Set to be held at Morshead Park on September 15, club members will get to vote on a recommendation put forward by the Red Devils’ board which could remove the influence of the Ballarat Red Devils Investment Company, owned by former chairman Duncan Smith.  

Under the club’s current structure, the investment company is allocated three of the 11 seats on the board, with six seats allocated to the members club and the remaining two allocated to the Ballarat and District Soccer Association.

Currently the investment company is not occupying any of its allocated seats.  Smith, who is currently overseas, is unable to fill a seat himself due to having his membership revoked earlier this year. 

Red Devils board member Michael Bardsley said the influence of the investment group made it difficult for the club to function independently.

“The current corporate structure with the entanglement of the members club and the investment group doesn’t allow for appropriate governance,” Bardsley said.  “It places far too much importance on the investment company’s role in the running of the club.”

At the Red Devils’ 2015 annual general meeting in November, Bardsley and fellow board members John Livingston and Andrew Burgess were asked to look into the corporate management of the club.  Bardsley said the board would hand down their findings into at the special meeting. 

Any changes to the club structure would need the support of 75 per cent of the membership.

The scheduled meeting comes as the Reds look to extend their National Premier Leagues license with Football Federation Victoria.  Ballarat was one of the first clubs to gain a license when the competition began in 2013. 

Smith has been contacted for comment.