Club Edgewater VCAT approval

[Go_Dogs]

To be honest, I am not completely across the intricacies of the Edgewater project, insofar as what we have invested and how the revenue forecasts have been (or not) incorporated into our growth model for the next 5+ years. I was however (at first blush) very surprised to read that we:-

1) Didn't think we would suffer any significant impact of the project not going ahead; and
2) Stated there would strong prospects of recovery against Prizac (notwithstanding there appears to be significant amount of work done previously, perhaps by way of deed's of settlement and release, noting the statement went on to highlight the confidentiality clauses which I would suspect are by-products of any deeds) who on the face of it, appear unable to proceed due to financial reasons.

The capital investment, associated holding costs and other expenses would not be insignificant.

We had been very confident this project was a key to turning around out off-field business and presumably had based a lot of our strategic planning around it. It appears the writing has been on the wall for sometime, and hopefully this means we have got our next few moves mapped out and we can move quickly to remove the financial burden.

In any event, I think this is the worst news we've had in the last 12 months, and that period includes a lot of bad news.

Wait and see I guess...

[Avoid the rush]

What do people think this does to Campbell Rose's legacy??? Seems most of what he instituted has turned to crap!!

[bornadog]

What do people think this does to Campbell Rose's legacy??? Seems most of what he instituted has turned to crap!!

What else has ?

[Doc26]

What do people think this does to Campbell Rose's legacy??? Seems most of what he instituted has turned to crap!!

What rubbish. Spearheaded the development of our Elite Learning Centre, instrumental in gaining the multi-million dollar federal government grant, kick-started funding to transform the Whitten Oval precinct, oversaw 5 years of consecutive profit and lead a positive $35m+ turnaround in our balance sheet, membership base of 21k to 35k by 2010 which is largely where it remains today, all during a period of having 3 consecutive top 4 finishes.

[bulldogtragic]

What do people think this does to Campbell Rose's legacy??? Seems most of what he instituted has turned to crap!!

Says more about his successor who was actually responsible for following through on what was a great idea. That successor saw Ward poached against rules and compo under what Melbourne got. A continued bad deal with Etihad and TV and generally treated water and oversaw the club captain walk out and senior coach sacked. Rose did a lot of good as a contrast.

[Prince Imperial]

At his last AGM (in early 2011), Rose spoke about the financial problems of the developer as the reason for Edgewater being delayed. Without knowing any more details, I don't think it's fair or reasonable to be blaming Garlick for this failure.

Entering into the partnership with Prizac and purchasing $3m of gaming entitlements all occurred prior to Garlick being our CEO.

[Remi Moses]

It's futile playing the blame game as we need to make the best out of a crappy situation

[Avoid the rush]

What rubbish. Spearheaded the development of our Elite Learning Centre, instrumental in gaining the multi-million dollar federal government grant, kick-started funding to transform the Whitten Oval precinct, oversaw 5 years of consecutive profit and lead a positive $35m+ turnaround in our balance sheet, membership base of 21k to 35k by 2010 which is largely where it remains today, all during a period of having 3 consecutive top 4 finishes.

Didn't see him have a kick so I don't give him any credit for making the finals 3 years in a row. Reckon the 3 top 4 finishes also may have been the reason for membership jump and profit. Elite learning centre is great as is lots about the new Whitten Oval, but thank Christ we abandoned the 'affordable housing' precinct!!! And seriously.....$35 million turnaround....Seriously!!!

[Eastdog]

How is the Peninsula Club doing for us down in Dromana. I reckon the Mulgrave Country club could be a good social venue especially for our fans who live out east. This would give us a bit more of footy hold across town along with Peninsula Club as mentioned and the efforts of the East West Club.

[Doc26]

What do people think this does to Campbell Rose's legacy??? Seems most of what he instituted has turned to crap!!

Didn't see him have a kick so I don't give him any credit for making the finals 3 years in a row. Reckon the 3 top 4 finishes also may have been the reason for membership jump and profit. Elite learning centre is great as is lots about the new Whitten Oval, but thank Christ we abandoned the 'affordable housing' precinct!!! And seriously.....$35 million turnaround....Seriously!!!

