The board of Wyong Leagues Group and Cootamundra Country Club have unanimously agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as the next steps toward completing their amalgamation.
The MOU is the final step in the process that details how the amalgamation will work before members of both groups vote on the amalgamation proceeding. The voting is scheduled to take place in late May. Following this, a submission for approval will made to the Office of Liquor and Gaming in June.
When the amalgamation is finalised, all staff and golf pro contractors will be offered positions as part of the newly amalgamated club. All sports and social members will come across as members of the newly amalgamated club. Currently, the Cootamundra Country Club member base sits at over 2,000 members.
The process to merge the two clubs began mid-last year, with Cootamundra Country Club director Chris Dawes citing the move will help the club access “different facets and skills required to successfully operate a registered club in 2024”.
“The Wyong Leagues Group’s skill in operating venues of various sizes along with their commitment to supporting different sporting facilities speaks for itself,” he said.
“We want to partner with the best and believe that we have made a great choice in choosing a group that can take us to the next level. We have seen just how much Wyong supports local sport and it is fair to say that you’d be hard pressed to find a regional town with as many sporting groups as Cootamundra. I think this will be a great result not just for the Country Club but for the town.”
Wyong Leagues Group CEO Ben Coghlan believes there’s a lot of potential in Cootamundra Country Club and that the group can help it be even more successful.
“In a town like Cootamundra, with so many sporting organisations and groups, there are so many great opportunities for us to play a positive role,” he said.
“We have always firmly believed that community engagement is one of the cornerstones of our operation. In our discussions it has become clear that this is a view that is shared by the Cootamundra Country Club”.
If the merge is successful, it will bring the number of venues under the Wyong Leagues Group to 12. The last merger for the group was back in 2022 when it welcomed Hallidays Sports Club, formerly known as Club Blackhead, to the fold.