Football Victoria is proud to announce its support for the merger between Bentleigh Greens Soccer Club and Bayside United Football Club, following the recent historic announcement that the clubs will officially merge to become the one entity.
After ongoing discussions in recent years, including an affiliation between the two clubs, sharing of greenspace and collective volunteer resourcing in 2023, the next natural step was for the clubs to endorse a merger, with a holistic approach to football within the Kingston City Council region.
Of the decision, Bayside United & Bentleigh Soccer Club Presidents’ Deb Ghuliani and Trif Rellos had this to say, ‘This merger is a proud testament to our clubs' dedication and hard work over the past few years. It's a decision born from a shared vision and commitment to enhance football in our community and support the growing strength and recognition of women's football. It promises to bring more opportunities, resources, and exposure to the sport we all love in the south-east region. We sincerely thank Football Victoria and Kingston City Council for their guidance and support throughout this journey’.
The move is strongly advocated for by FV, as a blueprint for future club football models and all stakeholders and members will now reap the altruistic benefits of a well-supported and resourced football club. Increased access to government and local council support, an economy of scale, paid staff, technical funding and investment, year-round revenue streams and diverse member representation are just some of the many advantages of merging clubs in a local context throughout Victoria. Furthermore, it solidifies the long-term viability of our clubs within the community, delivering a uniform vision and aligned decision making process.
“On behalf of Football Victoria, I’d like to commend Bayside United and Bentleigh Greens, and their respective Presidents Deb and Trif for taking a courageous step in merging both clubs for the benefit of all’, said FV President Antonella Care. “This will deliver a sustainable operating model as well as ensure ongoing and future success for the football program at the club with technical, financial, council and community outcomes for the club”.
In 2024 Football Victoria will evaluate all affiliated clubs and continue to provide opportunities for proactive, respectful, and constructive discussions in the best interests of our sport, our participants and our clubs and advocate for mergers where practical.