NORTH Ballarat Roosters are closely scrutinising all club operations as they step up preparations to go stand-alone in the Victorian Football League next season.
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Coaching, recruitment, medical and rehabilitation programs, and match and training logistics are under the spotlight in an internal review launched earlier this month.
The Selkirk Roosters’ board has formed a sub-committee to conduct the review, with a focus on club structure for VFL competition, but also analysing the VFL team’s external impacts, such as partnerships with regional clubs.
This includes the ongoing effects of not having a development team and will take into consideration North Ballarat’s other football and netball programs.
Roosters head coach Gerard FitzGerald comes out of contract this season.
North Ballarat chief executive officer Mark Patterson said FitzGerald’s role, as of all full-time staff, would be part of the review.
Patterson said initial planning to go stand-alone had been developing for a long period and this review was drawing all that work together.
He expected the sub-committee to deliver its findings within the next month.
“We’re looking at all the things we need to do to be successful and to do it properly, in the best possible way, for when we go stand-alone,” he said.
“We’re looking at a whole range of information out there, like other successful (stand-alone) clubs, to help inform us of their organisations so we can learn and try and adapt to what best works for us.”
The Roosters can look to stand-alone models such as Williamstown and Coburg, which transitioned out of AFL alignments two years ago, and established VFL stand-alones in Frankston and traditional powerhouse Port Melbourne – the team the Roosters will meet this week.
North Melbourne announced in November it would end its partial alignment with the Roosters that it has held since 2008 and move to a full alignment with its other VFL partner Werribee, in a bid to gradually develop its own VFL arm.
Patterson said the Roosters board was confident the club was already in a strong position to be successful, viable and a leading regional football program. “We know the challenges to compete in this league – and it’s tough,” he said. “We’ll focus on what we can control as a sound organisation and be the best we can be.”
melanie.whelan@fairfaxmedia.com.au
