North Ballarat have been told by AFL Victoria their licence for the 2018 season will not be renewed.
The Roosters recently addressed the AFL Victoria board and pleaded their case to remain in the league, but AFL Victoria CEO Steven Reaper said the league's governing body were not confident in the club anymore.
“After significant upheaval at board level in recent years at North Ballarat, AFL Victoria believes the current position the Club finds itself from both a governance and on-field perspective doesn’t meet the key criteria needed for a continuation of the Club’s VFL licence,” Reaper told vfl.com.au.
“AFL Victoria needs to ensure there is a sustainable team in Ballarat, and one that is representative of the region and is fully focussed on a state-league presence.
“A recent football review at the Club indicated issues with the current governance structure in place to support the VFL program given it also had a focus at community level with North City playing in the local Ballarat competition.
“When combined with the identified need to also restructure the on-field program, AFL Victoria believes that all of the proposed changes would take significant time to effectively implement and feels that the Club would be better placed to focus on making these changes before again considering a VFL presence.”
North Ballarat Football Club were founded in 1882, and entered the VFL in 1996, where they won premierships in 2008, 2009 and 2010.