Meningie, Border Downs Tintinara announce merger to join River Murray Football League
Meningie and Border Downs Tintinara’s football and netball clubs will join forces in a move that will change the landscape of two of the state’s country competitions.
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Two popular country football clubs are set to amalgamate in a move that will have major implications for some of the state’s country sporting competitions.
Meningie, who plays in the River Murray Football League (RMFL) and Border Downs Tintinara, part of the Mallee Football League (MFL), announced the decision on social media this afternoon.
The Meningie-Border Downs Tintinara merger will compete in the RMFL from next season and also includes both clubs’ netball teams.
Meningie president Adam Hurle said the club was still finalising the details of the merger but both clubs were excited by the amalgamation.
“We reached this decision after facilitating a very thorough and extensive review, which included the appointment of strategic committees and external consultants, detailed analysis of data, surveying and open community meetings,” he said.
“It was mostly driven by player numbers, in particular juniors. We’ve got a lower population, people seem to be moving away from the town now.
“This is a positive result for the long-term sustainability of sport within our region, we have close ties with Border Downs Tintinara in the agricultural sector so it was a decision that was viable to keep both clubs going.”
Hurle said both clubs would work collectively over coming weeks to navigate and approve finer details of the amalgamation and all regulatory obligations.
The merger will strengthen the standard of the RMFL, where Meningie currently sits fourth on the ladder so far in season 2022.
It will also signal Border Downs Tintinara exiting the already embattled MFL, which will drop down to just five teams in 2023.
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