Mass exodus confirms death of Mallee footy, netball league, leaving future of sport in some regional towns in doubt

Four clubs have now exited a local footy and netball league — leaving just two remaining — with the competition confirming it will no longer continue in 2023.

Declining volunteer and junior numbers has spelt the death of the Mallee football and netball leagues, leaving the future of sport up in the air in some regional SA towns.

The Mallee football and netball competitions will dissolve and will not continue in 2023, with four of the six teams exiting the competition, leaving the remaining two clubs to look at options to keep their clubs alive.

The Karoonda and Peake football and netball clubs announced they were set to merge and apply to join the River Murray competition in 2023.

The announcement follows the news earlier in the week that Murrayville would be moving from the Mallee into the newly-formed Murray Valley Football League, formerly known as the Riverland Independent league.

In July, league powerhouse Border Downs Tintinara were the first to leave the Mallee competition, announcing a merger with the neighbouring Meningie Football Club.

Border Downs Tintinara and Meningie amalgamated to form a new identity - the Coorong Cats - and are set to contest the 2023 River Murray season under the new branding.

The two remaining clubs - this year’s premier Pinnaroo and Lameroo - were hopeful the Mallee league would continue for at least another 12 months and issued a passionate statement last week advocating for the continuation of the league.

Karoonda and Peake do battle in the Mallee Football League

Mallee Football League secretary Lou Boughen said while the exodus of teams from the Mallee would mean the death of the league, he said the goal was to ensure football was played in the region.

“The future of the Mallee Football League is there is no future, but hopefully all six of the clubs will continue on and have a future in some shape or form,” he said.

“There are different views on what should have been done and the timeline of how it wound down and it happened quicker than anyone expected.”

Boughen said declining junior numbers was a 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.

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

Boughen said Pinnaroo and Lameroo were in the process of consulting their members to determine how they will operate next season, hinting at options to play in the neighbouring River Murray or Riverland leagues.

The joint statement from the Karoonda and Peake clubs said the focus was to ensure football and netball opportunities for its communities could continue for generations to come.

“We have listened to our members and we are pursuing the direction that is ultimately right for our club members, players and local communities,” the statement said.

River Murray Football League president Michelle Hill said the league had been in talks with a number of Mallee clubs since Border Downs Tintinara’s decision to merge with Meningie.

“The news coming from the Karoonda and Peake meeting will mean the formal application process would begin to see then enter the River Murray,” she said.

Earlier this week, Lameroo netballer Stacey Edwards told The Messenger disbanding the Mallee league would have a devastating impact.

“Footy and netball is a way of life for us here, it’s not just about playing the sport, it’s everything else that comes with getting out the house and going to a local match on a Saturday,” she said.

The Mallee Football League and Mallee Netball Association started in 1994 with the amalgamation of the previous Lameroo and Districts and Murraylands leagues.