The Williamstown Football Club has expressed its desire to be a standalone VFL club in the future. 83813_16 Picture: DAMIAN VISENTINI
By LIAM TWOMEY
THE makeup of the Victorian Football League may be set for a shake up after Williamstown expressed its long-term desire to become a standalone club.
Currently, the Seagulls are aligned with the Western Bulldogs until the end of the 2014 season, but speculation is growing the two parties could separate before then.
Williamstown football manager Brendan Curry couldn’t go into detail about where the two parties currently stand, but did suggest it was in the club’s long-term plans not to have an AFL affiliate.
“We will be a standalone club,” Curry said.
“That’s our preferred option and when that is, is being determined and discussed at the moment.
“There are ongoing discussions and we will just have to work out what’s best for Williamstown Football Club.”
Williamstown aren’t the only ones hoping to be a standalone club with Curry adding, “The Bulldogs have always informed us that their preferred option going forward is to be a standalone AFL club like Collingwood, Geelong and Essendon.”
The Western Bulldogs were unavailable to comment on the issue.
AFL clubs fielding standalone teams could become more common in the future with Essendon parting ways with the Bendigo Bombers at the end of the season while last week Richmond agreed to end its alignment with Coburg at the conclusion of the 2013 season.
If Williamstown is to break away from having an AFL affiliate, it will join Port Melbourne, Bendigo and Frankston as standalone VFL sides.
It hasn’t affected Port Melbourne with the Borough winning last year’s VFL premiership and favourites to go back to back in a few months.
While the Seagulls may be on the verge of heading into a new era, VFL rival Werribee has no plans to end its partial alignment with the North Melbourne Football Club.
Various Kangaroos’ players are split between Werribee and North Ballarat.
Tigers’ CEO Mark Penaluna said the relationship between the two clubs had never been stronger.
“There is absolutely no issue at all,” he said.
“I’m actually meeting with the North Melbourne Football Club now to talk about the development programs we are rolling out, so there is no issue for us.
“We are very happy with the partial alignment that we have. It has proved to be very effective both from a development point of view both for our players and the Kangaroos.
“We are working hard from a football perspective and a community point of view to help both clubs grow and prosper.”
