Ballarat Football League to look at fixturing and travel as Sunbury weighs up its future

AFL Goldfields boss Rod Ward says he is confident Sunbury’s immediate future lies in the Ballarat Football League.

BFL Footy: Sunbury vs Darley 12 April 2014 Ballarat Football League: Sunbury vs Darley at Clarke Oval in Sunbury Sunbury player Matthew Medcraft (#3). Pictures: Eugene Hyland

AFL Goldfields general manager Rod Ward says he is confident Sunbury’s immediate future is in the Ballarat Football League.

League bosses met with Sunbury yesterday after the club announced its intention to investigate a potential move to the Bendigo or Riddell leagues.

Ward said several issues were raised at the meeting, including travel and fixturing.

“They’re very happy in the Ballarat Football League but we recognise there are some things being at the farthest point of the league we can do to reduce the amount of travel,” Ward said.

“We’re in the process of putting together a number of things for the club.”

Ward floated the possibility of eastern teams from the BFL playing each other twice and Ballarat-based teams meeting on two occasions each year.

“In terms of a marketing sense the perfect Ballarat fixture sees the Ballarat clubs play each other twice home and away and the eastern clubs play each other twice home and away,” he said.

“Logistically there are some challenges that make that quite difficult but if we can try and work toward that it’s a simple philosophy.”

He said the league would continue to work closely with Sunbury as it weights up its future.

“There’s no question in the short-term that they will be in Ballarat,” he said.

Sunbury president Phil Lithgow has said he expects the club to play in the BFL in 2015.

About 50 of the club’s members, which represents about 10 per cent of its supporter base, asked for a move to the Riddell District Football League in a survey.

The Leader has contacted Sunbury for further comment.

For more on the future of Sunbury and the Ballarat Football League, read this week’s Sunbury Leader.