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LONG-time Yarrawonga Football Netball Club president Glenn Brear will step down after more than 20 years in the top job.
The long-serving president has endorsed vice-president Andrew Mott as his replacement, with an official decision to be made at the club’s annual meeting on February 15.
The often outspoken Brear saved some parting shots for the Ovens and Murray board, saying the league needed to make some chances with its decision making, or it risked falling behind other regional competitions.
He urged the league to explore a fourth grade of football and a fifth netball competition.
“The smaller leagues put on a better show, simple as that. That’s why they get more through the gate,” Brear said.
“People come to see the best players; supporting lower grades will bring more people through the gate and increase player development, simple as that.
“The board can’t afford to sit on its hands and do nothing about it.
“Frankly, I don’t care what decisions they make, as long as they move forward and actually make them.”
The issue of equalisation was also mentioned, with Brear pointing out that
the Pigeons hadn’t always been in the position to lure star players to the North East.
“We got thumped by the (Albury Tigers) to the tune of 247 points in the late 1990s, and we came back from it,” he said.
“In my time we’ve had a terrific run of success because the desire to win and compete with clubs like the Albury Tigers became ingrained in our club culture.
“You can either roll over and tell yourselves it’s too hard, or you can rise to the challenge.”
The Pigeons were struggling when Brear took over as president in 1997, but have since enjoyed a long streak of success, including premierships in 2006, 2012 and 2013.
“It’s the lowlights in your life that really get you moving,” Brear said.
“There will always be a
time where you have to grit your teeth and just get on with it.
“We’re fortunate in that we’re now in the position to have attracted the likes of Brendan Fevola and Kayne Pettifer, and when things are going well that sort of thing is much easier.
“But, make no mistake, the high-profile players weren’t the ones who got this club to where it is today.
“You look at players like Craig Ednie, Xavier Leslie, who have been here for so long and lifted this club.”