WILLIAMSTOWN president Trevor Monti believes his club has never been in a stronger position ahead of the 2013 VFL season.
Monti is leading the Seagulls for his 15th year as president as the club prepares to break into a standalone model from 2014 onwards.
With round one just weeks away, Williamstown has established one of the strongest playing squads in the VFL with the inclusion of former AFL stars Brent Prismall, Cameron Wood and Justin Sherman over the summer.
However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing with Monti recalling the tough financial circumstances the organisation faced when he first stepped into an administration role at Williamstown.
“When I first joined the board, in the days of the end of the VFA and the formation of the VFL, the club was in debt for $400,000,” he said.
“That was a huge amount of money. Today it would be the equivalent of $4 million.
“The tax department threatened to wind the club up and close it down. A lot of dedicated people at that time made a lot of personal sacrifices to ensure that we survived.”
Williamstown Football Club is now thriving.
The Seagulls contributed over $2 million to the redevelopment of Burbank Oval and community facilities which are now enjoyed by football, cricket and AusKick clubs throughout the community.
Monti said the upgrade is one of his proudest achievements in his time at Williamstown.
“Undoubtedly, I think the club will only get stronger from here,” he said.
“It is secure, it has a very, very good administration in Brendan Curry the CEO and Chris Dixon the football manager. They do a fantastic job.
“When I became president all there was, was a CEO who for a long time didn’t even take any wages and worked out of the ticket booths at Williamstown which is about as big as a small toilet. That’s how far Williamstown has come.”
Monti said the next step for the club is to get the community involved in the Seagulls’ 150th anniversary celebrations, which will take place next year.
“We do intend to involve the community as much as we can next year. After all, it is the community that has supported the club for so long,” he said.
“Without that support the club could have folded. It has had crises, which it has had to meet on all those occasions. Each time that has occurred and the club has looked like going under, people from the community have stepped forward to save it.
“We want to focus on giving back to the community as part of our celebrations.”
