Alberton, Mid Gippsland leagues merger proposed

THE Alberton Football League could be preparing for its last grand final tomorrow if a set of proposals from AFL Gippsland’s football review are adopted.

Fish Creek won the 2017 Alberton Football league premiership. Picture: Supplied

THE Alberton Football League could be preparing for its last grand final tomorrow if a set of proposals from AFL Gippsland’s football review are adopted.

The draft recommendations from the review commissioned by AFL Gippsland were released at meetings across the region tonight.

They included a proposal for the Alberton and Mid Gippsland leagues to merge next year to form a new league, called the Central and Southern Gippsland Competition.

The proposed competition would have 15 clubs, six from the Alberton league (grand finalists Fish Creek and Foster, Meeniyan Dumbalk United, Stony Creek, Tarwin and Toora) and nine from the Mid Gippsland league (Boolarra, Hill End, Mirboo North, Morwell East, Newborough, Thorpdale, Trafalgar, Yallourn-Yallourn North and Yinnar).

Devon-Welshpool-Won Wron-Woodside, which went into recess this year, was not mentioned in the list of clubs to be part of the new league, which is proposed to be governed and administered by AFL Gippsland.

Some of the other proposals include;

• South East league club Tooradin-Dalmore and Warragul Industrials, from the Ellinbank and District league, to join the West Gippsland competition next season, expanding it from 10 clubs to 12;

• Mid Gippsland league club Yarragon to move to the Ellinbank and District league, keeping Ellinbank and District at 10 clubs;

• Changes to underage football structures, including setting the thirds age group at under-17s for the new merged league, Ellinbank and District, North, East and West Gippsland competitions;

• Launch a West Gippsland Junior Football Competition next year.

The affected parties have until September 14 to respond to the proposals, with the final recommendations scheduled to be handed down on September 21 — the eve of the Gippsland League grand final.

Appeals against any recommendations can then be made to AFL Victoria.

The release of these draft recommendations comes two years after the last review by AFL Gippsland was completed.

Under that review, the West Gippsland competition was created but the Alberton league shrunk from 12 clubs to seven.

The Alberton league structure, under-18 and under-16 participation, age group structures, and administration and governance were identified as specific issues focused on this time around.

John Schelling, the head of the AFL Gippsland commission and chairman of the review panel,

wrote in this report that the review and recommendations looked at Gippsland football “as a whole”.

“AFL Gippsland firmly believed that for football to flourish in the region, it requires a whole of Gippsland approach,” he said.

“We are focused on the sustainability of clubs and realise the importance of ensuring football remains a part of our towns’ fabric and grows as a vibrant and financially sustainable entity.”

While the Gippsland League remains unchanged in terms of affiliated clubs for now, AFL Gippsland will open discussions with the clubs to “explore the possibility of an east/west conference structure for implementation at a future date (possibly 2020)”, according to the new review report.

AFL South East, AFL Outer East (formerly AFL Yarra Ranges) and interested clubs will be involved in discussions.