So, where to from here?

[justabaraker]

Ancient, I don't reckon the SAFL would touch this with a barge pole.
It's about the property dealings of a failed minor league poker machine club and really has nothing to do with our footy.
I remember a thread that we had running here (since deleted by Norris) where there was real fighting talk about legal eagles circling, Corporate Affairs (ASIC), and hey, remember the bit about how the Sunday Telegraph investigative journalist was preparing an expozay for a couple of weeks hence ?
Fast forward and all that's happened is (1) the players walked (2), the SAFL suspended them for bringing the game into disrepute (or something) and (3) Balmain has been dropped to Div 1. And now you tell us that the existing board is fiddling around deciding when to hold the AGM, but that you have to wait for the existing board to make that call.

Seems to me that the SAFL is responsible for a footy comp, and talks FOOTY with the board that is elected by the members. If the board is dodgy then it's up to the members to sort it out with the board, or elect a new board (that's why we live in a democracy....because that's how things work here).
If the board is dodgy then the members sort it out; if the board is SERIOUSLY dodgy then, hey, it's an incorporated body and has to function within the law. And that is a matter for Corporate Affairs (ASIC) if it might be in breach of the law.

Maybe it all smells a bit but I can't imagine that the SAFL would want to go anywhere near that snakepit.

Silly me - I went so far as to look on Google Maps as to how to get from Cherrybrook to South Coogee...that was on that lost thread too wasn't it ?
Like so many on this thread, I want to get back to the Yellow-and-Black from old Tigerland...my son and I have operated the scoreboard at Drummoyne because your people couldn't find anyone to do it !
Go hard at the AGM, get that website updated from August 3rd with some good news, and get some FOOTY happening at the club rather than just "spin". Get some REAL sponsors and some REAL juniors. And recognize those girls for their efforts in the 2013 finals.

[Steiger]

Silly me - I went so far as to look on Google Maps as to how to get from Cherrybrook to South Coogee...that was on that lost thread too wasn't it ?
Like so many on this thread, I want to get back to the Yellow-and-Black from old Tigerland...my son and I have operated the scoreboard at Drummoyne because your people couldn't find anyone to do it !
Go hard at the AGM, get that website updated from August 3rd with some good news, and get some FOOTY happening at the club rather than just "spin". Get some REAL sponsors and some REAL juniors. And recognize those girls for their efforts in the 2013 finals.

Thanks for running the scoreboard with your son and apologies that you had to because our club has been...terrible. The current mob actively drove all of our volunteers away so your efforts are appreciated, but it should never have happened.

If you've seen the digital scoreboard at Henson park for our games you'd probably want to run that due to the misspellings of other teams names and the general inability to press buttons from those in the tower to let a timer either count down from 22 minutes or count up for time on. If you can't get the little things right, how can you get the big things right?

We aren't in control of the club yet but regardless we're being proactive and doing what we can so that when we end up in the drivers seat, we're ready to go. There's a core team of 4 individuals that are putting the hard yards in to make all of this happen with many others helping out when they can.

The Balmain AGM is due to be held by December 1 each year as part of the constitution and surprise, surprise, it hasn't happened yet...

Big Show might be able to tell us about how close he got to getting rid of the muppets last year.

[Mug Punter]

Thanks for running the scoreboard with your son and apologies that you had to because our club has been...terrible. The current mob actively drove all of our volunteers away so your efforts are appreciated, but it should never have happened.

If you've seen the digital scoreboard at Henson park for our games you'd probably want to run that due to the misspellings of other teams names and the general inability to press buttons from those in the tower to let a timer either count down from 22 minutes or count up for time on. If you can't get the little things right, how can you get the big things right?

We aren't in control of the club yet but regardless we're being proactive and doing what we can so that when we end up in the drivers seat, we're ready to go. There's a core team of 4 individuals that are putting the hard yards in to make all of this happen with many others helping out when they can.

The Balmain AGM is due to be held by December 1 each year as part of the constitution and surprise, surprise, it hasn't happened yet...

Big Show might be able to tell us about how close he got to getting rid of the muppets last year.

This is clearly an unacceptable situation, can you advise what assistance the NSWAFL has been in getting this resolved.

I agree they should not get involved directly in club issues but this is clearly a governance issue that should fall within their remit

[justabaraker]

If you've seen the digital scoreboard at Henson park for our games you'd probably want to run that due to the misspellings of other teams names and the general inability to press buttons from those in the tower to let a timer either count down from 22 minutes or count up for time on. If you can't get the little things right, how can you get the big things right?

I HAVE SEEN the new scoreboard at Henson.....but I haven't been able to READ IT !! What rocket scientist decided that RED LED on a BLACK background was a good idea ? Reminds me of those old early digital watches that used the same colour scheme....for about a year.
There surely must have been a clearance sale on that technology because it was no good and no-one wanted to buy it.

