Letter from the President
South Bendigo FNC
Letter from the Pres.
Hi Lads,
First up I just wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself to
those who don’t know me. I have taken on the role of President of
the South Bendigo Football & Netball Club for the 2014 season and
hopefully beyond.
No doubt many of you will know me and may wonder why I would
take on the role at Sth. Bendigo given I have never played with the
Bloods.
Basically I have a few mates who played for South and have built up
a great bond with a lot of you guys over the years. I was approached
by Peter Tyack, Mark Keck and a few others and was impressed with
their passion and drive to get the Bloods back to a power the club
once was when I was playing against them, and on the receiving end
of a few hidings. I also received a lot of support from many of you to
take on the role and appreciate your backing.
Furthermore, the drive to move the club’s base from the QEO to
Harry Trott Oval at Kennington, my old stomping ground, was
another major factor in me getting involved as I think this is a great
initiative and an exciting opportunity to engage the community in
the South Bendigo suburbs and set the club up for an exciting and
prosperous future.
In addition to the immediate tasks of improving much needed
revenue through increased sponsorship, events and fund raising,
along with increasing membership levels, I have noticed a striking
lack of engagement with Past Players in which I believe is a key
aspect of what a good football club is all about.
My goal therefore is to create an environment at our club where
past players, officials, support staff and supporters from all eras
over the past 60 + years are not only welcomed but want to come
back to the club, enjoy each others company and foster a feeling of
belongingness. This is Your Club!!!
For some reason it seems this has been missing over the past several
years and certainly different from my playing days at Kennington
when South had a strong bond and social aspect to it.
There may be a number of reasons why this aspect has declined,
however from my perspective that is in the past and we have an
opportunity to re ignite the interest and passion in this great club.
The first initiative has been to set up a Past Players Strategic Group
where a group of past players meet on a monthly basis to discuss
what is happening at the club and an opportunity to have a say and
input into the operation and future of the club. It has also been a great vehicle to bounce off ideas on how we can do things better as a club along with other fund raising and sponsorship opportunities.
We will also be boosting up our communication levels with further
direct emails to keep you informed on club matters, however we also
have a dedicated media and communications team on our committee
who are responsible for our website, facebook and our own club
App which will be up and running before the season starts and great
vehicles for keeping up to date with what is happening at our club.
Guys, this is a critical year for the club and I am calling on all of you
who have played at the Bloods to get back on board and play a role in
getting the club back to the glory days that you were once a part of.
I understand that we are all very busy with life in general these days
with kids sport etc, however if you could make an effort to attend
at least a few key home games and events to support your club, and
enjoy the company of your mates that would be fantastic.
From my perspective I envy you guys that you have a club to call your
own and come back to. I would love to have that opportunity as my
club Kennington is no longer around. Can I say that we should not
take for granted that our club will always be around if we remain
ambivalent and not support our club.
Furthermore the current players have raised on a number of
occasions that they would love to meet up with past players and see
you guys support them, along with getting a feel of the rich history of
the Bloods that you were a key part of building.
You will have recently received an invite to the Graeme Wright
Day and details of the Past Players membership. I would like to
thank those who have taken the initiative to get in and purchase a
membership, however for those yet to take this up, please do so as
soon as possible.
At $75, The Past Players membership is great value as it is half
the cost of a general membership, gets you into all home games
and includes the Graeme Wright Lunch which costs $50 for all non
members. The membership includes a unique key ring identifying
you as a valued Past Player and part of a special group.
I would like to think that ALL Past Players would commit to
purchasing a membership, even if you cannot get to games and/or
live far away. This I believe is a small sacrifice to support the club
and make a statement that you are behind the club that you once
played for and gained so much pleasure from.
This letter therefore is a “Call to Arms” to rally behind your club,
buy a membership, get along to the Graeme Wright Cup Luncheon,
Enjoy each others company and participate in the rise of the Bloods
becoming a force again both on and off the field.
The program for the Greame Wright day will include a talk from Joffa,
the coach, discussing tactics and how he sees the game panning out.
A past player will talk about Graeme, his legacy and what it means to
represent South Bendigo.
Another initiative is to name and present the No.1 Past Player
member/ticket holder to a legend of the club who will be in
attendance and the more past players there to show respect and
support for this legend of the club the better it will be.
We will also have our Sponsors there on the day with our Jumper
sponsors being presented with a signed Jumper from the players
playing in the game.As you can see this is a great way to kick off the year, and build
momentum from there. It will be fantastic to have a full room for this
to happen.
In addition to the Graeme Wright Cup to kick the season off, there
are many great initiatives planned for this year with plenty of
opportunities to get together and enjoy the events planned. Further
details will be provided in due course.
Guys, I am really passionate about the role I have taken on and want
to see some positive results early and continue to build momentum.
We have a solid team on the committee and some great things are
happening, however again we need your support.
I can’t stress enough how important this season is to rebuild the club
and provide a launching pad for success going forward and will keep
up the communication to you throughout the year on other initiatives
the club has in store.
Thank you for taking the time to take on board this important
message. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the
Round 1 Graeme Wright Cup Day and thank you for your support.
Kind Regards,
Rick Townsend
President.
SBF&NC