Update 29/7/09
29 July 2009
I thought that I would provide you a bit of an update as it has again been a few weeks in which plenty has happened.
I found it interesting many people’s interpretation of the club deciding not to have a pre match function and to reduce our operations against West Adelaide. The Pre Match has grown into a great little function that provides value for everyone and I am sure that those who heard Mark Naley speak on Saturday about how he got his golf clubs when he was playing at Carlton very humorous. Something to do with a lady called “Judy” and the “Gang” from Carlton. However and put simply, the lower attending games cost the league and the clubs a significant amount to put on over the course of a season. They don’t actually make any money on game day . Here at Norwood we now make a profit or breakeven on all of our home games. The ability of the SANFL to prop up these loss making games throughout the league is becoming difficult in the current climate and we must ensure that we are not compromised by that. So do you have to walk an extra 20 metres for a beer on those games, do you have head to the next gates on those games and do we have to streamline everything on those games, well the answer is yes!
The other aspect of not having a function was why do we play against the Crows. Well with our Friday Night commitment we have in recent times asked that we prefer not play on Sundays here at Norwood (although we play Centrals on Sunday in Round 23) . So when the Crows are at 2.40 pm at AAMI Stadium on a Saturday and the ABC need a game to place in their 2pm time slot, Norwood will be that game while the other clubs move to the Sunday. This usually only happens once a year and we would hope that we don’t have the issue more than that in the future. So for the West Adelaide game we had 2000 people in and broke even. We did however cancel the Pre Match Function as the Crows, TV, the West Adelaide Crowd factor and of course Norwood’s form proved too difficult for the function that day. But we had a great function against South and look forward to on going support against the Eagles, North and Centrals.
While we don’t really apologise for tightening our operations we do apologise for the fact that when you get your Sunday Mail the results of Norwood’s on field performance cannot not be disguised as anything other than disappointing. The club looked long and hard at itself a few weeks ago and made the statement that our position in many areas was unacceptable after the work and expectation that we had for 2009. It was not long after that, Trevor Hill met with us on a Sunday and advised that he felt he was not able to achieve what the club needed from this playing group.
Anyone who knows Trevor, would realize that he worked extremely hard in the coaching role and the lack of progress since the Elimination Final last year weighed heavy on his shoulders. I met with Trevor and Anne last week for quite a few hours and it was clear to me that both of them had given Norwood everything that they could. Results and opinions aside, they have always put the welfare of Norwood first and as a coach Trevor has always been very much a Norwood man and a players man. On behalf of Joe and the board, we wish Trevor, Anne, Matt and Kimberley the very best for the future and look forward to the day that we might see him sneak in the back gate to watch the Redlegs again.
Where to from here is the task. Jarrod Cotton has taken over and has been described as the breath of fresh air that we may be needing. Converting that into a positive end to the season will be his task, along with the requirement of our recent statement, finding out from each coach, player and administrator that they really want to be a part of the Norwood Football Club in 2010 and beyond.
For many of you who expect more from the Norwood Football Club I hope that this doesn’t sound like more of the same. We are disappointed to have not achieved what we set out to do from the position that we were in, but we look to move forward as soon as possible. We will advertise the coaching position in mid August, interview in September, appoint in October and go into the first week of November with Pre season well under way. Mark Ross, Keith Thomas and Michael Taylor will be charged with the process internally and they will be assisted by a consultant who will ensure that the process is proper, professional and the very best for the Norwood Football Club.
Off the ground we had a very busy first half of the year and we have reset many of our goals for the year and now look forward to driving our business as far forward as we can. I ask that you check your diaries and consider the Wayne Phillips Special Ashes Lunch at the Robin Hood on August 14th and a look out for another Business Lunch later in the year. We are looking to utilize the oval as best as possible over the summer and are looking into having a number of community based events that incorporates the Norwood Fashion Festival, the Christmas Pagent, the Food and Wine Festival and the Tour Down Under.
The work with the council for the upgrading of the lights continues to be a major project but one that will allow the spectator experience at Coopers Stadium be far greater and the opportunities at the ground more diverse. Following behind this project continues to be the work required to deliver a concept and then construction of a new facility for members at Norwood. It has been a long time and words and promises have been made previously but we are hopeful of continuing to progress as best we can to deliver this facility.
There we be a monthly Information Meeting in the Premiers Bar next Wednesday at 6pm and I invite you all along for a quiet Coopers and a catch up.
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