The points you mention simply don't happen by chance or solely from one area. As CEO they are there to lead and to instill the right culture to succeed, to ensure all parts of the wheel are functioning, bringing in the right staff to make a difference across all facets of the Club, setting the right direction, to make sound business decisions and to generally enhance our position. Sure he may not have had kicks or kicked a bag of goals on game day but then neither has Simon Dalrymple, Jason McCartney, Susan Alberti etc. Why shouldn't he get a level of credit for the broader successes the Club experienced at the time ?

And he has often been credited with the significant turnaround in our financial position through this period.

David Smorgon had a similar and glowing sentiment of Campbell's contribution which you obviously fail to appreciate, which is your prerogative.

“Campbell has done a phenomenal job,” Bulldogs president David Smorgon said.
“We have been fortunate to have had his services since August 2002 and beyond a shadow of a doubt, Cam is leaving this club in a significantly better state than when he first arrived.
“He has left an indelible mark with eight-plus years of hard work that has positioned our club for a very bright future. Our club owes him a significant debt of gratitude.”

Smorgon said Rose had ''strong attributes'' to be a board member and that Rose's contribution to the club was equal to its only premiership coach, Charlie Sutton. ''Campbell's impact on this club over the last eight years is equal to the impact that Charlie Sutton had when he led the team to the '54 premiership … every criteria is on the up.''
The club had been ''down and out'' when Rose joined, Smorgon said.

And the commonly published theme from media outlets at the time of Campbell's departure

Rose has made a name for himself in the West for transforming the cash-strapped club into one that has enjoyed five consecutive years of profit with a $38 million turnaround on the balance sheet.
During his tenure the club has also saw the $30 million redevelopment of Whitten Oval, its highest membership ever and growing crowd attendances.

[jeemak]

This isn't a car accident where the culprit or party at fault passed away and we need to start pointing fingers because there's nobody alive to blame.

It would be my guess that on the balance of information at hand the club thought to a certain point the developer was capable of delivering the project in the face of some hurdles, and after that point being deemed incapable of doing so pulled the pin.

If the message from the club is that it's had protections in place to recover the risk then we should wait and see what comes out in the wash.

We're a club that has had to be governed exceptionally well for a long period of time to remain viable (Rose, Smorgon, Garlick, Gordon included). I find it hard under these circumstances to believe a project like this would have been managed without appropriate protections being put in place, and contingencies planned.

The people running our club aren't stupid, even whilst they've been of varying talent over the past fifteen years.

[bornadog]

This isn't a car accident where the culprit or party at fault passed away and we need to start pointing fingers because there's nobody alive to blame.

It would be my guess that on the balance of information at hand the club thought to a certain point the developer was capable of delivering the project in the face of some hurdles, and after that point being deemed incapable of doing so pulled the pin.

If the message from the club is that it's had protections in place to recover the risk then we should wait and see what comes out in the wash.

We're a club that has had to be governed exceptionally well for a long period of time to remain viable (Rose, Smorgon, Garlick, Gordon included). I find it hard under these circumstances to believe a project like this would have been managed without appropriate protections being put in place, and contingencies planned.

The people running our club aren't stupid, even whilst they've been of varying talent over the past fifteen years.

You are so logical (and spot on)

[Bulldog4life]

How is the Peninsula Club doing for us down in Dromana. I reckon the Mulgrave Country club could be a good social venue especially for our fans who live out east. This would give us a bit more of footy hold across town along with Peninsula Club as mentioned and the efforts of the East West Club.

I have been there a number of times
The disappointing thing this year is that after advertising a player's function in August earlier this year it never happened
It happened in Ballarat instead
I rang the Club to get an explanation although I knew what the answer would be with our new Ballarat connection
I left my number for the Events person to ring me back over 2 weeks ago and I am still waiting

[Eastdog]

I have been there a number of times
The disappointing thing this year is that after advertising a player's function in August earlier this year it never happened
It happened in Ballarat instead
I rang the Club to get an explanation although I knew what the answer would be with our new Ballarat connection
I left my number for the Events person to ring me back over 2 weeks ago and I am still waiting

Yes there wasn't any mention this year of an Inside the Kennel at the Peninsula Club as I know last year there was and I think you B4L went along and reported back.

[Bulldog4life]

Yes there wasn't any mention this year of an Inside the Kennel at the Peninsula Club as I know last year there was and I think you B4L went along and reported back.

Oh but there was Eastie it was going to be in August this year
It was announced earlier in the year there was going to be a Bulldogs night but it was cancelled with no reason given