MT Eliza Junior Football Club has been banned from hosting home games amid concerns about the club’s governance.
Last Wednesday, 22 May, the Frankston and District Junior Football League announced that junior games at Emil Madsen Reserve would be moved elsewhere. The league said that Mt Eliza JFC was not complying with club rules. “The F&DJFL Board has made the difficult decision to move all games away from Emil Madsen Reserve in Mount Eliza until further notice. Based on the MEJFC Constitution, we find that the MEJFC is not compliant,” the league’s statement read. “While we are working with members of the club, we are in the tenuous position of needing to ensure the safety of all players in AFLSE competitions until this has been resolved. We thank all clubs who have been able to accommodate extra games at short notice.”
Multiple committee members have resigned from their roles at the Mt Eliza Junior Football Club this year, The Times understands. The club is not expected to host its next AGM until the end of the season. The Times asked Mt Eliza JFC why committee members have been replaced this year. The club did not respond to questions by publication deadline.
In a statement sent to club members last week, Mt Eliza JFC said it consulted with Consumer Affairs Victoria when appointing new committee members to ensure it was complying with the club constitution. “The committee is disappointed that the FDJFL has moved games away from Emil Madsen Reserve. We are seeking clarification from FDJFL about its decision. Other than the appointment of the new committee members, the committee’s position is that nothing has changed (including to MEJFC’s insurance) to necessitate MEJFC not being able to play games at its home ground,” the club statement read.
The new committee also told club members that it is working to rectify “negative cashflows in the operating activities of MEJFC”. The statement read that the club will follow an auditor’s recommendation to implement “controls and processes for cash handling and disbursements” and “a systematic tracking system for Square transactions to enhance transparency and accuracy in financial reporting.” The club also said it would address a “lack of clear processes, procedures or a strategic roadmap for the future.”
The senior Mt Eliza Football Netball Club is not affected by the decision. The AusKick program is expected to continue running at Emil Madsen Reserve. Late last week the Mt Eliza Football Netball Club released a statement calling on the junior club to address misconduct allegations and rectify its off-field issues. “There have been allegations made of serious misconduct within the MEJFC and decisions have been made outside of club policies and constitutions. As a result of this, there were mass resignations”, the senior Mt Eliza FNC said.
“It is great to see there are so many people willing to put their hands up to support the junior club, as the club will most certainly need a complete re-structure and re-build. But you only get one chance to do that, and you want to make sure the right bums are on the right seats. And as per club constitution, the members need to elect these people into the roles, and they need and deserve to have buy-in and transparency in this process moving forward.”
Kids kicked out of home ground
