Presidency views divided

 

January 2 2009

Shepparton News

Frank Trimboli wants to be North Eastern Soccer League's last president.

In charge for the past two years, Trimboli faces two power struggles in the near future.

The first is the challenge for his title by former incumbent Vince Ballerini, the other to hand control of the league to Football Federation Victoria.

It's been Trimboli's view for some time now that the state federation takes responsibility for more than just metropolitan soccer.

The motivation behind it is simple, to grow and sustain the competition.

The departures of Griffith clubs Hanwood and Yoogali on the eve of last season left the league needing to look everywhere within reason for new clubs.

Trimboli believes the North Eastern league can grow by resolving the cross-border issues of the Victorian clubs in Albury Wodonga Football League.

Three names have stood out in recent years as clubs the league could tempt into its ranks; Benalla, Wangaratta and Myrtleford.

Benalla's stance in 2007 was quite firmly against the idea of coming back to the league.

The fact that stance has softened to the stage where its committee recently voted 9-1 in favour of attempting to return means something has changed dramatically.

The catalyst may well be the North Eastern league's weight of numbers administering the Summer Zone League teams, which draw their players roughly on a par between the NESL and AWFA.

But while Benalla's interest in returning to the league is a positive start, the prospects of Wangaratta and Myrtleford having a similar about-face are slim.

Key figures in the administration of AWFA are also prominent at Wangaratta and Myrtleford, suggesting the commitment of the two clubs is to the cross-border league.

Trimboli doesn't see himself or anyone based in the Goulburn North East having the means to convince, cajole or command the clubs to leave Albury Wodonga for an all-Victorian competition.

Recently appointed Albury Wodonga league president Craig McDonald's background is with the Wangaratta club.

``It's always touted that X, Y and Z clubs are moving from here to there,'' McDonald said in mid-December, prior to Benalla's announcement it was interested in the NESL.

``There is no (cross-border) issue, the structure of AWFA is going to stay exactly as it is.

``We have half NSW and half Victoria. Geographically we are a nice tight group and that's how it's going to stay.''

McDonald was reportedly disappointed to hear Benalla had voiced an interest in moving to the NESL, especially given the Rovers had reaffiliated themselves with AWFA at the league's annual meeting.

Trimboli said he wasn't interested in being president if a better option for the league's future was put on the table.

``I can see the FFV managing the North Eastern league going forward in a strategic move to corral the rest of the clubs in the Goulburn North East,'' Trimboli said.

``A country super league is what I'm thinking about.

``It will take the FFV to negotiate an agreement with Albury Wodonga and Football NSW to have those clubs become part of our winter competition.''

A curve-ball kicked into the mix will be Football NSWs' plans to establish a summer zone competition of its own, potentially turning the towns of Albury and Wodonga into a battleground between the states.

But that hypothetical can wait, Trimboli's primary concern is now stability.

``For our competition to grow in the Goulburn North East we have to relinquish control to the FFV,'' he said.

``Have them run the registrations, tribunals and fixtures.

``That way it will be seen as an unbiased management set.

``A board would probably remain based here to oversee things on the ground in the Goulburn North East.

``I envisage that I will be the last president of the North Eastern Soccer League.''

Trimboli said he felt the FFV was already in a position where it could take control of the league, he's hoping a presentation from chief executive Mark Rendell to the competition's clubs will be made soon.

Eye on top job

Set to challenge Trimboli for the presidency of North Eastern Soccer League is Vince Ballerini, a man familiar with the role having spent decades in the competition's administration.

Ballerini said last year he wasn't running unless he had a team with which he felt comfortable.

Now he describes himself as more determined than ever.

Ballerini believes six clubs are supporting him in the lead up to the January 13 annual meeting.

But he was giving away little when pressed on which new faces he proposed to bring with him to the board.

``I have a number of people who are interested,'' he said.

``But it's the clubs who will elect the people they want.''

When Ballerini announced he was interested in challenging Trimboli his first priority was to put control of the league in the clubs' hands.

Along with empowering the clubs, straightening out the tribunal is high on Ballerini's priority list.

He also wants to establish a local referee branch in the league and ensure the referee appointment officer is not a member of the league administration.

Ballerini said if the clubs wanted league secretary Sam Saracino to continue on in the role he would welcome it.

``I would like Sam to continue,'' Ballerini said.

``I want a democratic process.

``I will work with the people elected, I did have Sam in mind as secretary.''

He denied that keeping existing members of Trimboli's board was part of a push to simply remove the current president alone.

``Frank has taken away the rights of the clubs,'' Ballerini said.

``And the clubs are the most important thing in the league.''

Ballerini frankly admitted to never having visited the league's website.

``I've got no idea about the website, I'm one of the old fellas,'' he said.

He said his relationship with Benalla president Peter Gebauer was good and there was no bad blood between himself and the club.

Ballerini and Gebauer were league and club presidents respectively when the Rovers decided to leave the league at the end of the 1994 season.

``When they left they told me it was because of travel,'' Ballerini said.

``Now they're saying the travel is one of the reasons they're coming back.

``I don't think they would have any problems if there was a change (of president).

``I would welcome the club back.''

Ballerini declined to speak on the record about a range of issues regarding the league's recent adoption of a new constitution, written in conjunction with Football Federation Victoria. Saracino said meetings with the FFV referees' coach assigned to Goulburn North East zone had already been scheduled to establish a referees branch.