MALVERNCITYF.C.2017-2022 BUSINESS PLAN

Malvern City Football Club working with the Stonnington Community to provide

sporting options for all.

VISIONTo provide our players with a complete pathway from entry level to the highest level, and promote active involvement in a community club that supports the development of young women and men in the City of Stonnington to reach their potential as players and members of our community in their own backyard.

MISSIONTo provide people of all ages and abilities in our community with the opportunity to actively connect with each other in a friendly environment and enjoy football.

VALUES• Friendship & Social Inclusion• Health and Wellbeing• Respect for Self & Others• Equal Opportunities• Commitment & Integrity• Teamwork

MOTTOFOOTBALL BRINGS US TOGETHEROUR COMMUNITY SPIRIT KEEPS US TOGETHER

HISTORY• Malvern City Football Club was founded 1976 for the past 40 years the club has existed in the Stonnington Municipality, all home games are played at Sir Zelman Cowen Park.

• A number of highly technical players of the club have developed their skills at Malvern City FC and have played at the highest level some have also represented Australia.

• The most current recognizable player is Connor Pain who played for Melbourne Victory and now is a starting player for the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League.

• Current Socceroo coach Ange Postecoglou played his last full senior season for Malvern City & still attends senior games.

• There are a number of current senior players who have been offered the opportunity to trial and play with National Premier League Clubs.

• The success of Malvern City FC can also be attributed the willingness of the Stonnington Council in providing venues for Malvern City FC to play at as the club has grown and/or outgrown its home ground and example being a move from Central Park to Sir Zelman Cowan Park has greatly assisted the club in the growth of its junior and fan base and for this we as a club are eternally grateful for the assistance provided by council.

MARKET SHARE• Currently in the Stonnington region Malvern City FC is the largest State League 1 soccer club with the highest number of junior players (7 to 15 year olds).

• .For the 2016 season Malvern City FC had a combined juniors number of 200 plus juniors in all aged groups registered with Football Federation Victoria

• Malvern City FC is looking at growing the junior base by 20% for season 2017.

• Malvern City FC is an inclusive club whether you are female or male your gender will not play a role in becoming a member of our club.

• Malvern City FC is developing some exciting new initiatives to increase the opportunities for our community to actively participate in football, including:

»» Community»Coaching»–»for»local»schools

»» Adopt»a»Club»-»a»program»inviting»our»retirement»community»to»get»involved

»» Social»League»-»for»over»35’s

»» School»Holiday»Programs»-»for»those»children»in»the»Stonnington»area»who»»» wish»to»play»some»football»during»their»school»holidays»

• We also acknowledge that our club needs to evolve to continue to support the development of our current players, to attract and retain quality coaching staff and provide a clear pathway for players of all levels to ensure that we meet the expectations of our community and our stakeholders.

• This involves considering both internal and external factors that impact on our ability to deliver these components that are fundamental to our core purpose as a community club.

• Off season our coaching team will undertake coaching and leadership training to support player and personal development, work on Team and Player Plans as well as look at opportunities for our players to train off season to maintain fitness, develop skills and keep our teams together.

• As a priority we will be focusing on improving our administration and communication capabilities both with our internal and external customer base.

• All Malvern City FC coaches have Working With Children Certificates.

• Kon Giannakarios (Council Liaison Manager) is also on the board of Football Federation Victoria.

LEADERSHIP• In November 2016 board elections were held with Mr James Ballas being elected President and Mr Andrew Mastoras being appointed as Vice President;

• Mr Kon Gianakarios has been selected by the board to continue his ongoing role as Malvern City FC Council Liaison Manager.

• Malvern City FC has worked hard as a board to engage FFV registered coaches to ensure that all teams are provided with the best possible chance in producing local home grown talent.

• The new board is a forward looking community focused board whose main priority is to link in with the Stonnington Community and ensure the youth of our municipality have the opportunity to join in and participate in football activities;

• Furthermore the board has set as a priority the inclusion and establishment of a senior woman’s team by 2018.

