Melton South members vote to leave Ballarat league and find new home
Melton South president Matt Collins has detailed the major factors behind the club’s decision to try and find a new home in 2025.
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Melton South wants a new home for 2025.
In a special general meeting on Wednesday night, Panthers members voted “clearly in favour” of leaving the Ballarat league.
The club has been a part of the competition since 1997.
However, it will now attempt to move back to its former home – the Riddell District league.
Melton South was a foundation member of the Riddell District when it was founded in 1973.
Recent senior football struggles prompted the Panthers to consider their future.
President Matthew Collins said the overwhelming majority of members believed a move would save the club.
“Riddell was the obvious choice and the vote proved that, it was unanimous except for one (member),” Collins said.
“We presented the RDFNL, Ballarat league and Western but that was off the cards purely because the netball didn’t suit.
“We want to go back and be competitive, which we’ve barely been this year – we’ve had a couple of OK games.
“It makes it easier to retain players because if you’re losing all the time they just don’t want to play for you.
“We’re not a big junior club, we don’t have the numbers other clubs do, we played Ballarat on the weekend - who beat us by 120 points - they’ve got 20 junior sides and we’ve got four.
“We’re under no illusions, we’re not expecting to win the flag I can assure you of that, we played Romsey in a practice match and they got a pretty handy win.”
Melton South announced earlier this month that it would hold a vote on the club’s future.
Collins revealed he had wanted to remain in the Ballarat league before a club report into the options.
“If we can’t get in, we’ll stay in Ballarat,” he said.
“It’s not like we don’t like the Ballarat league, I’ve been an advocate for staying the whole time and even when we received that member email I wasn’t keen.
“Once the evidence was put in front of me, it was pretty obvious we had to move.”
Riddell District CEO Jordan Doyle confirmed the club’s request and said, while the club was a natural fit, the decision would be up to member clubs.
“The Melton South Football Netball Club has written to the RDFNL requesting to join the league.
“The RDFNL will write to our member clubs advising them that a special general meeting will be called to discuss the matter and then a vote will take place on the acceptance or non-acceptance.
“The RDFNL board upon request from the RDFNL clubs has been open to clubs looking to join the league who are a natural fit from a geographical and competitive point of view.
“The RDFNL board feel that the Melton South FNC are a natural fit from a geographical and competitive standpoint as well as satisfying the netball component, similar to Kyneton FNC when they entered at the end of 2023.
“The Melton South Junior FNC have always been a RDFNL club and the Melton South FNC were previously a part of the league as well, so the league thinks the move ticks a lot of boxes.
“The final say will be with the member clubs and the SGM will reveal that.”
Speaking to Leader Local Footy last week, BFNL board director Robert Simmonds said the league would support whatever the club felt was in its best interests.
“We absolutely want them in the comp, hope they stay, that would be the perfect world if they do come to us,” he said.
“But we’re not going to jump up and down and slam our fists (if they want to move).
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“At the end of the day Melton South have to make the decision on what they believe is the best thing for them.
“As a league we can’t really be the ones to make demands otherwise if we’re making demands they are staying for the wrong reasons.
“If the club believes it is not the right fit (Ballarat) we have to respect their wishes.”
“We’d love to keep our competition rolling along as it is and keep supporting Melton South to keep growing and get better.”
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