The ‘one club’ dinner on May 12^th was a great night, with over 60 representatives from the senior, junior and women’s teams attending, no doubt due to the attraction of roast dinner and sticky date pudding that awaited the audience. Why ‘one club’? The background to the establishment of the junior and women’s teams and how our shared values have been identified was outlined by Trevor Ludeman.

In 2008 the senior team identified the need for a junior pathway to be established and it wasn’t until 2010 that there were enough players to form the first team, being an U10 side, which comprised of a 50/50 split of U9s and U10s . The year 2010 was also when the Moreland City Council embarked on the renovation of the outside of the Gillon Oval surrounds, with the removal of the old scoreboard, the reduction of the earthen mounds which surrounded the oval, the construction of a new car park and the removal of the perimeter security fence. The removal of the fence meant that the Club could no longer host VAFA finals, which had become an important source of revenue.

Another revenue stream was required; fortunately a local pub competition approached the Club about running a social competition that involved six surrounding hotels in the Brunswick/Fitzroy suburbs. This would be 6 teams x 3 games per day competition, spread over 4 weekends p.a. This competition operated from 2010 through to 2014, when the growth in the Brunswick juniors eventually prevented further access to the oval. Of interest, however, was that all teams had to have a minimum of 6 female players. It was from this requirement that numerous female players experienced the Gillon Oval and by 2013, with the assistance of the Senior Committee, the Brunswick Renegades were formed, playing their first game on Gillon Oval in 2014.

Why establish shared values? With three football clubs now sharing the facility and for player pathways to be established from junior to senior men’s and women’s teams it was imperative that all three clubs were on the same page. Facilitator Brendan Mason was used throughout 2014 and 2015 to work with the clubs to develop a shared vision and a set of values. It was through these meetings with the various participants of all three clubs that a ‘one club’ culture was first articulated. Values such as a positive learning environment, respect and inclusiveness, family and community focus, honesty, integrity and openness were all identified.

The values now adorn the clubrooms in the form of a new banner. These values are the ‘strategic pillars’ by which the one club culture and mission is to be committed to by all players, parents and supporters of the Brunswick football clubs.