New union emerges from ashes of Mallee league as communities band together to keep sport alive

The Mallee football and netball competitions may be dead, but hard-working volunteer administrators are working to form new unions to keep sport alive in the region.

The death of the Mallee Football League has breathed life into new alliances with the Mallee community desperate to keep sport in the region.

In September, the Mallee competition was forced to dissolve as clubs left the league as part of mergers due to declining volunteer and junior numbers.

The Pinnaroo Football Club won the 2022 and last Mallee Football League A grade premiership. The league has dissolved and Pinnaroo will join forces with rival Lameroo and apply to play in the River Murray league. Picture: Facebook.

Now, the last two remaining Mallee clubs - Pinnaroo and Lameroo - have announced they plan to merge and apply to join the neighbouring River Murray football and netball competitions.

The Southern Mallee Futures Committee - involving administrators from both Pinnaroo and Lameroo - announced on Tuesday, October 11, the clubs would combine.

“Our communities have voted in favour on the Southern Southern Mallee Futures Community creating a new club entity to provide football, netball and sport in our region and for the new club to apply to the River Murray Football League and Netball Association,” the statement said.

The Futures Committee said it was currently seeking community input to form the new club name, club colours and the club mascot.

Now, all six former Mallee clubs have formed new allegiances or joined neighbouring leagues to keep sport active in the region:

• Border Downs Tintinara merged with River Murray Football League side Meningie Football Club to form the Coorong Cats

• Murrayville will participate in the Murray Valley Football Netball League

• Peake and Karoonda combined and have applied to join the River Murray

• Lameroo and Pinnaroo combined and have applied to join the River Murray

SANFL Riverland, Murray and Mallee coordinator Shane Uren said the state league - which governs community football - would continue to assist the clubs as the form new unions.

“It’s all about doing what we can to keep sport alive in the region ... its going very well,” he said.

In September, Mallee Football League president Lou Boughen told The Messenger declining junior numbers was the major factor in the clubs deciding to join forces.

“Junior numbers have been getting lower and lower and maybe if we went one more year they would get lower again with kids joining neighbouring leagues like the River Murray to play in full sides,” he said.

“The positive of it all is that the combined teams will still be out there playing football.”

The River Murray Football League looks set to expand from seven teams in 2021 to nine in 2022 and president Michelle Hill told The Messenger it was an exciting time for the league.

She said the league would work with the members of the new entities as the applied to and the league would be “accommodating and welcoming”.

“We don’t want to see no football in the Mallee - if we can have combined teams from the former Mallee come in and play, we want to help that community,” she said.