Strategic plan has merit, but costs need to be known

THIS week we got our first look at the Sunraysia Regional Strategic Plan.

It was full of great initiatives and recommendations, but it didn’t include one important thing – the cost.

What is being proposed has plenty of merit but without a detailed business plan and cost analysis how can any club president sign off on it.

The decision to move to what is being proposed will change how football is administered in this region forever. But do we really need to change?

The SFNL and MFL are run perfectly fine under the current structure.

Peter Walker does a great job in looking after the back end of both leagues.

He has the respect of all the clubs and, more importantly, understands football and netball in this region.

Under the proposed changes a Regional Administration Centre (RAC) would be introduced.

• Report to recommend Sunraysia football, netball revamp
• Merger proposed for SFNL, Millewa administrations
• Regional sports administration plan on the table

The RAC in theory would provide greater administrative support to clubs.

I say in theory because if you look at some of the other places it has been introduced it has been a complete failure and left leagues tens of thousands of dollars worse off.

Gippsland is probably the best example of why there needs to be a lot more information provided about the cost of any changes.

Representatives of leagues in that region have been very vocal about the additional financial cost of the RAC.

I spoke to someone who has had first-hand experience of it during the week and he said their league, North Gippsland, had pulled out and gone back to paying someone part-time to run their administration purely because of the cost of the RAC.

He was like everyone else who initially thought the whole concept was great idea and he still believes – if managed properly – it is.

I know the Central Murray and Wimmera regions operate under the RAC system and very successfully.

This might have something to do with the way this region is managed by Bruce Petering and his team, but for the sake of clarity and to ensure there is no recourse down the track, let’s lay everything on the table.

What is it going to be the cost to employ additional staff and where is that money going to come from?

Presume it is the clubs who will have to stump up.

At the moment, the SFNL board has put a lot of money back into helping clubs improve facilities.

Is this still going to happen under the RAC, or is this money going to be chewed up by additional staff?

These are questions that need to be answered and can be by providing a breakdown of all the costs.

If this doesn’t happen, then I can’t see how clubs can vote in favour of introducing an RAC.

The other changes which are being proposed, I think, can work.

The amalgamation of the two umpire bodies and appointment of an umpires manager is a great idea.

But for me the jury is still out on the RAC, purely because of the cost.