Introducing our senior leadership groups for 2021!
Our leaders at the 2021 Season Launch. Photo: Phyllis Quealy.
Congratulations to our senior leaders for 2021 who have
been chosen by their coaches and peers to lead the Roys
this season.
We have a strong group of women and men across our club
and the mighty FFC is in fine hands with these leaders
at the helm.
It's exciting to see Jules Turner return to captain our
Senior Men and we're thrilled to announce Cass Blake as
our new Fitzroy-ACU Senior Women's Captain after Jess 'Lenny'
Hayes decided to stand down from the position. We thank
Lenny for all she's done in the role which has been nothing
short of brilliant. And Lenny will still be a big part
of our club, offering support to Cass and the leaders
when needed.
Senior Men's Leadership Group:
Captain: Julian Turner
Vice Captains: Nathan Ligris and Jack Hart
Deputy Vice Captains: Max Ellis, Donovan Toohey, Ted Clayton
Well-being Leader: Ross Borland
We'll announce the leadership groups across the rest of
the Club later this week!
New Fitzroy-ACU Senior Women's Captain Cass Blake
New pricing policy for ground usage: update on negotiations with City of Yarra
A quick update on our negotiations with the City of Yarra on proposed fee increases for ground and pavilion use.
As you know, discussion of the draft policy was withdrawn from the Council meeting agenda. Thank you to everyone for your amazing support and endorsement of the work we all do as sporting clubs across the City of Yarra.
The Edinburgh Gardens Sporting Community (Fitzroy Football Club, Fitzroy Junior Football Club, Edinburgh Cricket Club and Fitzroy Tennis Club) has requested to meet with the Mayor and Councillors and relevant Council officers as a start to a formal consultation process on the policy and associated fees and charges.
We’ve been contacted by many media outlets with interviews given by President Joan Eddy, Director Gabrielle Murphy and other members of Fitzroy Junior Football Club and Edinburgh Cricket Club on TV, radio and press – and have attracted a huge social media response.
We will continue to ensure the value of sporting clubs recognised by the City of Yarra across the entire municipality, and we're looking forward to a collaborative consultation process to move this issue forward.
We will keep you informed of progress.
Welcome to our new Coaching Director, Phil Bunn!
The Fitzroy Football Club is delighted to announce Phil Bunn
as the club's Coaching Director, a newly created position for
Season 2021 as the FFC continues to drive for success.
Phil Bunn has over 30 years experience in football at
a variety of levels from country football at Horsham through
to AFL level.
He was recently helping out at North Melbourne VFL (pre-COVID)
and has been a Recruitment Manager for SA/WA/Vic at Adelaide
FC, the Victorian Recruitment Manager at Port Adelaide
FC and the Development Manager/TAC Coach at Murray Bushrangers.
Phil is excited to take on this new challenge and bring his
wealth of knowledge to our club.
"The role of Coaching Director with the Fitzroy Football Club
offers me an ideal opportunity to return to the game I have
a great passion for, and utilise my 30 years of coaching experience."
We are thrilled to have someone of Phil's experience at the
Roys and look forward to having him on board for Season 2021!
Welcome Phil!
2021 Player Sponsorship - a new tax deductible option!
As most supporters would know, there are considerable costs associated with fielding teams to represent our great club. This includes grounds, trainers, coaches, footballs, insurance, league fees and much more.
Many of our players are students with part-time work, or graduates at entry level jobs, and finding the $295 to $430 for registration fees each season is a challenge.
To help ease this pressure, the club has established the Fitzroy Football Club Player Assistance Fund (supporting the Player Sponsorship program) to be used exclusively used to cover player registration fees.
Donations to the Fitzroy Football Club Player Assistance Fund are fully tax deductible.
These donation payments come to the club, and not to the player, so it doesn't breach the amateur status nature of the competition.
Through the club’s fundraising partnership with the Australian Sports Foundation (ASF), we have introduced a new system this year that enables supporters to receive a tax deduction for assisting FFC players to cover the cost of their registration.
The suggested donation amounts per player are as follow:
Team Player Assistance donation amount Men’s Senior and Reserves $430 Women’s Senior and Reserves $315 Men’s Thirds $315 Men’s Under 19’s $295
If you would like to make a contribution towards assisting a player but do not want to pay the full amount please feel free to do so and your contribution will be grouped with other kind donations. It all adds up and is a great help for our players.
If that player has already been supported, we’ll get in touch with you to allocate your donation to another player’s fee.
For further information, please contact either Robert Olney (sponsorship@fitzroyfc.com.au or 0413 767 907) or David Leydon (clientrelations@fitzroyfc.com.au or 0408 998 849).
2021 Strategic Review
In 2020, the Fitzroy Football Club - incorporating
the Fitzroy Reds - (FFC) faced the biggest disruption
in its history when the COVID-19 global pandemic prevented
the 2020 VAFA season going ahead. This significant
event and the accelerated growth of the Club over the
past decade makes it an optimum time to consider how
best to strengthen the Club’s future as a sporting
club of choice and a vital hub within the local community.
The FFC is undertaking a review during 2021 which
will culminate in the development of a new Strategic
Framework to guide the Club for the three years from
2022 to 2025. This Framework will be underpinned by
annual planning for each of the three years.
The review process has been initiated by the Fitzroy
Football Club Board of Directors to include input from
Fitzroy members, supporters, players, sponsors, and
other key stakeholders such as the City of Yarra, Fitzroy
Junior Football Club and the VAFA. The review will
seek to gather ideas and information about what the
Club’s key objectives should be over the next three
years, the strategies need to achieve these objectives
and the more immediate actions that need to be taken
to move the Club to a strong and secure future.
The review will acknowledge and build on the Club’s
rich and strong history on and off the field, and its
current position as one of the few remaining community
clubs within amateur football and playing an important
part of the Fitzroy community.
In 2021, the Club will further develop its focus on
player well-being and development and the need for
respectful relationships. These important programs
will be important tools in transitioning players, coaches
and officials back to football and in future years
as the Club continues to strive to be the Club of choice
for players, coaches, sponsors, supporters and members.
Maintaining and enhancing the pathway between the Fitzroy
Juniors and Seniors will be vital, along with keeping
retiring players connected and offering former Fitzroy
AFL and current Brisbane Lions supporters with new
reasons to connect.
Over the next three to four years, the Club will also
transition to new facilities as part of the Brunswick
Street Oval redevelopment and this will need to be
carefully managed to minimise disruption and maximise
the move to facilities which best meet the Club’s future
on and off field needs.
A consultation plan is now being developed to involve
past and current players, members, supporters, volunteers
and key stakeholders. This will involve a mix of individual
and group conversations and the ability to provide
written input.
The 2022 – 2025 Strategic Framework will be shared
at the 2021 Annual General meeting later this year
and made available to all Club participants and stakeholders.
The Toyota Good For Footy Raffle is Back!
It's back! Your chance to win some great prizes and support the mighty Roys!
In 2020, we raised a total of $5,700 which all went directly
to supporting our Club. Thank you to everyone who purchased
a ticket!
We've now got the 2021 raffle up and running and we'd
love to see FFC on the leaderboard and smash last year's
sales to keep our club strong.