COMPETITION• Currently Malvern City FC plays in State League 1 South East Division which is the highest level for any community club;

• Season 2016 saw Malvern City FC achieve the following results:

»» Seniors»–»finishing»runners»up»in»Division»1;

»» Reserves»–»being»crowned»State»Champions;»

• Under 16’s being crowned state champions

• Numerous junior teams winning their respective state championship;

• The aim for Malvern City FC for 2017 is to be crowned as senior Champions and be promoted into NPL 2;

MARKET SHIFTS• The current landscape for Victorian football in State League 1 is for grounds to be fenced off so that crowd control is easier to manage this could be achieved by either permanent or temporary fencing.

• It should also be noted that the National Competition for the FFA Cup which is also broadcast live on an National TV by FOXTEL is a competition that Malvern City FC participated in 2016. Due to the inability of the club to use our current home ground in Kooyong, as the ground could not be fenced off we were required to play our games at Oakleigh Cannons FC at a prearranged cost for hiring the ground and the use of lights. Our progression in the FFA Cup saw us play against Hume City FC who play in the NPL which attracted over 1500 spectators however the entry costs for this game went towards the paying of ground fees, referees and lights.

• It should also be noted that during this time Malvern City FC’s Facebook page had over 20,000 hits over 4 consecutive weeks, which has now had a flow on effect with a significant increase of player enquiries to join the club.

• Malvern City FC has ambitions to have a standalone ground which is fenced off and is available for 12 months of the year;

COSTS• The current income stream for Malvern City FC is from canteen sales, the donations by board members and the small amount of sponsorship that we receive from our suppliers;

• Malvern City FC revenue is then put back into the club in the form of buying portable goals, balls, bibs, cones and uniforms for the participants at all levels;

• In addition any further monies generated by Malvern City FC is then used to pay lease and utilities cost to the Stonnington Council;

FUTURE INCOME POSSIBILITIES• Board members have agreed to increase their commitment to contribute $3000 per year to Malvern City FC currently the board has 13 members;

• The total projected income for the 5 year plan is likely to be - $195,000;

• The purpose of these funds is to work with council to find a permanent 12 months a year home ground and assist in the renovations of any pavilion, change rooms and playing field.

• As a club we also wish to attract more sponsorship however our inability to advertise our sponsors brands throughout the ground has also restricted our ability to attract more corporate sponsorship.

PARTICIPATION RATESThe below graph shows the player participation increase over the last 40 years only for our junior teams i.e. under 6 until under 16’s over the last 40 years which has quadrupled.

• Malvern City FC has attracted and continues to attract players from the Stonnington area however due to the success of the club, players are now coming from as far as Dandenong, Endeavour Hills, Epping and Tullamarine preference is always given to players living within the Stonnington catchment area.

• Football is the fastest growing sport in Australia and on training nights we struggle to find space for all the teams to train as a result we have had to manage the training and playing times for all our teams i.e. from Juniors through to seniors.

• As a club we try to minimise the impact of all two playing surfaces and therefore encourage teams to play around the outskirts of Kooyong field 3 hence our ongoing request that the grass be mowed to enable this to occur.

PLAYER PATHWAY • Malvern City FC is committed to providing complete player progression from Sub Juniors through to our Senior men’s and female teams.

• We acknowledge the important role that team sport plays in keeping people of all ages socially interconnected, particular for teenagers and young adults.

• Malvern City FC is the only State League 1 football club in the City of Stonnington offering children aged between 5 and 18 years the opportunity to participate in Australia’s fastest growing game. It is therefore essential for us as a club to offer the opportunity for our players and our community to participate in football during and beyond the winter season competition.

• As an inclusive club we are committed and dedicated to catering for players of all abilities, aspiration and genders.

SUB JUNIORS

5YRS-11 YRS

JUNIORS MALE & FEMALE

12YRS-16 YRS

SENIORSMALE & FEMALE

18YRS+

MASTERS35YRS+

COMMUNITY INITIATIVES - THE LEGEND PROJECT• In 2016 in our commitment to engage with our wider community we became partners with the Legend Project. This program is aimed at providing meals to the homeless.

• In collaboration with our supporters, sponsors, senior playing group and The Legend Project we are organizing 4 events during the season whereby we will be inviting a number of the recipients of the Legends Program will come along for a warm meal and as a sign that whatever their circumstances Malvern City FC is here to offer encouragement, support and when required a warm shower.

