Picola league club Yarroweyah FNC goes into recess

A northern Victorian club have pulled out of the 2025 PDFNL season with all of its football, netball and junior teams to miss the year.

Yarroweyah Grasshoppers have gone into recess and will miss the 2025 Picola & District FNL season. Picture: (File) Yuri Kouzmin.

The wooden spooners from this year’s Picola and District FNL season have elected to enter recess for 2025, pulling netball, football and junior teams from competition for the year.

Yarroweyah Grasshoppers, who failed to win a game in the senior football last season, called an “urgent” club meeting earlier this month on December 4.

Following the meeting, the Grasshoppers decided the club would not be participating in the 2025 Picola and District FNL season.

Yarroweyah failed to win a match in both the seniors and reserves football competitions last season, while also struggling in the Under-17s and Under-14s with just two and four wins respectively.

The Grasshoppers also battled on the netball court failing to win any matches across their seven netball grades, and only securing a single draw in the 13 & Under division.

In the last two seasons Yarroweyah’s senior football have won one match and are on a 23-game losing streak.

The Picola and District FNL confirmed Yarroweyah will miss the 2025 season with an aim to returning in 2026.

“The decision of Yarroweyah to not compete in 2025, to provide itself the greatest opportunity for sustained success beyond 2025, is supported,” the league said in a statement.

“With the recent addition of Dookie United, Yarroweyah’s absence in 2025 will mean that the league will operate somewhat as it did in season 2024 with 15 clubs playing 16 games over 18 rounds.”

Yarroweyah have been part of the Picola and District FNL since 1955 when the club was formed.

Yarroweyah have been contacted by The Weekly Times for comment regarding the decision.

In August this year the league confirmed Dookie United will return to the competition after being accepted to rejoin the league following a seven-season stint in the Kyabram and District league where they made the finals in 2023 and 2018.

Previously, Dookie competed in the Picola league from 2006 to 2017, winning the premiership in 2007.

Last year there was also a new addition to the Picola league after Tocumwal made the switch after playing in the Murray league.