|
|
 |
  |
2001 VLSG President's Report
The 2001 season could rightly be described as a season when great strides were made in a number of areas. Not only did the Brisbane Lions win the AFL premiership, bringing untold joy to many old-time Fitzroy supporters everywhere, but also the Fitzroy Reds won the D3 premiership in the VAFA.
For the first time, many challenges that the Fitzroy community has faced such as the presence and value of the Brisbane Lions in Victoria seemed largely to be overcome or dealt with on a number of fronts. The Victorian Lions Supporters Group (VLSG) has continued to support both the Brisbane Lions and the Fitzroy Reds. It has over the past 12 months, in its third year of existence, made a number of important advances in varying areas, which we believe will add to our relevance, importance and creditability as the only independent Brisbane Lions supporters group in Victoria. The VLSG has striven to assist the Brisbane Lions and the Fitzroy Football Club in celebrating and commemorating the 'spirit' and 'ethos' of Fitzroy as it existed in the VFL-AFL for 100 years. We have attempted to push key issues regarding the Lions in Victoria and attempted to act as a voice for Victorian supporters of the Brisbane Lions.
Listed are some of the key issues the VLSG have continued to pursue:
Recording club history
This issue continues to be a sore spot for many Victorian supporters of the
Brisbane Lions and while I believe it is slowly changing, the message is one
that is yet to sink through to many media outlets and indeed the AFL. The Brisbane
Lions themselves acknowledge the Club to begin in 1997. Both the Club and the
VLSG have written on a number of occasions seeking the AFL statistics to be
correctly reported. Quite frankly, the VLSG Executive Committee has not been
satisfied with the AFL's response. The media itself is frankly a mess, with
different media outlets, including radio, TV and newspapers offering a variety
of methods when accounting for the history of the Club. But ultimately it is
the AFL who is responsible for inaccurately recording the history of the Brisbane
Lions. As we promised in last year's President's Report, our pursuit of the
AFL is not over and we will continue to challenge the AFL's so-called "official"
records.
The profile and coverage of Brisbane Lions games in Victoria.
Unfortunately not much has changed from last year. The most number of games
Brisbane Lions fans will see in Victoria will be no more than seven from year
to year and it appears that six will be the norm. The Brisbane Lions assured
us this arrangement would not alter the commitment of minimum games played Victoria,
it remains a concern, as the merger agreement signed in 1996, expires at the
end of seven years (2003). For the second year in succession, the Ansett Cup,
now Wizard Cup compounded our concerns, when not even one game was scheduled
in Melbourne. This remains an important issue that the VLSG will continue to
monitor.
Responding to articles in the media and the number of games in Victoria
Once again the Secretary of the VLSG must be congratulated on the success achieved
when responding to and initiating articles in the press.
Social events and Fitzroy heritage
The Fitzroy Team of the Century dinner was definitely the off-field highlight
of the year. Many VLSG members attended the Dinner, and sat at the VLSG table.
Many of the VLSG Executive had an opportunity to speak to the Brisbane Lions
directors at the function. Many of the Queensland directors were quite taken
aback by the level of passion for all things Fitzroy displayed by many supporters,
a point which we were keen to emphasise. We believe that this Dinner was the
catalyst for many of the initiatives adopted by the Brisbane Lions
On behalf of the VLSG Executive and members I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate the Brisbane Lions and urge all Fitzroy people to use this as springboard to encourage past Fitzroy supporters and friends, to join with us as members of the Brisbane Lions.
The Club's jumper and corporate image
I feel I must comment on an aspect of last year's President's Report, where
a suggestion was made as early in that report (April 2001) that the Brisbane
Lions should add an 'FFC' on the back of the jumper similar to the Western Bulldogs
jumper. While the VLSG does not claim credit for the origin of the idea, a number
of our members have been quite vocal in the various forums in asking that this
be adopted. Eventually the Fitzroy Football Club wrote to the Brisbane Lions
last year asking that a number of suggestions be adopted. One of those was the
BB-FFC on the back of the jumper.
The VLSG acknowledges the issue of the jumper is a very difficult one for the Club to deal with, and will continue to monitor the issue.
Membership
Expanding our current membership base is another priority. In our third year,
a number of new members have joined, however this is one area the VLSG should
seek to continue to improve. The VLSG Executive has discussed extensively a
number of social initiatives that will be undertaken in 2002 and hopefully these
initiatives will help increase our membership.
Initiatives
One of the major initiatives of the VLSG has been the setting up of its own
website and E*group. The website is a work in progress and it is updated every
couple of days with the latest news from the VLSG, Fitzroy and the Brisbane
Lions as it affects our Victorian constituency. It also has a couple of unique
features that no other website can currently claim to have, including a copy
of the actual merger document and a history of every Fitzroy game in the VFL-AFL.
The VLSG has bought a domain name and the VLSG web site will shortly have an
address of www.vlsg.com. The E*group is seen as a vehicle of providing better
communication of what the VLSG is up to.
