Chapter Two an Overview of Country Football in Victoria

Chapter Two – An overview of country football in Victoria

Chapter Two An overview of country football in Victoria

Introduction

2.1This chapter describes the current organisation of country football, including issues surrounding the structure of country football, programs that are already in place to support country football, and participation in country football (by players, umpires, and other volunteers). It is intended as a brief overview of country football in Victoria, as all of the issues discussed in the following pages are examined in detail throughout the course of this report.

The organisation of country football

2.2The peak bodies for Australian rules football in country Victoria are Football Victoria and the Victorian Country Football League (VCFL). Football bodies in Victoria are structured hierarchically, with the Australian Football League (AFL), the overarching national organisation, Football Victoria representing football interests in the state of Victoria, and various other affiliated organisations subsidiary to Football Victoria. The VCFL, metropolitan football leagues, Victorian Amateur Football Association and other Victorian football organisations are affiliated to Football Victoria.[200]

Australian Football League

2.3The AFL is the peak national body for Australian rules football in Australia. It was formed after a restructure of the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 19891990.[201] As the code’s national body, its affiliates include all of Australia’s peak organisations for state football, including the Western Australian Football League, the South Australian National Football League, AFL Tasmania, AFL New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, AFL Queensland, AFL Northern Territory and Football Victoria.[202]

2.4As well as running the national Australian rules competition, the AFL is also responsible for implementation of its National Development Plan and the distribution of financial grants to state and territory peak football organisations. The AFL has defined four key strategic priorities in its operations, which are to:

• manage the national competition;
• develop the game to be the number one team participant sport in Australia;
• build the national AFL brand; and
• enhance the financial standing of the game in Australia.[203]

2.5The AFL and AFL clubs disperse funds to state football organisations by means of direct grants and ‘indirect’ financial assistance.[204] These funds include AFL transfer fees, licence fees (Western Australia and South Australia), and funds allocated to specific programs by the AFL (such as Auskick), as well as untied grants provided to state football organisations.[205]

AFL programs

2.6The AFL supports and/or conducts a number of programs in country Victoria, mostly through its affiliated body, Football Victoria, and often with the assistance of the VCFL. The Committee was informed by Andrew Demetriou, Chief Executive Officer of the AFL, that the AFL contributes $5.5 million to country football annually by means of programs and grants through Football Victoria.[206] The Committee notes that some $2 million of these funds is dedicated to implementation of the TAC Cup in

regional Victoria, an elite level competition for young footballers.[207] Some of the programs supported or implemented by the AFL in country Victoria include:

• AFL Community Camps, where AFL club representatives visit selected country centres and conduct seminars and training sessions for local coaches, players, administrators and volunteers. The AFL estimates the annual cost of this program at $200,000;
• regional practice matches, which according to Mr Demetriou provide country football with average revenues of $10,000 per match;
• the new AFL players agreement, which the AFL informed the Committee requires players from AFL clubs based in Victoria to spend one full day in country Victoria to “participate in bona fide appearances for development of the game.”[208]; and
• national risk management programs, introduced by the AFL in 2004, which extend on insurance arrangements pioneered by the VCFL in previous years, and provide substantial savings on insurance across Australian rules football.[209]

Football Victoria

2.7Football Victoria has oversight of its own competitions: the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the TAC Cup. The VFL is a state-based premier football competition, with a Tasmanian-based team admitted in 2001. Thirteen teams currently compete in the VFL.[210] The TAC Cup is an elite competition for talented young players, and has a team representing each of 12 Victorian regions.[211] Each TAC Cup team (except the Murray Bushrangers) is also aligned to a VFL club.[212]

Football Victoria’s role is also to oversee, support and guide football bodies including the VCFL, the Victorian Amateur Football Association, and Victorian metropolitan football leagues.[213] It is responsible for implementation of the Auskick program and school football programs in Victoria through Football Victoria Development.

2.8The majority of Football Victoria’s revenue is provided by the AFL and AFL clubs based in Victoria (61.5% in 2003).[214] AFL and AFL club contributions to Football Victoria are comprised of transfer fees, general grants, contributions to the TAC Cup competition, and VFL licence fees. Remaining Football Victoria revenue is obtained from sponsorship, fundraising and marketing, participation and development activities, government, and Victorian administered leagues.[215]

Figure 1: The structure of Australian rules football in Victoria[216]

2.9Football Victoria informed the Committee that its expenditure on country football was $5,575,000 in 2003, comprised of the following:

Table 2: Country football expenditure, Football Victoria, 2003[217]

Expenditure / $m
Auskick / Junior / 1.040
Club transfer fees & development / 0.401
Coach & sports trainer education / 0.525
KickStart / 0.020
State squads / 0.165
Umpire education / 0.417
Youth / 0.375
Talent (TAC Cup) / 2.000
Staff / 0.252
VCFL grants & transfer fees / 0.380

2.10The Committee notes that the division of Football Victoria’s ‘country’ and ‘metropolitan’ regions does not coincide with Victorian local government area boundaries, nor with the VCFL’s distribution of clubs and leagues, or other leagues with clubs that span the ‘metro/country’ divide.[218] Consequently, it is difficult to accurately compare services and resources provided to ‘country’ football by Football Victoria with those provided by other peak football bodies (such as the VCFL), or with ‘country’ programs initiated by state agencies (such as Sport and Recreation Victoria). The Committee notes that due to the different definitions of ‘country’ areas employed by peak bodies in Victorian football, demographic and resource analyses of Victorian football presented in the following pages should be interpreted as indicative of current trends in country football.

