BFNL - Tigers wipe away 2018 debt; club participation at record level

READ MORE - Kyneton cuts $200,000 debt two years ago down to $40,000

THE Kyneton Football-Netball Club has wiped away the $200,000 debt that three years ago forced an impassioned plea for community support.

Kyneton revealed in August of 2018 the $200,000 debt, which former president Karen O'Sullivan said at the time stemmed from a legacy debt from the Tigers' senior side recession in 2013, combined with improvement costs at the club, such as a new netball court and lighting.

Three years on current president Hayden Evans says the Tigers have now cleared the debt, with another major raffle that carries a first prize of a 2021 Toyota Hilux Rugged X 44 or a 2021 Toyota Prado GXL 44 from Kyneton Toyota having helped drive the club's improved financial position, along with strong sponsorship support.

"We're out of debt as a club and I think what it shows for some other clubs that may really battle over the next few years because of COVID is it can be done," Evans said this week.

"We've needed to have a club restructure whereby we've stripped the club back to see what's working and what's not and through that review process we've been able to identify different ways at which we could stop leakage and keep accountability around our finances to operate in a responsible way.

"We've got sponsorship at record level and that's a real pat on the back for the community that has got in behind us and supported us."

While the wiping of the debt is a major positive off the field for the Tigers, on it the club has had strong participation on the back of last year's cancelled season due to COVID.

"We've created the one club policy where we've now got the juniors, seniors, netball, our new FIDA side and women's football all under one umbrella," Evans said.

"As a club we've got record sponsorship, membership and participation. We've put in a lot of work on our juniors from the AusKick level and the club is really excited to be seeing that work start to pay off.

"Michael O'Brien (former Kyneton player who played two AFL games with West Coast) has taken the reins of the AusKick and we're now up over 100 kids and that has been a great turnaround for us."

O'Brien is among three former AFL players filling roles at Kyneton this year, along with new senior coach Paul Chapman (280 games with Geelong and Essendon) and football director Nathan Thompson (179 games with Hawthorn and North Melbourne).

"As a club we're really fortunate to have that calibre of experience... we're definitely a bit spoilt in that regard," Evans said.

With the BFNL opting against a return to competition this week, the Tigers - who sit seventh on the senior ladder and sixth in the A Grade netball - will re-start their season on August 7 against arch-rival Gisborne at home.

For more information on the Tigers' major raffle that will be drawn on August 7, visit www.kynetonfnc.com/product/kyneton-fnc-raffle-2021/

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: