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http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/star/williamstown-altona-laverton/284/st...

A NEW three-year agreement with the Western Bulldogs and a major funding boost from the VFL were among the announcements made at Williamstown Football Club's AGM on 7 February.

Trevor Monti, who was re-elected unopposed as president, said he was “delighted” to remain affiliated with the Bulldogs - but he warned the future of the relationship, and the make-up of the VFL competition, was impossible to predict.

“There are no guarantees about the future in any walk of life, but to get a new agreement with the Bulldogs is fantastic,” he said.

He said it remained a “distinct possibility” the Bulldogs could one day field its own VFL side.

“It's not only the Western Bulldogs who've spoken about the prospect of fielding their own VFL side,” Monti said.

“There will be some changes to the competition in the years to come and it may be that those changes affect us and we will be standing alone.”

But Monti said he saw “no reason why we wouldn't want to extend it when the three year agreement expires.”

“We are enjoying an extremely close and friendly relationship with the Bulldogs. I think it is a terrific thing for the Williamstown Football Club and we're delighted,” he said.

In other matters arising from the AGM:

• Monti supported the AFL's decision to take control of the VFL's administration. The new board will operate under the name AFL Victoria Ltd. Monti said he was assured funding cuts mooted by the old VFL board would be re-instated, and all clubs' futures would be guaranteed until at least 2014.

• Williamstown has received $110,000 from the VFL to upgrade training and rehabilitation facilities at Burbank Oval. The club will buy hot and cold spas, a gymnasium and other equipment with the grant money.

• Williamstown will not play any games at Burbank Oval this season because of the ground's redevelopment. The club's nine home games will be played at Werribee, Keilor, Torquay and Wangaratta. Williamstown will not derive any income from the canteen or bar during these games, but can still hold game day raffles and will still conduct president's luncheons at each of these nine games.

• The club signed a six-year sponsorship deal with building group Burbank. Burbank will build one house per year for six years at cost price, with Williamstown to receive the profits gained by the sales.

• Williamstown general manager Brendan Curry praised the club's decision last year to reject a pre-auction offer of 66 gaming machines at $77,000 each. Instead, the club waited for the auction and bought the machines at $5500 each – saving more than $3 million. The club will take ownership of the machines in 2012 and have the gaming licence until 2022.

• Curry said the decision of former Seagull Matthew Little to move to Bendigo partly stemmed from his relationship with Essendon coach James Hird (they are first cousins), and that the star forward felt playing for Bendigo would increase his chances of landing an AFL contract.

• Monti told Star the discovery of the World War II bunker at Burbank Oval would not affect the scheduling of the Burbank Oval redevelopment. “It hasn't caused any delays in the project, nor will it,” he said.