Batten takes control at Doves

By Brad Kingsbury
DOVETON Football Club appointed former coach and 200-game player Stuart Batten as its new president at last week’s annual general meeting.
Batten takes over from Mark Woolgar who stepped down after four years at the Doves’ helm.
The former uncompromising Doveton defender briefly contemplated a return to coaching this year, but decided that his ties to Doveton were too strong and nominated for the top job after discussions with a close group of friends.
“We needed a Doveton person as president and there is a group of us that basically agreed that if one of us put up our hand the rest would jump on the committee and help out,” he said. “So I just though it may as well be me.”
Batten acknowledged the efforts of Woolgar to keep the club running successfully this year in the face of a significant player exit from the losing 2009 grand final side.
He anticipates on and off field success in 2011.
“We’ve already got a committee of almost 20 people and that makes it a lot easier to run a club than when there’s only a handful of workers to do everything,” he said.
“On the playing side there’s been a few who left the club that have said they will probably come back and we’ve got a strong under-18 base to build from this year.”
Batten added that the club’s culture of sticking by their own would be a priority.
“I think the key is that we have always been a club that has given its juniors an opportunity to play senior football,” he said. “That’s not going to change.” He said that the club expected to confirm coaching appointments for the coming season in all grades shortly.