There is no denying that season 2020 has been a tough one for the Bulldogs family.
While results over the past few games have not gone our way, there can be no denying the team is putting in, with several of them resulting in close losses after we were unable to finish the games off. We know that we need to improve across the board as a Club to deliver our goals of returning to the top of Rugby League.
We have made many key changes for 2021 designed to turn this around, remembering that 2021 was the year we flagged as where our Salary Cap, both Top 30 and Development Squad, would be controlled by our decisions and not inherited ones.
With the results of the team at the front and centre of all of our minds, there are many other areas of our business that I need to update you on and despite the many challenges presented by COVID-19, we are working extremely hard on your behalf to prepare for next year.
Financial Update
It is fantastic to be able to report that the Football Club has come through an incredibly challenging COVID-19 period in a strong position, and are on target to post a healthy profit on our 2020 Profit and Loss.
In what has been a tough challenge for all businesses, we have managed to navigate the landscape through early action, careful planning and budgetary constraint to protect the long term viability of the club.
It needs to be stated that our monthly grant from the Canterbury League Club stopped in March by mutual decision.
The League Club stopped trading at that point and had to undergo its own operational review.
Both Clubs have worked closely together through these challenging times, and are stronger for it. This meant that as a Football Club we have had to operate with no grant in recent months, so it is great to be able to report that we are on track for a surplus this year, despite the challenging situation we found ourselves in.
A big thanks to Andrew Hill and his staff for creating this result and navigating the club through a tough six months.
Football Update
A number of tough decisions have been taken this season, including the decision to part ways with our Head Coach Dean Pay and a number of other football staff.
We will also see several players finish their time up at the Bulldogs.
It is important to thank all of those departing for their tremendous efforts on behalf of the club during their time here in what have been difficult times. Every player who wears a Bulldogs jumper deserves our respect for competing in the toughest game of all.
We now welcome Trent Barrett as our new Head Coach for 2021, and I know that everyone is behind Trent as he looks to take over at the start of pre-season in November.
On the playing side we have welcomed English International Luke Thompson and Tim Lafai, re-signed Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Adam Elliott and Brandon Wakeham and seen the return of Jayden Okunbor to our Top 30 squad.
In addition, we welcome exciting State of Origin back Nic Cotric to Belmore next season.
We have a number of spots to fill within our roster for 2021 and announcements around these players will be made in the coming months.
It has also been pleasing to see the NRL debuts of two local juniors in Jake Averillo and Matt Doorey this season, as we continue to look to become a club that can develop talent from within our own junior football and Bulldogs Pathways.
We are also delighted to see the continual development of our women’s teams.
Having representative teams in the Lisa Fiaola, Tarsha Gale and Harvey Norman competitions has been crucial in creating opportunities for girls coming through the system and we are hopeful of being able to operate a NRLW side in the coming years.
Partnership formed with the Mounties Club
We recently decided to form a partnership with the Mounties Club that we believe will provide a great pathway for all boys and girls from junior level through to the NRL and NRLW.
As part of that joint venture Mounties will represent the Bulldogs in the Canterbury Cup and Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership, while the junior men’s (Harold Matthews, SG Ball and Jersey Flegg) and women’s teams (Lisa Fiaola and Tarsha Gale), will remain under the banner of the Bulldogs.
With the recent impact of COVID-19 and the pressure that has put on clubs to look at different ways to achieve outcomes, we felt that partnering with a club that has over 150 000 Members and a tremendous infrastructure such as Mounties, will create combined resources that can help create success, while easing a significant cost burden in the current COVID-19 environment.
As part of that partnership we have been able to appoint former Bulldogs great, Mick Potter to coach the Mounties side next season and he will be working closely with incoming coach Trent Barrett to look after the transition of players into the NRL.
Final two home match this season at ANZ Stadium
Stay tuned for more information as to 2021 membership and corporate packages, however, I wanted to take the chance to encourage members and hospitality partners to get to one or both of our two remaining home games for 2020, both of which will be played at ANZ Stadium.
We are permitted up to 10 000 in the stadium under the COVID distancing protocols and the board and management, but more importantly the team, would love to see us reach that capacity at our final home game of the season against the Panthers on Saturday 26 September (3pm).
We are looking at our home game options for next season and will make sure that you are informed as soon as we have a full schedule.
Laundy Group to be our Major Sponsor
Our Sponsorship team have worked tirelessly for several months to secure a Major Partner in the most uncertain economic environment ever known, a fact that has been demonstrated in recent weeks with a number of NRL clubs losing Major Sponsors.
As such it was thrilling to recently announce that Laundy Hotels – a long term member of our Bulldogs Family – as our new Major Partner.
The Laundy Family have been wonderful friends and supporters of our club for decades, and their success story is one we should all be proud of.
From their initial base of the Twin Willows Hotel in Bass Hill, this family business has grown to over 60 venues across Australia. This partnership is a great fit for our club, and we look forward to a long and successful relationship that delivers benefits for all.
Arthur Laundy encapsulated this recently when he said “Im excited about what the future holds at the Bulldogs. They have looked to restore old values and are heading towards a new beginning. I can sense a real desire to get the club back on top and that’s something that I’m really looking forward to being a part of.”
Adam Elliott raises over $10,000 for Autism
On the Community front it has been fantastic to see the efforts that Adam Elliott has put in to raise over $10 000 for the Autism Community Network.
You may have seen Adam rocking some blue hair at recent matches from the sidelines. He made a pledge to dye his hair blue if people donated to the cause and to back him up his dad and brother James decided to join him.
Adam has been able to raise over $10 000 for the Network and his tireless efforts to work towards this goal have been an inspiration.
Thank You
As the season draws to a close I wanted to thank you for your continued support and for being part of this great club of ours and we look forward to a new beginning in 2021.
Lynne Anderson (Chair) / Andrew Hill (CEO) |
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