Cleary calls on Richmond to delay plans on the VFL Tigers' future Cody Winnell
From: Leader
June 24, 2012 8:14PMCOBURG Football Club life member Phil Cleary has called on Richmond Football Club to delay any plans to ditch its alignment with the northern suburbs VFL Tigers for another 12 months.
Speaking after a media report on Thursday suggested the VFL Tigers could cease to operate in that league from next year due to their financial situation, the Coburg premiership coach and former player said Richmond ending its 11-year alignment with the 121-year-old local club would present a hope for traditionalists.
"On the one hand it's extremely disappointing but on the other hand it gives you a sense of hope," Cleary told Leader.
"The truth is alignments are always going to be fragile and leave the AFL side with the more power.
"I've got no axe to grind with Richmond but Coburg is not the Coburg Tigers, Coburg is the Coburg Lions (the club's former VFA name) and that's the way it should always remain."
Cleary has called on Moreland Council to ensure Coburg's survival should its alignment with Richmond fall over and is asking Richmond to hold off pulling the pin for at least 12 months to give supporters like him a chance to develop a business model that can see the local team flourish.
"The first challenge is for Moreland Council to pump money into its main footy ground and the second is for Coburg to explore bringing EDFL club West Coburg into Coburg City Oval," Cleary said.
"Instead of building a new venue in Moreland if West could move to City Oval then maybe they could co-exist at the ground and build a really big, strong local football entity.
"It would create pathways for local kids and become a strong, local domestic side that would certainly have a strong membership behind it."
Cleary said the strongest VFL clubs had the backing of pokies and highlighted the fact Coburg wasn't reliant on gaming money.
"This is something that needs to be promoted," Cleary said.
"That Coburg is a non-gaming club, but it needs to find a revenue stream and that's where local businesses and council have to come on board."
Coburg general manager Jake McCauley declined to comment and Richmond Football Club was unavailable for comment.
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