On behalf of our club, we would like to formally submit our response to the aforementioned item and strongly oppose this notion. We cannot express our disappointment and opposition of this enough, and feel that it will be a great detriment to not only our club but the competition in general.
We have deep concerns about the viability of our club if we are forced to be promoted (there is a strong chance of this as we have been club champions the last 2 seasons) and the implications associated with being promoted. The committee, coaching staff and players are all strongly opposed to this, and we feel that if the Joint Board proceed with this idea, then it will bring the integrity of the competition into question due to the fact that teams could field weakened teams to ensure they don?t finish 1 st . Zone league football has always provided a robust competition that is very competitive and that should never be compromised.
As a club, we deeply value the culture and benefits of having 3 grades. Whilst we acknowledge the 1 st grade has always been the primary focus for our club we have never underestimated the importance of our 3 rd grade to our club. We see our 3 rd grade team as a place for our ex 1 st grade players to still be associated with the club but also an important pathway for our younger players (many who have watched from the sidelines as juniors) to gain valuable experience in men?s football. Furthermore, a significant amount of our sponsorship is generated from our 3 rd grade players who want to give back to the club. It is these players who will leave the club and not only take valuable experience, mentorship and guidance they will also take their sponsorship and that is something that will have a detrimental on the viability of our club. The culture of our club is built around our 3 rd grade teams and they are often the players who set up the ground, man the BBQ /
Canteen, and are there for the whole day supporting the teams and packing up at the end of the day.
We have analysed our income over the past couple of years and conservatively estimate a drop in excess of 30% should we be promoted and lose the current structure of our club.
Importantly, our current 3rd grade squad consists of;
? 2 x life members,
? 1 x ex president,
? 1 x ex vice-president,
? 1 x current treasurer,
? 4 x current committee members,
? 2 x major sponsors and
? 1 x current canteen manager.
Hopefully this reiterated the importance of 3 rd grade to the culture and sustainability to our club.
In finishing, we would like to reiterate our stance on this item and feel that it is imperative that you listen to your members and reconsider the decisions made by the Joint Board.