MARYBOROUGH president Terry Hillier says the Magpies remain committed to a future in the Bendigo Football-Netball League beyond this year.
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The plight of the Magpies was thrust into the spotlight last Saturday when the club was forced to forfeit its reserves team, and its winless senior side then copped Maryborough’s biggest hiding since rejoining the BFNL in 1992 when beaten by Golden Square by 238 points.
The Magpies will field a reserves side in this Saturday’s home game against South Bendigo, while Hillier said the club – which has faced a consistent battle for numbers in recent years – remained committed to playing on in the BFNL from 2016 onwards.
“Our priority has always been to remain in the Bendigo league,” Hillier said on Wednesday.
“There is a lot of AFL Central Victoria and Goldfields commission work being done in response to a review paper (into the health of clubs within the Maryborough district) that is being discussed, our recruiting hasn’t stopped all year and we’ll be meeting on Monday regarding our coaching recommendation for next year.
“We want to have a coach appointed by the end of the season so we can let our players know early where we’re heading and it gives us some leverage in terms of signing on the kids for next year and to target our recruiting lists.”
Asked how the Magpies were selling their club to prospective coaches, Hillier answered: “The group of young kids we’ve got and the cultural aspiration we want in town.
“There’s a big push for us with the young kids… we know it will take time, but we want our kids to go as hard as they can for as long as they can at the best level.
“We’re trying to put in place strategic plans and activities that will put us in a good place going into the future. The on-field stuff is part of that, but do you just measure a club on how successful they are on the field?
“There’s only one grand final winner each year, so you can counter that argument a bit, but we want the community behind us and to be the hub of footy in Maryborough, which is our main aim.
“We are a club that hangs in there, and we’re a club that works hard because we know our community needs a major league club.
“We’re all passionate about knowing the club is important for our town and we’ll continue on.”
The Magpies have a major event planned this weekend at the Carisbrook Harness Racing Complex when they celebrate both their 135 years of history, as well as their 1965 flag won in Ballarat.