AFL Outer East: regional manager Aaron Bailey counting down to the new league’s first bounce

Aaron Bailey is anxiously pacing the halls of AFL Outer East headquarters like an expectant father awaiting the blessed arrival of his first born. There’s just a month to go until the inaugural season’s opening bounce.

Interleague rivals last year, AFL Yarra Ranges and SEFNL players will do battle in the same competition this year Picture: Valeriu Campan

Aaron Bailey is anxiously pacing the halls of AFL Outer East headquarters like an expectant father awaiting the blessed arrival of his first born.

There’s a month to go until the opening bounce of Victorian footy’s newest league and the regional general manager is champing at the bit.

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Mt Evelyn and Monbulk will be eyeing success in the new three-tiered competition

“We’re very excited to get the season underway,” he said. “To see that first bounce.

“We’re very excited about this and what it can be. We’re not just focusing on 2019 but what 2023 and 2024 will look like.”​

He’s confident that, with the population growth of the Casey, Cardinia and Yarra Ranges regions, the league is well placed to grow over the next decade and provide a pretty unique sporting product.

“We’re aiming to provide a country model in a semi-country, metropolitan region,” he said.

Last year, with the demise of the South East Football Netball League, eight clubs were left with an uncertain future.

Tooradin Dalmore opted to head to the West Gippsland league while the remaining clubs courted a marriage with the Mornington Peninsula league.

When that union failed to get off the ground, AFL Yarra Ranges began to look at the possibility of joining forces.

“At the end of 2017, it was identified as an option,” Bailey said. “A lot of work was done into the feasibility.

“There were a lot of meetings and a lot of consulting. We’ve tried to be transparent and very open with clubs.”​

As well as throwing a lifeline to the former SEFNL clubs that were soon to be homeless, Bailey said the merger had provided an opportunity for AFL Yarra Ranges clubs to step up to a new challenge.

He’s also confident the creation of a three-tiered league would make for closer competition and give teams renewed opportunity for success.

League boss Aaron Bailey . Picture: David Crosling

“It’s a big opportunity for a lot of clubs like Warburton, Mount Evelyn, Monbulk and Officer, who haven’t had a lot of success for a few years. It adds some excitement as they have a legitimate chance at playing finals,” he said. “Those sides in Premier (Division) have been the top four or five sides for years (in AFL Yarra Ranges and SEFNL) but now they know that every week they have to turn up to play.

“Games during the year that have been, not certainties because nothing is certain in football, but there were days when teams would win comfortably or have that expectation of doing well. There’s not going to be too many games like that this year. There’ll be no gimme games.”​

Bailey said the success of the new league would be measured against three important targets.

Top of the list will be the growth and development of netball, forging a strong pathway from the junior to senior ranks.

Second, the league will look to build new rivalries and establish the competition in the hearts and minds of footy followers in the region.

And third, plenty of planning will be put into place to encourage future growth.

AFL Outer-East has already taken a small step in achieving the third goal with new club Berwick Springs fielding an under-19 side this season with the view to joining the senior ranks in 2020.

The AFL Outer East season will kick off with a stand-alone Premier Division clash between Berwick and Narre Warren on Saturday, April 6 with the season proper to take the field a week later.