COMPETITIVE INITIATIVESFUNDRAISING AND GRANTS

• Establishment of a committee dedicated to securing sponsorship, identifying and applying for relevant grants and planning fundraising activities.

• Develop formal sponsorship packages and communicate the opportunities for the local business community.

• Work with key stakeholders to identify potential grants and secure funding for essential equipment and facility upgrades e.g. steps outside of main club house to eliminate risk of falls when slippery.

• Formulate fundraising strategy and targets, including on and off season opportunities for implementation by the club.

INCREASE ACCESS TO FACILITIES

• Work in collaboration with Stonnington Council to source an “off season” base to enable continuity of key administrative activities and also playing field for school programs and ongoing training with juniors.

PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGY AND EXECUTION

• Redesign website to provide a communication tool for player, parents and the community to provide online registration capabilities to streamline process.

• Use the 20,000 social media (Facebook) hits to increase the profile and stature of the club within the wider football and non-football community and to increase the profile of our sponsors.

• Development of sponsors calendars.

• Promotion in raising the STOP RASCISM initiative of the FFV.

• Promote the State Government - Males Champion of Change initiative.

• Actively promote the – Fair Go Sport, Promoting Sexual & Gender Diversity program.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT • Increase and improve our strong partnerships with the City of Stonnington, Football Federation Victoria, YMCA, The Legends Program and other Kooyong Park tenants to strengthen support for a collaborative vision for a safe family friendly sporting precinct.

• Work with our neighbors to ensure that our objectives are balanced and consider the impacts on other users of the facilities and that we compliment their objectives in a way that maintains a high level of trust.

PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGY & EXECUTION• Develop strategy to increase awareness of the sporting activity at the park and enable Kooyong Junior Clubs to create a home to provide tangible benefit for sponsors to support the youth of the City of Stonnington.

• Work collaboratively with the City of Stonnington by offering to contribute towards signage to reflect the clubs at Kooyong Park to create more awareness in the local community e.g. Football (Soccer), Baseball, Athletics, Cricket.

• Actively seek meetings with AFL, Baseball and Athletics to support the improvement of facilities to the benefit of all and balance the needs of each club to service our combined sporting activities.

• Review canteen layout to improve serviceability and consider what equipment is required to enable all tenant clubs to share and use collaboratively to provide healthier food options for players, spectators and general park users.

• Address safety issues with the City of Stonington with the following being of urgent actions:

»» Access»to»playing»fields»around»the»change»rooms»facing»the»baseball»pitch»»and»the»football»pitch»due»to»the»steep»grass»incline

»» Putting»forward»a»proposal»to»council»with»plans»and»a»feasibility»study»to»»complete»the»works»including»the»proposed»amount»that»Malvern»FC»is»prepared»»to»contribute»to»the»works.»

ADVERTISING STRATEGY & EXECUTION• With the approval of council and other Kooyong Park tenants seek permission to source appropriate signage for advertising the different clubs leasing Kooyong Park to increase participation for all codes.

On the back of Malvern City FC 2016 FFA Cup Facebook hits increase stakeholder engagement inclusive of generating more sponsorship to assist in funding the club.

ASSISTANCE SOUGHT FROM COUNCIL• 2 grounds side by side one ground enclosed – we are happy to consider a ground swap if a suitable facility becomes available

• Player change rooms - 4 male and 2 female

• Seating area for 100 people in order to hold functions e.g. jumper nights, trivia nights and presentation nights

• Player race as per FFV requirements – player and referee safety

• Commercial grade kitchen

• Increase storage for goals and players benches

• 12 month ground access – facility

It should be noted that the player change rooms are currently available at Malvern City FC.

CONCLUSION

• Over the last 6 months we have had significant changes on our board whose vision is one of cooperation and inclusiveness this has now started to flow into all our key sporting areas inclusive of governance, administration and coaching.

• As the President of Malvern City Football Club I find myself excited in this new chapter of Malvern City FC and welcome the opportunities to work collaboratively and in good faith with our cotenants and community members.

James Ballas - President Tel – 0401 222 996 Email – president.malverncityfc@gmail.com

Kon Giannakarios – Council LiaisonTel – 0418 888 882Email – kongianna@hotmail.com