they needed to join their local RACs

RAC services would be voluntary to enter, and

NOT taking up RAC services would not prevent leagues from being affiliated to AFL Victoria’s local football bodies.

Ovens and Murray has its own administrators, and its chairman David Sinclair also attended Tuesday’s meeting.

“We’re pleased with the outcome. All we really wanted was to ensure it wasn’t compulsory to join a regional administration centre by 2019,” Sinclair said.

“That idea is still on the table, but now the pressure is off ... to do by 2019 and it can now be done at a time which suits your organisation.

“Right at the moment it doesn’t suit us, but it doesn’t mean there won’t be a time when it does suit us to contract administration to the local commission

“By and large we’re pleased with the outcome as I think everyone else there was.”

However, AFL Victoria was less forthcoming on what the outcome of the meeting was.

It was “comfortable” for region commissions to work with leagues on what and how quickly services would be provided through the RACs if “parties are working in good faith with each other”.

It was also “comfortable for region commissions to offer affiliation to leagues who are working in good faith and, for example, setting up working parties to discuss the integration of services”.

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