TOPIC:

This just gets sadder and sadder!
WAFL host club deal to last ‘forever and a day'
The host club arrangements with East Perth and Peel will last forever despite the historic deal being for a minimum of five years.
Trevor Nisbett and counterpart Steve Rosich said they believed the alignment model would be a success.
East Perth consulted their aligned club over the recent appointment of Brian Dawson as league coach. Dawson has a long history with the Eagles as a fitness coach and sports science consultant.

Members back AFL alignment
Mark Duffield,
The West Australian
November 10, 2012, 9:43 am

East Perth and Peel have cleared critical hurdles on the path to partnerships with West Coast and Fremantle after briefing members on the agreements reached with the AFL clubs.

East Perth's board faced 137 club members on Thursday night but the gathering played out as a reasonably tame one after reassurances by president Bronte Howson and new coach Brian Dawson.

Howson said concerns were expected but he believed the majority had left the meeting satisfied with the club's stance on the issue.

"The club was delighted with the turnout," he said.

"It shows the passion of the East Perth membership. It wasn't unexpected that there would be some disquiet about the partnership."

Long-standing members raised three key concerns: That the club might lose its identity, that the decision to form AFL partnerships would ruin the WAFL competition and that members hadn't been consulted.

Howson said the club's identity was protected by its constitution.

"The identity of the club is enshrined in the constitution so nobody can change the colours, the logo, the emblem or the club song or the governance structure without a special general meeting or an annual general meeting where 75 per cent of the members present vote to make a change. That isn't going to happen," he said.

"We needed to act relatively quickly and in the best interests of the club and that is what the board is elected by members to do. Had East Perth gone to a plebiscite of members it may well be that another WAFL club would have stepped in front of us.

"This partnership agreement, we believe on any examination of this decision, is in the best interests not only of East Perth, but in the interests of the WAFL and WA Football Commission."

Dawson told the meeting his coaching "ethics" would not be compromised and he had worked harmoniously with the Eagles when coach of Swan Districts.

On Monday, Peel briefed a smaller group of members and received "strong support" for the agreement to partner Fremantle.

President John Ditchburn said he had expected support for the club's decision.

"We are in a different boat to clubs that have been around for a hundred years," he said.
"This partnership … is in the best interests not only of East Perth, but in the interests of the WAFL and WA Football Commission.""East Perth president *Bronte Howson *

Would you expect anything less..from the EP and Peel Hierarchy? there minds were made up Because they decided to become part of the plan.
Both clubs were in financial trouble and saw this as an easy out.

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.
Abraham Lincoln

Make no mistake.. Dawson will be coaching how he get's told to.
re:quote <Dawson told the meeting his coaching "ethics" would not be compromised and he had worked harmoniously with the Eagles> Sad to say Leederville is now under the direction of a big franchise, not the other way around.

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Posted on 18/11/2012

As you would have heard or read, the Western Australian Football Commission (WAFC) has decided that a host club / club alignment for the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Football Club would serve WA football best.

Whist this is not the belief of the West Perth Football Club (and in fact the other six non-aligned WAFL clubs) there seems little we can do to reverse this decision.

It is important to note that WAFC do have the power to prevent such a move because they own the licenses of all nine WAFL Clubs and our two AFL Clubs.

Whilst not wishing to labor details on how the decision has come about, the WPFC feels compelled to advise all our members of the current position and what we need to achieve going forward.

In the past two weeks there have been a number of meetings between the WAFC, Club Presiden'ts, Chief Executive Officer's and Football Manager's of the seven non-aligned clubs. These meeting have been used to clarify facts and establish a united position.

It is our common belief that the WAFC has severely undercompensated the seven non-aligned clubs and not considered the intangible advantages that the two aligned clubs will inherit. There has been a glaring lack of detail from the WAFC hence the concern from the seven non-aligned WAFL Clubs.

As of Friday 16th November a list of mandatory concerns has now been established and a subcommittee formed to present and negotiate a fairer outcome for the non-aligned clubs whilst trying to preserve the integrity of the WAFL.

A subcommittee comprising of: Haydn Raitt (SFFC President), Brett Raponi (WPFC President), Vince Pendal (PFC President), Adam Kelly (EFFC Chief Executive Officer), Todd Shimmon (CFC Chierf Executive Officer), Peter Capes (SFC Chief Executive Officer) and Phil Smart (SDFC Football Manager) has been formed and will meet with the WAFC on Wednesday 21st November to present a detailed but simple document.

The mandatory points of concern are principally centered on competition rules (including talent pathways, player transfer, salary caps etc) and finance (rookie payments, funding to WAFL Clubs).

The West Perth Football Club and the other six non-aligned clubs remain committed to working through the issues with the WAFC to ensure that the very best outcomes can be achieved for our WAFL Clubs. It is imperative that the integrity of the WAFL remain intact for many years to come.

Brett Raponi

PRESIDENT

Anyone seen the movie 'wag the dog', it is abt spin and I reckon Raponi and a few others are doing a spin on their members and others to deflect any possible fallout in later times.

Yes Howson is one of the better spinners going around the WAFL but it seems to me that some of the presidents are looking to show a stout face when it actuality they are showing a stout farce.

Yes there are issues but they pontification by many, the owner of this site included, seems to me to be just a 'look at me parade' and not anything else.

The reality is that the WAFC answer to the State government, they respond to the AFL and WAFL and yes they get $'s from the WCE and Dockers and this then would imply a level of subservience to them.

Ask yourselves one question, if this outcome had not happened and WAFC sold the licences back to the AFL, where do u think the WAFL, your club and its supporters would be then, I think u would be watching a level of football not much above amateurs (with respect to that level).

all we can ask for as supporters of the WAFL is that any decision that is made by the WAFC is well researched and that all the rules and regulations regarding that decision are factored in when the decision is released.

What the supporters of the WAFL have been dealt is the exact opposite - the WAFC made a decision with no thought about the rules and regulations that would follow the decision, you dont make a decision about a competition and not realise there will be an impact.

The fact that East Peth and Peel knew what was going on and yet have been allowed to approach and recruit players from outside their district is a disgrace and to try and get the clearances through before any rules are put in place makes a mockery of the competition, its a total farce.

the WAFC made the decision without factoring in the ramifications of their decision,that is the issue.

one of the major issues isnt diplsaced players - its the fact that East Perth and Peel where recruiting players from other WAFL clubs whilst knowing this was all happening.

There should have been a freeze on all recruitment until the rules and regulations had been finalised, absolute joke.

once the WAFC started negotiations with any club there shoudl have been a recruitment hold on all clubs..simple as that..

Peel and East Perth have been given an unfair advantage as the rules and regulations havnt been decided and yet they are still able to recruit as at today, its a farce.

not sure where you work Anchorman but one would hope your management puts a plan in place when it makes a decision that affects its members/employees.

The WAFC has made a decision and yet still doesnt have a plan as to how things are going to proceed, then again they are full of people who cant get a real job so its no surprise they are so useless - its do what the Eagles and Dockers want and then worry about the WAFL clubs later..

its irrelevant whether it was forced upon the WAFL clubs or not, the point is when you make a decision you look at the impact of that decision..

as yet the WAFL clubs have no idea of the rules and regulations of the competition that they are a part of in 2013/2014..

simple as that..