Once again the VLSG has sponsored a Brisbane Lions' player. In Season 2000 the VLSG was able to sponsor Jarrod Molloy through the generous donation of one our members. In 2001 the VLSG was able to afford to sponsor Martin Pike. The main purpose of sponsoring a player was to pass on some of the benefits to our members. The Executive Committee was unhappy with the level of benefits we did receive for our money and received an apology from the Club. While we will be again sponsoring a player in 2002, the Executive Committee will be ensuring we receive the benefits we are entitled to and that they are passed onto our members.
The VLSG also initiated a new award, which was approved by Leigh Matthew's match committee. I was privileged to present the inaugural award for the "Best Young Player in Victorian Matches" to Jonathan Brown at the Brisbane Lions' Family Day earlier this season. The award was voted on by VLSG members after each Victorian match, including the Grand Final. The award is for players who are under 23 and have played limited seasons and games with the Brisbane Lions. This award is continuing in 2002, with the first game being the Round 4 against the Western Bulldogs.
Socially there were increased activities in 2001. Mainly consisting of get-togethers at the MCG Hotel before matches, it culminated in a chicken and champagne breakfast in the Fitzroy Gardens on Grand Final Day. The VLSG Executive sees increasing social functions as a slow and steady process. As our membership increases, so too will the frequency and size of our functions.
Nevertheless, the existing Executive Committee have discussed a number of initiatives for 2002, including getting together once a month for members at the Charles Dickens Hotel in the City. Competitions such as selecting the team for the following weekend are proposed as well. Getting guest speakers to attend - past players and representatives from the Brisbane Lions would also be explored. Sharon Torney and I recently spoke to Ivan Smith, Secretary of the Brisbane Lions Past Players Association, about the possibility of past players attending. Prior to games at the MCG, the get together will be at the MCG Hotel, starting around 12:30. For games at Colonial Stadium, a venue would be discussed after Round 4 to see what VLSG members thought of the venue for the AGM. As well as these initiative a raffle is being planned with the prize is a Brisbane Lions or Fitzroy jumper. The VLSG will also be investing in a banner stating the VLSG name in full, logo and the website address to be shown at Brisbane Lions games as well as Fitzroy Reds games. A Weg signed and framed Weg poster may also be on offer as well.
In closing, I reflect on what a wonderful year it has been for the Brisbane Lions and the Fitzroy Community in Victoria. Whether or not Fitzroy people support the Brisbane Lions, the Fitzroy Reds or both, there has truly been something for everyone. Even the cricket team (the Fitzroy-Doncaster Lions) won the premiership! New initiatives like the 'Hall of Fame Dinner' and other upcoming social events are pleasing. So too the correspondence between the VLSG and the Brisbane Lions. The year ahead is one to build on the achievements made to date. The challenge is still ahead of us and is unlikely to end in the near future or even at all. Our goal to retain as much of the Fitzroy heritage as we can in all its varied forms continues.
I would particularly like to extend a heart-felt thank you to the Executive Committee members of the Victorian Lions Supporters Group. Peter Olm (Deputy-Vice President), Nick Wakeling (Treasurer), Dean Henderson and in particular Sharon Torney as Secretary, all are to be commended for their work this year. Sharon Torney's efforts as Secretary must be especially recognised. Her excellent organisational abilities have AGAIN kept the Group running smoothly and she has on many occasions been able to represent the Group when other Executive Committee members have been unavailable due to various circumstances.
In particular I would like to thank John Joseph, the President of the VLSG until December 2001, when he had to step down due to business commitments. John was, and is a very enthusiastic member of the VLSG, the Brisbane Lions and Fitzroy and was one of the VLSG's four original founders.
As is dictated by the VLSG Constitution, all Executive Positions of the VLSG are declared vacant at this year's Annual General Meeting. I'd like to wish the incoming President and Executive the same success and hope that they are able to build further on the initiatives and advances made this year.
Others too need to be thanked, including Bill Atherton, Peter Hille and the Fitzroy Football Club who continue their commitment to local and junior football in Victoria. From the Brisbane Lions, Mac Tolliday has, in particular, been a fantastic supporter and member of the VLSG over the three years of our existence. Mac recently stepped down as a director of the Brisbane Lions but will still be involved in liaising with different areas of the Brisbane Lions. On behalf of the VLSG Executive and members I would like to thank Mac for his support of the VLSG.
I would also like to thank Laurie Serafini, Ken Levy (who stepped down earlier this year), Graeme Downie and the rest of his board, the outgoing CEO Andrew Ireland, the incoming CEO Michael Bowers, as well as the Melbourne office led by Brad Fox.
I encourage all members to rejoin the VLSG and new members to get on board with us too. Base Membership is $10 for the coming year, with a $10 option for player sponsorship. For 2002 the sponsored player by the VLSG is Chris Johnson. With the increased social activities the VLSG is planning, I hope that the VLSG will grow and develop even further for 2002 and beyond.
GO LIONS & REDS 2002!
Better than Ever! Back to Back!
Stuart Potter
Acting VLSG President
April 2002