Why is the premiership win of Central Districts over West Torrens in 2000 so significant to you?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
When I lived in Adelaide, I barracked for Central Districts.
They had not won a flag in 30 years when they won the premiership in 2000.
I used to go to lots of their games because their ground was close to home.
I had seen them lose a few grand finals which was a bit tough to stomach.
The only sad part of the 2000 flag victory was I was not there to see them win.
I had moved to Melbourne for work purposes, so I missed that win.
The funny thing now is we live in Hamilton and a couple of players, namely Tim Meulendyks and Jarrod O'Brien, have links to Central Districts and Hamilton.
Tim, you were appointed the new Hampden League president last month. There would be some who would say that's a tough job. How have things been shaping — firstly for you, and secondly for the league in the countdown to the start of the new season on April 6?
I would say things are not too bad on both fronts.
I had joined the board of the league in December 2017.
I had kept a watch on things relating to the board because I was an inaugural board member of the Hamilton Kangaroos when Hamilton Imperials and Hamilton merged.
It was that position that gave me a greater insight into the workings of the league and local footy around Hamilton.
Mergers between football clubs often can get very emotional. Was that much the same for Hamilton and Hamilton Imperials when they joined forces to make the Hamilton Kangaroos?
I think it's a pretty true statement, they can get emotional.
I suppose when you look at the history of both clubs and the rivalry that existed between both clubs for so long, you can understand why it happens.
Footy and netball fans are passionate about their clubs and they have every right to be, but at the end of the day it's been proven that the right decision was made to merge Hamilton with Hamilton Imperials.
Football and netball, like so many things in life, has changed with time.
And if we don't move with the change, you can be in serious trouble.
I suppose some of the biggest changes relating to local footy and netball are the work commitments of people and family life.
So, we've got to adjust to cater for the needs of people.
Footy is not the only sport that has had to change its direction.
Were you chased to be the president of the league?
I had to weigh up a few things up relating to family and work commitments and discussed things with a few wise footy heads.
Once I had done those things, I decided to put my hat into the ring and I was then elected for the job.
The Hampden League suffered a heavy financial loss for the 2018 season. What things have you put in place to stop the financial bleeding?
We are working hard behind the scenes to change some things regarding sponsorship which I can't mention right now.
We also have some other changes in the pipeline, but they will be announced within the next few weeks.
We've got a full board of 12 members this year, which is a wonderful result compared to having only nine last season.
The new-look board bring a vast range of skills and we are putting structures in place which will ensure they are all aware of their roles and responsibilities.
The structure will focus on things which include finance, sponsorship, netball, football, projects, interleague and governance of the league.
We have bolstered areas relating to social media, accounting, legal and football.
The league is excited to announce that Stephen Soulsby has joined the board.
Stephen is a former general manager of the HFNL and has a wonderful football background.
He is the general manager of football for Williamstown Football Club and will help out the HFNL with various matters while still in his role with Williamstown.
It's a bonus for the HFNL that Stephen is based in Melbourne, as he will be able to look after things in that area for the league. His list of contacts relating to football is extensive and very impressive after years in football administration and we would like to think we can tap into some of them.
Sponsorship has been an area in which the HFNL fell down in 2018. How can you improve that area?
We've got to work on it and offer our sponsors more for their dollar.
Money is tight in so many areas and we've just got to offer more value for our sponsors.
The HFNL joined with AFL Western District region to help run football a couple of years ago. How is that partnership progressing?
AFL Western District does a lot of the day-to-day work for the HFNL.
It's a central contact point for football and netball in the area.
It's no secret it costs money to run and we're working closely with them to make improvements to the model.
The HFNL is putting KPIs in place for AFL Western District. They were never in place previously.
I'm meeting with Kate Williamson, who is general manager of AFL Western District, each fortnight to see how things are progressing.
I would like to think we have made some progress on issues that have arisen, but we've still got more to do as we outline roles and responsibilities.
One of the key responsibilities of football and netball administration is not to forget the passionate volunteer football and netball followers who help put the show on every week.
All clubs have them. I consider the volunteers as the legends of this great game.