SA Footy

It looks as if the newly formed MVFL has its first new club, Murrayville and this presents a range of issues for mine:

- WUNKAR are already the bulldogs/same club colours

- 4 hour return trip for Murrayville to Blanchetown/Paringa and a 6 hour round trip to Sedan/Cambrai

- Murrayville have reasonable juniors and the MVFL sides struggle here

What are the community thoughts here?

Sorry it took two posts but TBH I struggle with posting phots videos stories etc.

Information HWY wrote:It looks as if the newly formed MVFL has its first new club, Murrayville and this presents a range of issues for mine:

- WUNKAR are already the bulldogs/same club colours

- 4 hour return trip for Murrayville to Blanchetown/Paringa and a 6 hour round trip to Sedan/Cambrai

- Murrayville have reasonable juniors and the MVFL sides struggle here

What are the community thoughts here?

CF60A012-262D-42AB-8644-35B6232206EF.jpeg

Similar happened on the Eyre Peninsula 2 seasons ago.

The Mid West league folded after Wudinna and Central Eyre merged and applied to join the Eastern Eyre association which only had 4 clubs.

West Coast Hawks (Streaky Bay) and Wirrulla saw the writing on the wall and applied separately for the moment to join the Far West association (Ceduna) who then rebranded as Western Eyre Football Association.

This left Elliston and Western Districts (Poochera and Minnipa) on their own. Districts had no juniors so they joined up and went to Great Flinders FL. 260km between Tumby Bay and Poochera. Which is double the previous longest road trip to Lock.

From what I can see when Elliston Districts and Tumby are due to play each other the away club encourages juniors to head off on the Friday night book out the town's accommodation facilities and stay overnight. For the seniors they put on a social event Saturday night and stay the night.

These footy and netball clubs are the heart and soul of rural communities. They need to be and should be better funded.

But no. Next we are going to have a magic round (which we pay for) so even more money to the top. The AFL has spent hundreds of millions on GWS and the Gold Coast and very little on clubs and leagues like these.

DOC wrote:These footy and netball clubs are the heart and soul of rural communities. They need to be and should be better funded.

But no. Next we are going to have a magic round (which we pay for) so even more money to the top. The AFL has spent hundreds of millions on GWS and the Gold Coast and very little on clubs and leagues like these.

Don't be silly - all that AFL money is for the AFL clubs - not local football clubs

heater31 wrote:

Information HWY wrote:It looks as if the newly formed MVFL has its first new club, Murrayville and this presents a range of issues for mine:

- WUNKAR are already the bulldogs/same club colours

- 4 hour return trip for Murrayville to Blanchetown/Paringa and a 6 hour round trip to Sedan/Cambrai

- Murrayville have reasonable juniors and the MVFL sides struggle here

What are the community thoughts here?

CF60A012-262D-42AB-8644-35B6232206EF.jpeg

Similar happened on the Eyre Peninsula 2 seasons ago.

The Mid West league folded after Wudinna and Central Eyre merged and applied to join the Eastern Eyre association which only had 4 clubs.

West Coast Hawks (Streaky Bay) and Wirrulla saw the writing on the wall and applied separately for the moment to join the Far West association (Ceduna) who then rebranded as Western Eyre Football Association.

This left Elliston and Western Districts (Poochera and Minnipa) on their own. Districts had no juniors so they joined up and went to Great Flinders FL. 260km between Tumby Bay and Poochera. Which is double the previous longest road trip to Lock.

From what I can see when Elliston Districts and Tumby are due to play each other the away club encourages juniors to head off on the Friday night book out the town's accommodation facilities and stay overnight. For the seniors they put on a social event Saturday night and stay the night.

Its just over 30 years since the Kowree Tatiara league merged into the KNT (Keith went from Black and White to Blue Red and gold) and Tintinara and Coonalpyn merged into border Districts to play in the Mallee League.

The whole Mallee region in Victoria and SA has been in trouble footy wise for over 20 years. Its ability to survive has been due to the dedicated volunteers and passion in those communities for footy and netball.

The Mallee league in Victoria folded just over five years ago https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/sport/country-football/mallee-league-to-fold-and-clubs-merge-under-proposed-changes/news-story/eca2b1410dc8fff0b62cb2975aba0b64 and the clubs sent in three different leagues.

One of the Central Murray clubs has folded in the last month despite being successful on the field due to unable to find volunteers to run the club - been left to the same people over and over again to do the hard yards. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-19/death-of-a-country-footy-and-netball-club-in-quambatook-/101335158

Buts its all OK, the AFL is about to sign a new Pay TV deal which will fund the expansion of the AFL competition, the players will get rewarded because of the hardships they've faced in the last two Covid effected seasons, soft caps will be lifted so clubs can employ more welfare officers for 700 Australians and AFL house will expand it employee base back to pre-COVID levels because they are all so over worked.....

Meanwhile in the WAFL, SANFL and associated Community leagues.....

FUAFL

Also who has let Murrayville into this new league without consultation? They are still trying to fill board positions so who has allowed this if they are not even fully set up yet? Murrayville could have looked at victorian options or kept mallee going. Now they will drive past pinnaroo and lameroo karoonda peake etc to play other teams. Im sure there is more to it but seems silly.

My concern is have they even spoke to all MVFL clubs yet? Sedan Cambrai and BSR have quite a lot of locals who live in gawler and barossa areas. Reckon they wanna travel an hour to their home club then 3 hrs to murrayville? Its a big big ask to do 8-9 hrs in the car for a game of footy.

