Kalangadoo and Penola football clubs reject recommendation to move to Western Border Football League
Two SA country footy clubs have responded to a proposal recommending they leave their current leagues for a newly created competition in 2023.
Mount Gambier
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Football in the state’s South East will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future after two country clubs rejected a contentious proposal to move leagues.
Both the Kalangadoo and Penola football clubs turned down the recommendation from the Limestone Coast Regional Football Council to join teams from the Western Border Football League in a newly created competition from 2023.
The plan, which was revealed last month, followed a report into the sustainability and structure of the sport in the area and was endorsed by the SANFL.
After meeting with their own committees and communities, both Kalangadoo and Penola informed the council on Wednesday night they believed it was in their best interests to remain in the Mid South Eastern and Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara competitions respectively.
Kalangadoo president Reece Carlson said the club did its due diligence and weighed up all the pros and cons in a thorough process before coming to its decision.
“99 per cent of the community’s gut feeling was that we’re a Mid South Eastern club and that’s where we see our future,” Carlson said.
“We made it abundantly clear we have no interest for catching up for any more meetings, especially when there’s no detail in the report.
“We’re committed to the Mid South Eastern Football League.”
MSEFL president Peter Mitchell was pleased the Magpies – one of the league’s founding clubs – went through the process but decided to stay.
“It didn’t really make sense long term how it was going to be sustainable for Kalangadoo,” Mitchell said.
Kalangadoo is a small town about 30km north of Mount Gambier with a population of about 400 people.
Penola president Marcus Devereux said the club’s football and netball committees came to the conclusion switching leagues “was not viable”.
“We’re affiliated with Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara and that’s where we want to stay for years to come unless there’s a directive higher up from the SANFL is forced upon us,” Devereux said.
“Population and junior numbers in both football and netball (was a factor).
“South Gambier has 85 per cent more junior numbers than we have and you just can’t compete with that. We left Western Border in 1987 for that exact reason.”
Devereux said a lack of detail on how the new league would be run also influenced the club’s decision.
Penola – the oldest country football club in SA – previously played in the WBFL from 1964 to 1987 before switching to the KNTFL.
Western Border began as a 12-team competition in 1964 but now has just six clubs – East Gambier, North Gambier, South Gambier, West Gambier, Millicent and Victorian side Casterton-Sanford.
Limestone Coast Regional Football Council chairman Trevor Smart has been contacted for comment.
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