Southern league suspends women’s teams involved in abandoned match

The Southern league has told the Narre South Saints and Lyndale teams they will be given the boot for further breaches of the conduct-unbecoming rule.

The Narre South Saints posted a number of action photos of the match before it was called off. Pic: Facebook

The Southern Football Netball League has come down hard on the two women’s football sides involved in last Saturday’s abandoned match.

The Lyndale and Narre South Saints teams have been suspended for a week, players have been ordered to appear before the tribunal and all Lyndale matches must now be filmed.

Both clubs were also fined $350.

The twilight game was called off in the second quarter after continued fighting between players at Strathaird Reserve in Narre Warren South.

The coaches and club-supplied umpired decided to finish the grading game early.

The league investigated under its “conduct unbecoming’’ rule.

It decided:

* no points would be awarded to either side.

* both teams would be barred from playing in Round 2.

* the league must appoint official umpires to handle all games involving the Lyndale and Narre South Saints women.

* both clubs executives and coaching groups must meet the Southern league club development officer to “discuss behaviours and expectations before they next play’’.

* both coaches must commit to a code of conduct, to be signed off acknowledging that any further trouble will result in the teams being booted out of the women’s competition.

* neither club can fixture twilight or night matches following senior men’s games.

* a 10m spectator exclusion zone will apply at both club’s coaching boxes.

When Lyndale returns all matches will be filmed by the league at the club’s cost to “monitor behaviour’’.

Five reports have also been made, for striking offences and misconduct.

SFNL chief executive Lee Hartman said the league was “committed to providing a safe environment for all participants and will not accept extremely poor behaviour’’.

“We hope both clubs can learn from this and can put measures in place so that similar incidents do not occur into the future,’’ he said.

Hartman told all clubs they must “understand the severity of having matches cancelled in this manner and the bad light it sheds on the individual clubs and the league as a whole’’.