Mallee league was the most even last year it has been in the last 20. It should definately have tried a 4 or 5 team comp first. Now looks like lameroo and pinnaroo have been absolutely shafted. Complex and different issues facing each club in the mallee has made it all a mess for sure.

Murrayville are now the Blues and changed its colours accordingly.

DOC wrote:These footy and netball clubs are the heart and soul of rural communities. They need to be and should be better funded.

But no. Next we are going to have a magic round (which we pay for) so even more money to the top. The AFL has spent hundreds of millions on GWS and the Gold Coast and very little on clubs and leagues like these.

The AFL would rather you take your $10 entry money at the local footy and go to an AFL game playing $30+ per seat.
They would rather you spent the $30-odd on food and drink at a local game and spend $50+ on the same items at an AFL game instead (plus a couple of merchandise items).

Senior grassroots football is an inconvenience to the AFL. They have spent too much time admiring the American sporting system and rue all the missing millions they could be hoovering up from the community if nobody over the age of 21 was playing grassroots football. They seem to pine for just four tiers in each state - the AFL, an AFL reserves comp, the NAB league/SANFL Colts/WAFL Colts (Under 18) and the fourth being juniors - the current metro and country leagues to be only for players from Auskick up to Under 18 level.

The problem is the AFL doesn't seem to understand that a football/netball club is the heartbeat of a community for people from toddlers at the feet of mum or dad to the who-knows-how-old timekeeper who has done the same job for 45 years, missing only one match when his daughter foolishly scheduled her wedding for a Semi-Final.

And someone is not doing to drive from Murrayville or Renmark to Adelaide or Melbourne to watch an AFL team in the flesh every week ... but the trip to a RFL or MVFNL rival "to see us beat those buggers" means a whole lot more to them and their townsfolk.

Benchwarmer wrote:

DOC wrote:These footy and netball clubs are the heart and soul of rural communities. They need to be and should be better funded.

But no. Next we are going to have a magic round (which we pay for) so even more money to the top. The AFL has spent hundreds of millions on GWS and the Gold Coast and very little on clubs and leagues like these.

The AFL would rather you take your $10 entry money at the local footy and go to an AFL game playing $30+ per seat.
They would rather you spent the $30-odd on food and drink at a local game and spend $50+ on the same items at an AFL game instead (plus a couple of merchandise items).

Senior grassroots football is an inconvenience to the AFL. They have spent too much time admiring the American sporting system and rue all the missing millions they could be hoovering up from the community if nobody over the age of 21 was playing grassroots football. They seem to pine for just four tiers in each state - the AFL, an AFL reserves comp, the NAB league/SANFL Colts/WAFL Colts (Under 18) and the fourth being juniors - the current metro and country leagues to be only for players from Auskick up to Under 18 level.

The problem is the AFL doesn't seem to understand that a football/netball club is the heartbeat of a community for people from toddlers at the feet of mum or dad to the who-knows-how-old timekeeper who has done the same job for 45 years, missing only one match when his daughter foolishly scheduled her wedding for a Semi-Final.

And someone is not doing to drive from Murrayville or Renmark to Adelaide or Melbourne to watch an AFL team in the flesh every week ... but the trip to a RFL or MVFNL rival "to see us beat those buggers" means a whole lot more to them and their townsfolk.

Bang on mate.....

The AFL is desperately chasing its unmet demand markets. Female and sports participants whose commitment means they can't attend.

This is why we have seen the AFLW and trials such as Thursday and Monday Night games.

Virginia FC are looking for an A and B Grade trial for Saturday the 15th of April at our oval. PM me if interested.

Understand there is an extraordinary league meeting Tuesday. Attendance compulsory.

Any idea what it might be about?

Nothing official announced for the agenda from what i was told. An assumption was that it related to on field incidents that have historically / are not being dealt with

You’d imagine Sedan-Cambrai’s forfeit of their trip over the border to Murrayville might be high on the agenda.

Understand it’s one of the biggest return road trips in SA footy, but all the clubs need to be on board surely. Interesting times for the young league!

Esteban Vihaio wrote:Understand there is an extraordinary league meeting Tuesday. Attendance compulsory.

Information HWY wrote:You’d imagine Sedan-Cambrai’s forfeit of their trip over the border to Murrayville might be high on the agenda.

Understand it’s one of the biggest return road trips in SA footy, but all the clubs need to be on board surely. Interesting times for the young league!

IMG_3994.jpeg

Esteban Vihaio wrote:Understand there is an extraordinary league meeting Tuesday. Attendance compulsory.

Think 7 days earlier

It’s been mentioned on here already that the Mallee regions of SA and VIC have faced huge challenges for survival across many decades. Whilst country people are tougher than city folk (travelling wise) travelling 300kms each way for a game of footy is dead set ridiculous and is only ending one way sooner rather than later. Murrayville are an unfortunate victim of being in the wrong location with a dwindling population in the area. Improved farming technologies are allowing farmers to get bigger with less employees.

Esteban Vihaio wrote:

Information HWY wrote:You’d imagine Sedan-Cambrai’s forfeit of their trip over the border to Murrayville might be high on the agenda.

Understand it’s one of the biggest return road trips in SA footy, but all the clubs need to be on board surely. Interesting times for the young league!

IMG_3994.jpeg

Esteban Vihaio wrote:Understand there is an extraordinary league meeting Tuesday. Attendance compulsory.

Think 7 days earlier

Very cryptic. Can you elaborate