Football Victoria programs and resources

2.11Football Victoria provides resources and support across Victoria, including programs for Auskick, football programs for schools, umpiring development and support, club development, and coaching development.

Football Victoria Development

2.12Football Victoria Development (FVD) is the development arm of Football Victoria and is responsible for the promotion and development of football in communities and schools across the State. FVD works in cooperation with the VCFL, the Victorian Amateur Football Association, the Victorian metropolitan football leagues and other sports agencies and government departments. FVD is also responsible for coordination and implementation of the AFL Auskick program, which offers young people an opportunity to play and develop skills for Australian rules football under modified rules.[219]

2.13In 2003, Football Victoria employed twelve Country Development Managers to support Australian rules football in country Victoria, including organisation and coordination of the Auskick program.[220] Umpiring development is also coordinated through Football Victoria, with a dedicated country Umpiring Development Manager attached to the VCFL.[221]

2.14FVD also conducts coach accreditation courses across Victoria for senior, youth and Auskick/junior football coaches. Coach Education is conducted by FVD under the auspices of the AFL and the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme. Twelve Regional Development Managers are employed by FVD to deliver these courses in rural and regional Victoria. In Victoria, FVD manages branches of the Australian Football Coaches Association, which coordinates coaching education programs for Level 1 coach accreditation, and provides information and other resources to its members.[222]

2.15In primary schools FVD coordinates the SmokeFree Footy Activity Pack, AFL Player SuperClinics, the SofNET Footy Show, and Level 1 Primary Teachers Coaching Courses, as well as PASE (Physical and Sports Education) Courses and Professional Development sessions.[223] The FVD ‘fostership’ program also addresses junior club development through examination of issues surrounding league and club administration structures, recruitment and retention of volunteers, rules and regulations, and implementation of codes of conduct for coaches, players, parents, officials, supporters and administrators.[224]

2.16In secondary schools, FVD conducts the ‘G Footy’ program, through which senior and girls football competitions are organised, primary and secondary school coach education courses are delivered to teachers and students, and education resources are provided to schools. G Footy also coordinates a role model program, where high profile players educate secondary school students in various life skills (self-esteem, goal setting, understanding consequences of various actions, work ethic, and individual and team responsibilities).[225] Issues concerning junior and youth football are discussed further in Chapter Seven.

TAC Cup

2.17Twelve TAC Cup Region Managers are also employed by Football Victoria across country Victoria with primary responsibility for the TAC Cup.[226] Football Victoria Development’s twelve Country Development Managers also assist TAC Cup Region Managers with the “operations of the TAC Cup under-18 team and related Talented Player Development Programs.”[227]

Victorian Country Football League

2.18The VCFL was formed in 1927. Originally, the purpose of the league was to provide a means to control the flow of players to VFL clubs from country leagues and clubs.[228] While the VCFL represents the majority of football leagues and clubs in country Victoria, there are a number of clubs in country Victoria that are not affiliated to the VCFL, including affiliates to one of the Victorian metropolitan football leagues, the Victorian Amateur Football Association and the TAC Cup. The President of the Kilmore Football Club, for example, told the Committee:

The Kilmore Football Club is affiliated with the Riddell District Football League…. We are betwixt and between, I suppose you could say. We are part of metro Melbourne football [but]…. we are in the same sort of situation as country football. We are finding it extremely hard.[229]

The VCFL also represents clubs from leagues that traverse the Victorian border into New South Wales and South Australia. For example, the Western Border Football League includes clubs in South Australia and the Ovens and Murray Football League includes clubs based in New South Wales.

2.19In 200304, 83 leagues and 870 clubs were affiliated to the VCFL.[230] The VCFL is governed by a board of eight members, with an administrative team based in Melbourne. Territories encompassed by the VCFL are divided into four areas, each of which have one full-time Area Manager to assist clubs, leagues, and local VCFL representatives. The VCFL is further sub-divided into ten regions, each of which has a Regional Board, comprised of representatives from senior leagues from within the region. Each Regional Board elects a Regional Manager, who works to guide strategic planning for leagues and clubs, and coordinate and facilitate football within the region, along with the Regional Board.