But, to be fair in the context of where this thread is going, I don't think Balmain can be blamed for it - my understanding is that the scoreboard was a joint venture between the SAFL and Marrickville Council, seeing as Balmain had insufficient funds to be dealt into the deal. And, let me digress a bit, it's my understanding that Balmain plays at Henson because they couldn't afford the rent at Drummoyne, so the SAFL is helping them out with a ground to play on.
Happy to be corrected by anyone who knows better than I do.

[BIGSHOW]

Thanks for running the scoreboard with your son and apologies that you had to because our club has been...terrible. The current mob actively drove all of our volunteers away so your efforts are appreciated, but it should never have happened.

If you've seen the digital scoreboard at Henson park for our games you'd probably want to run that due to the misspellings of other teams names and the general inability to press buttons from those in the tower to let a timer either count down from 22 minutes or count up for time on. If you can't get the little things right, how can you get the big things right?

We aren't in control of the club yet but regardless we're being proactive and doing what we can so that when we end up in the drivers seat, we're ready to go. There's a core team of 4 individuals that are putting the hard yards in to make all of this happen with many others helping out when they can.

The Balmain AGM is due to be held by December 1 each year as part of the constitution and surprise, surprise, it hasn't happened yet...

Big Show might be able to tell us about how close he got to getting rid of the muppets last year.

Sorry mate I have moved on from Balmain and all the associated dramas,and had a truely great year at The Randwick City saints with great success in both grades and am looking forward to future wins on and off the field.

[Steiger]

I HAVE SEEN the new scoreboard at Henson.....but I haven't been able to READ IT !! What rocket scientist decided that RED LED on a BLACK background was a good idea ? Reminds me of those old early digital watches that used the same colour scheme....for about a year.
There surely must have been a clearance sale on that technology because it was no good and no-one wanted to buy it.

But, to be fair in the context of where this thread is going, I don't think Balmain can be blamed for it - my understanding is that the scoreboard was a joint venture between the SAFL and Marrickville Council, seeing as Balmain had insufficient funds to be dealt into the deal. And, let me digress a bit, it's my understanding that Balmain plays at Henson because they couldn't afford the rent at Drummoyne, so the SAFL is helping them out with a ground to play on.
Happy to be corrected by anyone who knows better than I do.

Punter, we've had many meetings with the League, plenty of phone calls and they are giving us a lot of assistance in 'where to from here'.

JB If you can't see the Henson scoreboard, the new scoreboard at Drummoyne is seriously huge with all red LEDs on a black background. It fills the entire cricket scoreboard. You can see it in a TV Ads with old mate Tom 'rattles' Harley spruiking some vitamins. It's 19 seconds into this video from Drummoyne Power, it looks orange in the video but it is red.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=160971320755633

It turns out Henson is more expensive than Drummoyne. The board told us that Henson was cheaper. The AFL told us that Henson is more expensive. I know who I will believe. Admittedly one issue with Drummoyne is they have a hair trigger for closing it in wet weather. If it's raining in Canberra, they'll close Drummoyne just in case. The Glover St oval has limited access, but it will be a very short walk for some of our blokes if we played/trained there.

[ShortHalfHead]

It turns out Henson is more expensive than Drummoyne. The board told us that Henson was cheaper. The AFL told us that Henson is more expensive. I know who I will believe. Admittedly one issue with Drummoyne is they have a hair trigger for closing it in wet weather. If it's raining in Canberra, they'll close Drummoyne just in case. The Glover St oval has limited access, but it will be a very short walk for some of our blokes if we played/trained there.

On my first visit to the upgraded Drummoyne Oval in 2011, a Balmain official told me they had to pay $2000 A DAY for the hire and couldn't train there. Said the mayor of Drummoyne was the Union sides No 1 ticketholder. Maybe with Balmain's "downgrade" they should be playing at Mahoney.

As for the Henson Scoreboard, I thought it was very clear and I've seen games there from 9 AM till 6 PM.

[justabaraker]

Punter, we've had many meetings with the League, plenty of phone calls and they are giving us a lot of assistance in 'where to from here'.

JB If you can't see the Henson scoreboard, the new scoreboard at Drummoyne is seriously huge with all red LEDs on a black background. It fills the entire cricket scoreboard. You can see it in a TV Ads with old mate Tom 'rattles' Harley spruiking some vitamins. It's 19 seconds into this video from Drummoyne Power, it looks orange in the video but it is red.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=160971320755633

It turns out Henson is more expensive than Drummoyne. The board told us that Henson was cheaper. The AFL told us that Henson is more expensive. I know who I will believe. Admittedly one issue with Drummoyne is they have a hair trigger for closing it in wet weather. If it's raining in Canberra, they'll close Drummoyne just in case. The Glover St oval has limited access, but it will be a very short walk for some of our blokes if we played/trained there.

Yes, I love the Drummoyne scoreboard. I think the ground has been jazzed up with an eye to night cricket (with TV coverage of course), and it's a pleasure to go there. And the junior AFL club turns on a nice canteen which is most important !

