Football fans deserve to know exactly why a Ballarat Football League senior coach has been banned from playing for three matches.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
At the AFL Goldfields independent tribunal on Tuesday night, Darley coach Heath Scotland received a lengthy ban for abusive language towards an umpire. He pleaded guilty to the charge.
It was an act we simply can’t accept in any sport, at any level in our community.
However, no further information into the incident has, or ever will be, made public.
The punishment was announced and football fans and the general public were expected to simply move on without question.
As a newspaper, we are not here to cast judgment on a verdict reached by those considered to be more educated on the matter.
Nor would we shine an unnecessary light on individuals who make such decisions.
In fact, these people would never even be identified by The Courier.
What we are here to do, however, is give an insight into the justice system of our most popular sport.
And when it comes to a coach with 268 AFL games to his name, there are few cases of greater interest.
If you take the AFL for example, tribunal cases are always open to the media and subsequently, the public remains informed of the rules and punishments in the game.
Chinese whispers can be a dangerous phenomenon if there’s nothing in existence to set the record straight.
At Ballarat level, however, media is banned from attending tribunal hearings.
Through no lack of trying, The Courier has been repeatedly been knocked back from covering such cases. We can make our readers aware of the charge, the final result, but nothing else.
Not only does this prevent the full story being reported accurately, it opens the door for misinformation and rumours to circulate.
Chinese whispers can be a dangerous phenomenon if there’s nothing in existence to set the record straight.
As a media organisation, we responsibly report on extremely serious court cases every day, including rapes, murders and other important matters of public interest.
However, when it comes to local football matters, the media is blacklisted – in Ballarat anyway.
Head to Bendigo, Warrnambool, Geelong or Horsham and you’ll find tribunal cases are treated as they should be, with openness and transparency.
It should be noted The Courier approached the BFL during the week and got the green light to attend Tuesday’s hearing, only to get knocked back by the independent tribunal itself.
Surely the football public has the right to know.
