lack of interest from the club management.

lack of understanding that if your senior teams are not in top division or performing well, best juniors will leave for better options

Every Big V program is dependent on the board/management being prepared to spend money on players (especially imports) to be competitive. This means taking money from other programs (especially juniors) and spending it on the senior program.

Only takes a slight shift in financial priorities of a board and ...

A fundamental weakness of Big V as it is the big loss making program at many (most ?) associations.

The wheels on the bus go round and round ...

What the hell has happened to the Youth League Girls, you'd think a strong junior program with a direct pathway to elite seniors would never get to this.

To be clear, nothing against the girls actually lacing them up each week, they're clearly just in over their heads, more the state of the program to have a team with these results.

From what I hear, the youth league team is their 18/2 girls, the senior women are actually their 18/1 girls.

A lot of players lost due to previous coaches, best 18's from last year off to college.

@Alexeyvom, this post isn't about your politics mate, even if it was why post it in Serbian instead of English.........?

Dude, really!!

^^^ the club absolutely wants juniors coming through and playing big v ...

The issue is the many kids (especially girls) who come thru the junior program and enjoy success but then swan off to another club to play big v or nbl1.

No such thing a club loyalty it seems ....

@Bear don't speak Serbian ...
can anyone summarise ?

Buelller ? Anyone ?

He's a pretty damn good import to be fair.

@CR, it's spam, to be ignored and should just be removed as it has no relevance to anything here.

Who's the April fool?? Do your homework! No need to name players. They were a talented cohort. Two of last year's 18's are now at COE, and 3 are heading off to college soon - two of them are playing at nearby NBL1 teams. Another current U18 player was lured to an NBL1 team with Vic Metro connections and lack of scruples. But that's another story!

The karma bus has hit Bulleen hard - for years they have enjoyed an influx of talented juniors with starry-eyed parents hopeful of pursuing the WNBL dream. No WNBL = small talent pool. NB Dandenong, your time may come.

The club management failed to act on a disenfrancising senior coaching group who were kept around for 2 seasons too long - lack of money, lack of enjoyment, resulting in few players wishing to hang around. From what I can see at least the new current senior coaches are enthusiastic and prepared to give their locally raised players a go. And the club are trying to stop the rot and reconnect the pathway. I guess the mad/bad/sad will refute this, but the club is a good one, with a history of developing players over many years. Good luck to all involved!

Anon #331 you sound pretty close to it ??? :-)

Don't agree with the WNBL comment ... in the last many years of WNBL at Bulleen only one or two juniors made it through to WNBL, and only at the fringe ... the junior program was just well run for a good period of time and attracted lots of external players.

Is interesting to note looking through Big V and NBL1 team lists now - many players, especially girls, who played juniors at Bulleen have gone back to other clubs, in many cases no doubt just back close to home.

The Club has also sort of become a victim of it's own success with players progessing to COE and college ... but not all bad, still a good list of qualifying teams to the upcoming Classic ... the challenge now is just to work out a couple of years of transition to ensure that a pool of juniors do stay on to become the core of a true Bulleen based Big V team ... time will tell.

It's great when mama and papa bear drive their children thru 25 suburbs and by 3-4 rep clubs to reach the Mecca. When Johnny or Jenny start driving they say screw that idea I’m playing local. Does that help OP.

I think Anon #331 answered part of the question on what is going wrong

3 players from last year u18 girls that are going to college (leaving for college doesn't prevent them from playing at Bulleen right now) have left the club for NBL1 or other SCW opportunities.

The better players are not going to hang around and play in a team that is barely avoiding relegation or for a club that has to bring imports in mid season to avoid relegation.

Imagine if the club/coach had thought it might be a good idea to get 2 x quality imports from the first game??? Neither SCW or VYCW would be in the position they are currently in and may be looking to compete for a finals spot?

Downfall of mens programs started 3 or 4 years ago when they were relegated to Div1 and there was no immediate plan put in place to get back to CM.
4 coaches in as many years and less than 3 Bulleen players in the team will see them struggling for years to come.

Anon #421 ...

Regardless of decisions at Bulleen ... many/most teams in SCW need two imports to be at the top of the division ... and some need two imports to even be competitive ...

This issue even more so now with the teams that left for NBL1.

Big V needs to decide why it exists ... to develop local talent or just be a competition where whoever can afford/find the best imports gets the prize.

Why does BIG V need to be a semi-pro pathway to greatness.

In Football Terms, why would someone play for West Heidelberg in the NFL - for potential AFL stardom or because they like playing for the area they grew up, the junior club they played for, or with friends of similar age and ability, to have a fit and competitive lifestyle.

BIG V can also be for association and club pride not prizes and stardom

@Anon

I agree Big V is expensive for clubs, where could it save costs.
No stats in YL1/2 perhaps? Trying to think how to keep the costs down.