Figure 2: Organisation of the VCFL[231]

2.20VCFL affiliated clubs and leagues are required to adhere to VCFL rules and regulations, which are formed with the intention to:

• ensure sufficient stability in the membership of club teams to enable team spirit and public support to be maintained;
• prevent stronger clubs from obtaining an unfair proportion of the best players at the expense of the weaker clubs;
• provide opportunities for players to enter competitions conducted by leagues and for an orderly system to:
• facilitate the movement of players between clubs; and
• facilitate the movement of clubs between leagues; and
• provide clubs with an incentive to expend time, effort and resources in the development of Australian rules football.[232]

2.21These objectives are accomplished primarily through the regulation of player movement between clubs, and club movement between leagues, by means of clearance procedures. All players that participate in VCFL competitions are required to individually register with the VCFL by means of legal contracts.[233]

2.22As discussed above, the Committee notes that zoning used by Football Victoria to distinguish Melbourne from country Victoria categorises the Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Ranges local government areas as part of its metropolitan region.[234] The VCFL, however, incorporates leagues that operate in this region (Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League and Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League).

VCFL leagues

2.23Leagues within the VCFL are responsible for providing administrative and promotional services for clubs, training and education, the organisation of finals series, and the enforcement of various regulations and procedures determined by the VCFL. This includes the management of hearings and tribunals, lodgement of player registration details with the VCFL, and oversight of club administrative matters (such as salary cap adherence in 2004). Club and league secretaries are also responsible for the ordinary administration of player clearances. Leagues are also responsible for the development and implementation of league constitutions, and other rules and regulations determined by a league to be appropriate for its clubs.[235]

2.24VCFL senior leagues are separated into two groups – major and district leagues. There are currently 16 major leagues and 32 district leagues in the VCFL, with major leagues forming the ‘elite’ VCFL competition.

2.25Netball and football have been integrated in many senior VCFL leagues over the past 25 years, and in 2004, 47 of 48 senior football leagues had incorporated netball competitions. Clubs that belong to these football/netball leagues are required to enter netball and football teams to gain entry to league competitions. Football/Netball leagues are affiliated to Netball Victoria, as well as to the VCFL.[236] During the course of its public hearings, the Committee heard that this association has produced benefits for both football and netball in country communities, particularly as the co-location of these sports has, in many cases, made it easier for partners and families to participate in organised sport.

2.26Currently ten leagues in the VCFL have appointed full-time paid administrators (or general managers) to coordinate various administrative, promotional, and organisational duties.[237] Leigh Elder, General Manager of the Ovens and Murray and Yarra Valley Football Leagues, told the Committee that leagues with general managers were “leaders in supporting their member clubs with financial distributions, cost cutting programs, marketing and promotional initiatives, educational programs for the clubs and the volunteers, and development programs for funding for umpires.”[238] The Committee notes that, while these administrators have been of great benefit to their respective leagues, most leagues in country Victoria are unlikely to be in a financial position to employ people in similar roles.

2.27In 2004, the salary cap for major leagues was $50,000 (excluding payments to one player and one coach), and the salary cap for district leagues was $30,000.[239] Leagues within the VCFL were able to apply for permission to vary the salary cap. Each league in the VCFL was also required to appoint a Salary Cap Officer, who was responsible for investigation of alleged salary cap breaches. There were no specified penalties for breach of the salary cap in the VCFL regulations, except that proven breaches be referred to the relevant league tribunal for appropriate disciplinary action.

2.28In May 2004, the VCFL initiated an investigation into the effectiveness of the salary cap. On 16 July 2004, the VCFL announced it had received a recommendation from a sub-committee formed for this investigation that the salary cap be removed.[240] Consequently, the salary cap will no longer operate from 2005. The VCFL has subsequently appointed a Commercial/Business Manager, who is responsible for developing training programs in “financial management, financial planning and budgeting and the presentation of a range of optional player payment systems.”[241] The Committee also notes that the Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League (MPNFL) will trial a “player points system” in 2005 as an alternative to the salary cap program, and that the VCFL Board has made a commitment to monitor a player points system currently operating in two Queensland and New South Wales football leagues.[242] The player points system to be trialled by the MPNFL allocates a point value to players in senior teams, based on their experience at various levels of Australian rules football, and their relationship to their MPNFL club. In 2005, each senior MPNFL team will be allowed a maximum of 38 ‘points’. Each player is ‘worth’ at least 1 point, with selected players worth additional points (for example, a person who has played more than 50 senior games at AFL level is worth an additional six points). Players who are ‘worth’ additional points may have a proportion of those points deducted if they are returning to a MPNFL club they had previously played for, or if they play at one MPNFL club for more than three years. For example, any player, regardless of experience, who has played for one MPNFL club for five or more years will be rated as a ‘one point’ player for that club.[243]

VCFL clubs

2.29Clubs are responsible for the everyday management and logistics of putting various teams on the field for local competition. This requires a large number of participants, including players, board or committee members, coaches, trainers, gate keepers, grounds keepers, and volunteers for various other duties (such as catering, bar tending, etc.).

2.30According to the VCFL, the average number of volunteers active in each of its affiliated clubs is between 25 and 35 persons (not including players).[244] The VCFL also argue that this number is not sufficient for most clubs, and that ideally between 40 and 55 volunteers are required for each club. Club administrators are responsible for the day to day running of clubs, which includes responsibilities for fundraising, player registrations (and bookkeeping, where those players are paid), various account keeping duties, and player and volunteer recruitment.[245]