MEMBERS will decide the future of the Ballarat Red Devils Football Club at a special meeting on Thursday night.
Club members will gather at Morshead Park to vote in a new board of management.
The Reds have been without a president and full board since the club’s annual meeting in November.
A working group of three, which was formed at the annual meeting, has organised the gathering to get the club “back on track”.
Members have the power to fill up to six vacancies, but only five nominations have been received.
The working group of Michael Bardsley, Andrew Burgess and John Livingston is part of a five-person ticket standing for the board of management. Tony Irish and Michael Smith have also nominated.
The balance of the 11-strong board will comprise three Ballarat Red Devils Investments representatives and two from Ballarat District Soccer Association.
Bardsley said the BDSA had advised the working group of its nominations, but attempts to source the names of BRDI representatives from the group’s chairman Duncan Smith had been unsuccessful.
He said they were expecting up to 100 members to attend the meeting at Morshead Park at 7pm. Proxy votes have also been received.
The group believes the club has about 200 members, but has been unable to get an official list.
Bardsley said nominations for the board would not be accepted from the floor.
He said although there was no clause in the club constitution dealing with the election of board members at special meetings, the provision which stated nominations had to be submitted at least 14 days before annual meetings was being followed.
Bardsley said if the working group’s ticket was elected, the new board would meet immediately after the special meeting on Thursday night, with the first task being to elect a president.
He said this meeting would also deal with coaching appointments and player lists, with the selection of a squad set for February 17.