I think you'll find that the hire cost of Henson is more expensive like the AFL says, but, like I said before, Balmain can't afford that rental on their own, so the AFL subsidizes them as part of the greater deal. Someone with REAL KNOWLEDGE can set me straight here but I understand that the AFL can justify the Henson upgrade under that $150mill odd announcement (something like that) they made to upgrade the footy grounds of NSW.
Drummoyne is earmarked for NEAFL because of it's higher standard, etc, so the AFL prefers SydUni NEAFL to be playing there.

[justabaraker]

I'll be there Tuesday!

Was Terry Mudge there with you ?

[mountainsofpain]

Thanks for running the scoreboard with your son and apologies that you had to because our club has been...terrible. The current mob actively drove all of our volunteers away so your efforts are appreciated, but it should never have happened.

Truth be told, I doubt if you are the only club which hasn't had anyone to run the scoreboard. I've been to other grounds over the years where games have been going and the scoreboard has been, err, rather static. It can definitely be a problem where the board is standalone, on the other side of the ground and, as a result, requires separate people to run it. For instance, that used to be the case at Parramatta, whereas now they have the scoreboard where the timekeeper can operate it - or get someone standing nearby to do it.

And, like probably all clubs from time to time, Balmain has had their times when short of volunteers in any case. I well remember going to Drummoyne years ago for an Under 18s game, back in the "yellow and black" days. There were probably 3 or 4 Balmain people there at most - one being a club stalwart who did a lot of work for the club at the time (and probably carried it to some extent) and another being the Under 18 coach. The visiting side actually had more support...... I got the impression when asking around that this wasn't a one-off event for Balmain at the time.

There was certainly no scoreboard being run and no canteen where to buy a coffee on a freezing cold morning (and it was a 3 game day, not a standalone match).

The ones I felt sorry for were the Balmain Under 18 kids, the club wasn't sending them a particularly good message I remember thinking at the time.

So there are certainly ebbs and flows when it comes to the levels of volunteer support a club has. If there is a current dearth of volunteers at Balmain and that is the fault of the club's administration, well that is pretty damning. They are the ones supposed to be attracting support to the club, not driving it away.

[saviour01]

Was Terry Mudge there with you ?

He was. No jesse though. New div 1 coaches which should be interesting.

[nugget]

Truth be told, I doubt if you are the only club which hasn't had anyone to run the scoreboard. I've been to other grounds over the years where games have been going and the scoreboard has been, err, rather static. It can definitely be a problem where the board is standalone, on the other side of the ground and, as a result, requires separate people to run it. For instance, that used to be the case at Parramatta, whereas now they have the scoreboard where the timekeeper can operate it - or get someone standing nearby to do it.

And, like probably all clubs from time to time, Balmain has had their times when short of volunteers in any case. I well remember going to Drummoyne years ago for an Under 18s game, back in the "yellow and black" days. There were probably 3 or 4 Balmain people there at most - one being a club stalwart who did a lot of work for the club at the time (and probably carried it to some extent) and another being the Under 18 coach. The visiting side actually had more support...... I got the impression when asking around that this wasn't a one-off event for Balmain at the time.

There was certainly no scoreboard being run and no canteen where to buy a coffee on a freezing cold morning (and it was a 3 game day, not a standalone match).

The ones I felt sorry for were the Balmain Under 18 kids, the club wasn't sending them a particularly good message I remember thinking at the time.

So there are certainly ebbs and flows when it comes to the levels of volunteer support a club has. If there is a current dearth of volunteers at Balmain and that is the fault of the club's administration, well that is pretty damning. They are the ones supposed to be attracting support to the club, not driving it away.

Agree that all clubs have had there issues at times with having enough volunteers, particularly with the first game of the day. I remember many a time getting frustrated having to chase volunteers to help the home club when we were the away side. Basically if we didn't help the game wouldn't have got underway. Was equally unimpressed (if not more so) when having to do it at home games for my club, particularly when we had been strong in that space for many years. As always a case of too few to do too much meaning many volunteers evetually get burnt out, myself included.

In saying all that, I remember being at Balmain about 10 years ago to watch our under 18s play. Was there early with my brother who was playing and having to get our side to take down the rugby posts as there was no one from Balmain around to help. Felt sorry for the balmain guys at the time having no support.

[Pekay]

I do wonder what the vibe would be like around Balmain recently (player wise) now that they now they'll be playing Div 1 and 3. I know they've lost the Cass (SHE) and Johnston boys (Back to Jets)from last year, although apart from Josh Cass they didn't play a great deal of Seniors anyway. How many are still around (of Premier calibre) and keen to play on?

[Footy Barista]

I do wonder what the vibe would be like around Balmain recently (player wise) now that they now they'll be playing Div 1 and 3. I know they've lost the Cass (SHE) and Johnston boys (Back to Jets)from last year, although apart from Josh Cass they didn't play a great deal of Seniors anyway. How many are still around (of Premier calibre) and keen to play on?

Surely the superstars from WA Selby lee steere, Conway and Round wouldnt be playing div 1, if so look out! Looking forward to when the clearances come out should be very interesting, the question is will Balmain have more leave this year or last year? they had a mass exitise last year in the clearances from what i can remember?

[saviour01]

Surely Bowen is a Balmain boy now, through thick and thin.