Incoming expansion for Southern league under-19 program

The Southern Football Netball League’s under-19 program is set for expansion and the competition is confident the “competitive balance” will have a positive impact on participation.

Bentleigh raised the under-19 silverware last year.

Southern league General Manager of Operations Josh Rhodes expects the competition’s new under-19 structure to play a role in keeping young players in footy for longer.

Rhodes said the “mountain of work” done by Southern league club’s to sustain existing or form new under-19 programs led to the introduction of divisional football.

The second division allows teams like Lyndhurst and Narre South Saints, which recorded four wins combined last year, to develop its program against more even competition.

Division 1 is set to have eight teams while Division 2 at this stage will have six.

Bentleigh raised the under-19s silverware last year.

“Adding divisional football in the under-19s can provide a bit more competitive balance across the competition,” Rhodes said.

“We want to keep players in football for longer.

“The league, the board, and the clubs in particular, have done a mountain of work.

“It was a priority of ours and we highlighted it as such, we really wanted to get everyone into a position where they were able to have their own nineteens program and playing in their own jumper.

“That’s still our priority, even for the clubs that don’t have nineteens this year, we are committed to working with them in coming seasons to put their best foot forward.”

Bentleigh and Dingley faced off in the under-19 grand final last year. Picture: Jake Marriner (Jam-Visuals)

With four Divisions in open-age football, Rhodes admitted it would be a “perfect world” to eventually have four divisions of under-19s but said the league won’t stop working with clubs to grow.

“I think it would be a perfect world if all our clubs had a nineteens but I think it’s (two divisions) the most sustainable model moving forward,” he said.

“Particularly with the points system, where clubs have a strong nineteens it does filter through to their senior ranks too, assisting with seniors being one pointers and the rest of it.

“Absolutely it would be nice to get four divisions but I think that’s a while down the track yet.”