by lion heart » Tue Aug 08, 2017 4:19 pm
At the end of the day the SFL will be fine. 9 strong clubs that have all been mostly competitive this season fielding 4 teams on a Saturday. Should be a great comp. I worry a little for Aldinga but they appear to be on the right path.
One piece of history that should never be forgotten is that the Div 2 clubs never had a choice. The SFL forced us into one division and that decision alone has caused a lot of collateral damage along the way. Forced merger of O'Sullivan Beach and Lonsdale (DIV 2 A grade premiers), Hackham gone, Kangarilla, Morphettville, Brighton leaving. Edwardstown came and went. In 2001 we had very lopsided divisions (11 teams div 1 and 6 div 2) but with the pressure intensifying to relegate the club of prominent SFL board member's looming the cunning plan of forcing 1 division was hatched!! The SFL has somehow managed to lose 10 or 11 club's since the late 90's. So many opportunities along the way to right the wrong but it is too little too late now.
As a club we are certainly not blameless for the position we are in, we have made plenty of mistakes along the way and not always had the right people in the right places. Our A grade made finals 3 season's in a row 2005-2007 but a series of event's sent us on a downward spiral of which we have not recovered. 7 years at the bottom is a long time in football and too many loyal club people are beaten down both physically and mentally. The SFL is a strong competition that demands high standards - we have not delivered either on or off the field.
I know i speak on behalf of all member's when i say we never wanted the club we love to leave the SFL but we are now faced with the sad reality of 3 options:
-Die in div one next season
-play C grade comp (not an option)
-look for another league to rebuild the club.
A vote must still happen to ratify any move but the general consensus seemed to be strong toward leaving. As a club we want to not only survive but thrive so in reality there is only one choice. Time to move forward. Going to be a lot of new hurdle's to face but i look forward to the challenge. This will give many involved with the club a new lease of life. There are too many bloody good people involved at the club to not to give it a red hot crack!
O’Sullivan Beach F.C Est. 1975
Lonsdale F.C Est. 1977
O’Sullivan Beach/Lonsdale F.C Est. 2001
Premierships
A-Grade ~ 5
Reserves ~ 5
Juniors ~ 17