Parkside prepared to build reputation in Northern Football League hosing down talk of VAFA switch

PARKSIDE has dismissed rumours of a switch to the VAFA, saying it is committed to building its reputation in the Northern Football League.

s06pp203 Football . VAFA (Div 3): Kew v Ivanhoe at Kew .. Kew coach George Lattouf

PARKSIDE coach George Lattouf says he sees a bright future for the club in the Northern Football League despite its on-field struggles this year.

Rumours have persisted in recent months the Devils, who are winless at the foot of Division 3, could seek a move to the Victorian Amateur Football Association for 2015.

Lattouf said he was aware of the whispers, but was more focused on building the club’s reputation in the NFL. He said no one at Parkside had discussed its playing future, which is more likely to be examined at the end of this season.

“I’m at the football club three times a week and I don’t hear anything about that,” Lattouf said.

He said he was unsure where the rumour had started.

“We’ve got a new stock of players coming through our club, for some of them it’s the first time they’ve ever played senior footy in the Northern Football League,” he said.

“It’s going to take a while, but at the end of the day there’s a foundation there.”

VAFA president Michael Sholly said clubs from across Melbourne had inquired about a move to the competition as the impact of rising player payments hits home. But he declined to comment on any discussions the association had held with specific clubs.

Lattouf admitted Parkside struggled to compete against some of the division’s biggest spenders.

“Financially, we just get through,” he said.

“It’s pretty hard. You compete against other clubs who are financially viable in regards to getting other players.

“I know we haven’t got the experienced players ... it’s hard to compete against other clubs who have got a lot of contracted players from other divisions.”

Parkside has suffered an average losing margin of 88 points in its 13 defeats this year, including eight matches where it has been beaten by more than 100 points.

The Devils joined the Northern Football League in 2002 after 65 years in the VAFA.