The working group tasked with developing a return-to-competition plan for Lara has recommended that the club work towards returning to the field next year following a more than three-month investigation.
However, the Cats will have to find a coach and sign 45 players by October 1 to be a viable entity in 2027 as part of a ‘Go/No-Go’ criteria.
And it appears the Geelong Football Netball League is the only option for Lara, with the Geelong & District and Bellarine leagues both rejecting Lara’s advances.
The Future Planning Group (FPG) delivered its findings, which included a recommendation to join the Bellarine, following a wide-ranging investigation commissioned by the Lara Sporting Club after open-age football and A-grade netball teams were placed in recess before the GFNL season,
Chaired by former Football Geelong CEO Phil Clohesy, he, along with netball section president Shana Miatke, who was also part of the seven-member panel, spoke about the FPG’s report to around 80 people at the netball/tennis pavilion.
Included in the report was a member survey, which attracted 156 respondents.
It was labelled “pretty damning information” by Clohesy, with comments around the football section including ‘toxic culture’, ‘divided’, ‘inner circle’, ‘no pathway for juniors’, ‘popularity contest’, and ‘accountability is non-existent’.
85 per cent of participants believed the club had no clear mission, 74 per cent said player recruitment targeted the wrong standard, 65 per cent rated footballer leadership as ineffective or very poor, while 61 per cent were dissatisfied with the club overall.
70 per cent supported a move to another league.
Noted was the poor performance of the senior and reserves teams since their last finals appearance in 2013.
The senior team had posted a seven per cent record, and reserves six per cent, while their under-18 outfit was marginally better at 11 per cent.
The report recommended a joint Football and Netball committee, with the intention of transitioning to incorporation as an independent entity from the Lara Sporting Club (LSC) within five years.
However, it noted that the LSC endorsed the establishment of a Lara Football Netball Club section, but not the transition to independent incorporation.
“On behalf of the Board, I want to sincerely thank the Future Planning Group for the time, honesty and rigour they have brought to this report,” Lara Sporting Club chair Lou Goodwin said.
“It hasn’t always made for easy reading, but it has given our club a clear and credible path forward.
“Lara has always been a club built by volunteers; rebuilding it will take that same spirit again. If you love this club and what it can mean for our community, now is the time to step forward.
“Together, we will re-establish Lara Football & Netball Club as a key driver of sport in this community, for our kids, for our families, and for generations still to come.”
Click here to read the final report
X: @krockfootball
