Club Message & Media Statement - Breckler Medal Awards Night 28 September 2018

Club Message & Media Statement

Breckler Medal Awards Night 28 September 2018

During the Voluntary Administration period, a discussion was held with the Administrators regarding planning for the Breckler Medal night. Players fees, that were received in early 2018, included an amount for the Breckler Medal function. This money was received early in the 2018 year, and no longer available to the Club to offset the cost for players to attend the function.  The discussion with the Administrators was whether to not host the Breckler Medal function at all, or alternatively, charge the players to attend the function. To honour the payments already received the decision was made to host separate functions and to have tickets available for general sale to help offset the lack of revenue from the players attending the function. The Club is trying to financially manage the fact that the player fees were received at the beginning of the year, and we now do not have those funds to help pay for the functions.

The men’s function will go ahead and we anticipate we will be able to sell approximately 150 tickets, thus reducing the expected loss. We are planning the same for the women, equally expected that there will be 150 tickets available for sale. With separate functions the players will be able to have partners, friends and family in the room. If we hosted a combined function, there would be a greater financial loss to the Club and virtually no ability for partners, friends or family to attend. The Club is not in a financial position to hire a 500 seat function centre to host a combined Breckler Medal Awards night.

The men’s Breckler Medal Awards Night is set for 28 September 2018; details of the women’s Awards Night are yet to be agreed. The Club has a meeting set for Wednesday 12 September 2018 with the Women’s Team Manager and a representative group from the women’s teams. Whilst the Club understands this is not the ideal situation, all our decisions must be based on the financial outcome.

Earlier this year the CEO, with the Football Director and the General Manager Football Operations met with the Women’s Team Manager. The purpose of the meeting was to look at the revenue shortfall for the women’s program. It was agreed there was a shortfall of approximately $15,000 and the women’s teams would need to look at ways of fund raising to offset the shortfall. When the Mundella competition was announced, it was agreed this was a great opportunity for the West Perth Football Club to get behind the women’s team and support them in the quest to win the competition and for the $5,000 to be used against the revenue shortfall. This has always been the case and continues to remain so.

Linda Hamersley

Chief Executive Officer