MID-YEAR REPORT CARD - HOW WE ARE GOING

To our valued members, partners and stakeholders,

It has been a particularly active 2021, and incredibly, given we operate on an October 31 football financial year, we find ourselves at the mid-point, or half-time, of our current year. 

As ever, there is much happening within the walls of a leading WAFL Football Club, therefore I wanted to write to all our stakeholders to provide some general updates, rating our performance to-date at the ‘Premier Family Club’.

It is important that as we grow as a Club, we regularly evaluate how we are going, and in doing so ensure that improvement continues to be a fundamental aspect of what we do.

We value feedback and seek it from our Fans – please reach out and share here: admin@sffc.com.au.

FOOTBALL PROGRAMS

Our Women’s program commenced before our Men and as such will come to a Home and Away fixture conclusion in the next month. It has been a challenging season for our WAFLW and Reserves teams, but the spirit, resilience and resolve to compete shown by all is just tremendous.

The scoreboard does not always fairly recognise effort and persistence, we know this, but we certainly anticipate supporting our Rogers Cup (U18 Females) side though a deep Finals Football campaign.

When building a program such as this from the ground up, challenges present, and there has been plenty of learnings for us, but we are committed and the incremental improvements being witnessed are pleasing and encouraging. We are on the right path.

Our WAFL League, Reserves and Colts sides enjoy a State game bye weekend rest, and after some fast and ferocious football across recent rounds, it is welcomed. We are competing well, witnessing wins, and will be refreshed by this break to attack the middle section of the season with real purpose. 

GAME DAY ATTENDANCE 

Our WAFL attendances and other match-day performance metrics are captured and analysed after each home game at Fremantle Community Bank Oval. 

We are averaging just below x2,000 fans per game (4 games played), which is acceptable and in-line with expectations, though our gate receipt revenue is tracking below budget. 

We are working tirelessly to market ourselves to new audiences and acknowledge it’s a long-term play. With some of our more ‘marquee’ games upcoming in the mid and back half of the fixture, we anticipate an upswing in attendance and revenues, and we ask for support from our Members and Fans.

MEMBERSHIPS 

Membership continues to be a considerable growth driver for the Club, and a point of pride. We have surpassed last year’s 20-year member record of x2,394, and are currently reporting x2,652 financial members of the Club, with further attainable growth in sight.

Accordingly, this has been a positive revenue result for us, and we are thrilled to have exceeded our membership income target for 2021. If you have not yet ‘Joined the Family’, or have family or a friend who should, please do so at - https://membership.sffc.com.au/

COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS 

Following our considerable off-season of liaising with local businesses, understanding their needs, and providing partnership value, we are pleased to have experienced a substantive increase in commercial support (20% increase on last year’s full-year sponsorship result).

Of course, the glow of a Premiership is markedly helpful and shines bright, but it is just great endorsement for South Fremantle that we are a ‘go-to’ for businesses and their marketing and sponsorship capital.

A day at WAFL Footy in Freo makes for ideal client service, so why not reach out to us if we can help your business achieve its hospitality objectives? 

MAJOR PROJECTS

There are some big-ticket items in the pipeline, and these are important to the ongoing sustainability, showcasing and future performance of the South Fremantle Football Club.

In the immediate term, we have submitted a bid to host the 2021 WAFL Grand Final, in conjunction with the City of Fremantle and the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce.

Regardless of whether we would be fortunate enough to have our team/s ‘compete’ on the day, the hosting right again represents a significant opportunity to highlight Fremantle Community Bank Oval, local Fremantle businesses and procuring premium football content right in the heart of Freo – a key strategy now, and ongoing.

Our Redevelopment Masterplan for Fremantle Oval, a massive project and priority, has been finalised and publicly launched. We are working closely with the City of Fremantle, the Fremantle Dockers and the WA Football Commission to ensure that arrangements relating to our iconic ground are treated appropriately. 

This enables us to retain and improve the benefits South Fremantle derives from a tenancy agreement, guaranteeing a long and prosperous football future in our historical Port City.
 

OUR MID-YEAR CLUB RATING: B+

As a Board and Executive, we are satisfied but not content with our overall performance as a business, particularly across our primary areas of operation, and we are pleased to be experiencing growth in-line with our strategic priorities and forecasted expectations.

Learn who the Club Leadership Team are and what they do here:
https://www.sffc.com.au/the-club/board-of-directors

Our revenue generating activities are where we want (and need) them to be, and we are appropriately controlling the costs that a Football Club such as ours encounters, annually. Clearly, there is much more to achieve and we are setting up for a big “second half”. 

We are confident that if results continue, and we win a few more key “contests” (on and off field), then we will see a favourable result come “full time”, at our business year end. 

There is lots of Football left, and lots more to achieve in 2021.

See you at the Footy!

Go Bulldogs

Cameron Britt
Chief Executive Officer
South Fremantle Football Club