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The Bendigo Bombers will re-align with the Essendon Football Club for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
Speaking in Bendigo today, Chairman David Joss said that renewing the alignment was a major step forward in the club’s continuing efforts to build a competitive and successful VFL team.
“We’re absolutely delighted that we’ve been able to reach an agreement with Essendon which continues the partnership developed during the past seven years” David said.
“Addressing the complex range of issues associated with a renewal of our alignment has taken some time, but our discussions have been extremely positive and, because of Essendon’s strong commitment to the Bendigo Bombers and to the Bendigo community in general, both clubs wanted to achieve a successful outcome.”
“Our major sponsor, the Bendigo Bank, which has provided extremely strong support to the club in the past, played a significant role in the alignment process and we are extremely grateful for their assistance, and for the contribution they have made to the future of the Bendigo Bombers.”
“Throughout 2009, which has been a season with more than its fair share of problems for us, Essendon has actively demonstrated very strong support for our football club and, clearly, we wanted our alliance to continue.”
“Apart from our core business which is VFL football, Essendon is very strongly committed to Bendigo and the alliance is based on the achievement of positive and sustainable outcomes, including community-based initiatives, for both clubs.”
“It is certainly not a one-sided arrangement.”
“Obviously, Essendon had to be confident of the direction in which our club is heading and about the plans we’re developing.”
“Fortunately, the effort we’ve put in to assessing the club’s future direction has given us hard evidence and data with which to work, and we’re very confident that we’re making the right decisions.”
“The club will actively pursue a new operational model for the 2010 football season as part of a major effort to become a significant AFL Victoria force because, apart from anything else, developing a model that’s focussed on successful results has been a significant issue in our discussions concerning our alignment with Essendon.”
“We’ve worked hard to address the problems that have arisen during the past two seasons and, off the field, we’ve achieved some extremely positive, sustainable outcomes.”
“However, this season certainly hasn’t delivered the on-field results everyone hoped for, and as the home and away rounds progressed it became very clear that we’ve got to change the way in which our football operation works.”
“We’re working hard to establish a successful VFL Club in Bendigo, but 2009 has been very disappointing and results have shown that we’ve got to make some tough decisions if we are to firstly be competitive at this level and, secondly, to start delivering the results our supporters and sponsors want to see.”
“Basically, we’re continuing to take control of our own destiny because we are committed to playing in Bendigo, to proudly representing this city and to being the Bendigo Bombers!”
“Playing at the Queen Elizabeth Oval is an imperative for us because it’s home for our supporters and sponsors and transferring games to Melbourne certainly does not provide a favourable financial outcome for the club.
“We’ve established a good working relationship with the City of Greater Bendigo and we’re working closely with the council in relation to attracting funding for the redevelopment of the QEO because we are totally committed to playing in Bendigo and being part of this community.”
“Our priorities are to develop a successful VFL senior team in Bendigo and to maintain and build an AFL development program.”
“If we’re going to achieve those goals then we have to effectively address the operational and financial issues which have confronted us; we’re at a point where there is no easy, quick-fix, solution.”
“Therefore, the Board has determined that the club will not field a reserves team in 2010 because, unfortunately, maintaining a second side has continued to pose considerable operational and financial problems.”
“The reserves team hasn’t been particularly successful, but the results are certainly no reflection on the commitment of the players and the coaching staff because they’ve done their absolute best, and there’s never been a day when they didn’t give one hundred percent effort.”
“The club supported the reserves team concept because it provided developmental opportunities for young players and it has been a potential pathway to the senior team and to playing at AFL Victoria level which is an elite competition.”
“Since 2003 the Bendigo Bombers have ranked third in the VFL for producing AFL players and we’re the only club to produce an AFL senior coach in that time and these points illustrate the quality of our programs.”
“We believe a model which concentrates on one group of players training in Melbourne and a group in Bendigo will provide a better outcomes in terms of skill and fitness development, adherence to game planning and tactics and other facets of team performance.”
“In addition, another squad of mostly unlisted players, including invited Bendigo Pioneers players, who would have formed the basis of a reserves team had we continued with that concept, will also train in Bendigo.”
“In effect, we are going to replace the reserves with a new development squad.”
“There will be opportunities for some of those players to challenge for spots in the senior side, but anyone who isn’t selected in the Bendigo Bombers seniors will be able to return to play with their local teams.”
“Consequently, they will have the benefit of training at Bendigo Bombers level and then taking the benefit of their skill and fitness development and knowledge back to their own clubs which can only be good for the standard of local football.”
“Training for the Melbourne-based squad will be supervised by the club’s Head Coach who has overall responsibility for the Bendigo Bombers VFL team, whilst a Bendigo-based Assistant Coach will be responsible for the club’s locally based players and the development squad players training with the club.”
“Training at a number of separate venues posed difficulties in fostering team unity and understanding between the players during 2009 and that’s an issue which will certainly receive a great deal of attention in the new model.”
“Continuing to build alliances and partnerships with the Bendigo Football Netball League, the local football netball clubs and the Bendigo Pioneers is also an essential component of our future operations.”
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