Media Release | The Ballarat Football Netball League can confirm that the investigation into a series of incidents that took place at Darley Park on Saturday 30th June has concluded.

Whilst the BFNL are not in the habit of publicly announcing the outcomes of investigations, it has been acknowledged that there has been a higher than normal public interest in this case and the need to communicate the outcomes to assure the public that the matter has been dealt with and a clear message that any form of anti-social behavior at BFNL venues will not be tolerated moving forward.

Following a formal investigation into what took place at Darley Park on Saturday 30th June, six clear recommendations were issued to the League to act upon.
Two recommendations were dealt with by the AFL Goldfields Independent Tribunal on Monday night at a hearing held at AFL Goldfields’ Arnolds Creek office.
The results of those two hearings were as follows:

1) Darley player Abraham KUR was charged under AFL Victoria Country Rule 5.0, unbecoming conduct, in that he:
a. intentionally kneed a spectator contrary to section 19.2.2(a)(iii) of the AFL Laws of Australian Football; and
b. engaged in a melee contrary to section 19.2.2(q) of the AFL Laws of Australian Football.

OUTCOME: KUR was issued a 2 match ban for kneeing the spectator and a reprimand for his involvement in the melee.

2) Darley player Heath SCOTLAND was charged under AFL Victoria Country Rule 5.0, unbecoming conduct, in that he:
a. engaged in a melee contrary to section 19.2.2(q) of the AFL Laws of Australian Football.

OUTCOME: SCOTLAND was issued a reprimand for his involvement in the melee.
The remaining four recommendations were passed onto the BFNL Board for consideration and each recommendation was discussed at length at a Board meeting held on Tuesday night at Saxon House.

The following sanctions have been handed down to the Darley FNC as a result of the recommendations discussed:

1) The Ballarat FNL has endorsed the suspension issued by the Darley FNC to former President Ray NEWTON, that he will be prohibited from holding an official role with the Club for the remainder of the 2018 season.
2) Four Darley FNC supporters have received a life ban from attending Ballarat FNL matches from this point forward. The Darley FNC will inform each individual of their penalties and must do everything in their power to ensure they do not attend another BFNL match moving forward. An additional member of the general public is also being tracked down to issue a life ban to also.
3) Given the prominent role played by the club President and Senior Coach in this incident, the Darley FNC have been fined $5,000 for bringing the league in to disrepute.
4) The Darley FNC will be required to engage an AFL Goldfields Football Development Manager to setup and run the following sessions for their Senior Committee Members and Coaching Staff of their Senior, Reserve and U/18.5 Football Sides:

Conflict Resolution: With a focus on how to behave when conflict arises, how to address the issues in a proactive manner and how to report conflict to the League and AFL Goldfields.

Code of Conduct: The club will run a session with all members (on-field and off-field) the League’s codes of conduct, the expectations around behavior and how to deal with breaches.

The Ballarat Football Netball League will now work with the Darley FNC to implement the above sanction and move forward with a positive outlook on the remainder of the 2018 season.

The investigation into an incident that took place between a Melton South Coach and Player is still ongoing and will conclude in due course.