Salisbury West Football Club’s Adelaide Footy league bid falls flat due to regulation

A northern suburbs footy club is planning to launch an application to return to the field – but there is something stopping the bid in its tracks.

Banned football club Salisbury West is planning to launch another application to re-enter the Adelaide Footy League – but a new regulation has stopped the bid in its tracks.

The Tigers, who were thrown out of the competition in 2018 for bad on-field behaviour, approached the league earlier this month about applying to play in 2022.

It follows the club’s unsuccessful attempts to re-join in 2019 and last year.

However the league introduced a new regulation at the end of last season, which stated it would only consider applications for new clubs who have competed in an affiliated league within the previous twelve months.

It would also prohibit clubs under “any form of suspension, disbarment or moratorium” in another competition.

The Salisbury West Football Club is making attempts to re-enter the Adelaide Footy League. Picture: Dylan Coker

The league has since advised Salisbury West its only option for re-entry would be to merge with a nearby club already in the competition.

Salisbury West committee member Matthew Slack said the club was “between a rock and a hard place”.

“I got in contact with the league to see what we would be required so we could then go try to do that throughout this year,” Mr Slack said.

“But we basically got told we need to merge or forget about it.

“It’s not looking too good for us, that’s for sure.”

Salisbury West was banned from the competition in 2018 after its captain, Adam Jones, was suspended for 28 weeks following four separate incidents a the qualifying final.

The Tigers had previously received warnings from the league for poor on-field behaviour.

Mr Slack said the club would approach other northern suburbs teams to discuss potential mergers in the coming months.

Salisbury West still fields underage teams, which play in the SANFL juniors competition.

League chief executive John Kernahan said the regulation change was recommended to the general committee, which is made up of its member clubs, and was accepted by a majority vote.

Adelaide Football League chief executive John Kernahan. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

He said the league regularly received applications for start-up clubs but was open to entertaining registrations of interests from clubs from neighbouring competitions who have an existing player and volunteer bases.

“We are also well aware of the challenges of our current clubs and we need to offer them so protection under the guise of sustainability which is a key pillar to our charter,” Mr Kernahan said.

“However, relative to this particular case, we can’t in all conscience accept a new club when we have a neighbouring club in Smithfield who has gone into recess in 2021 due to lack of playing numbers.

“We want our 67 clubs to be not only surviving but thriving, not diluted by an over population of clubs.”

The Smithfield Football Club, located about 11km north of Salisbury West, withdrew from the competition for 2021 in March due to a lack of players, volunteers and sponsors.