Too many teams, not enough players: Country footy’s biggest issue that needs fixing

There have been more than 50 country footy clubs fold or mergers agreed to since 2000. Read what can be done to turn the tide by 2030.

David Johnston

6 min read

April 5, 2024 - 5:00AM

The Weekly Times

Corowa-Rutherglen comeback after 12 months on sidelines

The resurrection of a Victorian Country Football League-style body is being called for at a time when the grassroots level of the game is struggling to deal with the perennial threat of too many teams and not enough players.

Country clubs remain one of the best breeding grounds for talent with Tongala’s Harley Reid and Darley’s Aaron Cadman being the No. 1 picks in the last two AFL national drafts.

But since 2000, clubs are folding at a rate of more than one a year, or merging at an even quicker pace.

It’s left the grassroots game in dire need of attention from AFL House – again.

A parliamentary inquiry instigated by Labor in the early 2000s failed to produce long-lasting solutions.

The next attempt at reform was the 2011 Peter Jackson Country Football Review with the VCFL becoming its biggest casualty after nearly 90 years in existence.

Running the grassroots game was moved under the wing of AFL Victoria and local decision making vested in independent commissions supported by administration hubs.

But heading into a new season, the report’s key recommendations have disintegrated to the point where only Barwon, Sunraysia, North-East Border and Central Victoria remain with commissions and admin hubs.

Covid interruptions of 2020-21 were an undeniable disrupter, but the model was teetering beforehand amid concerns of heavy-handed tactics to force leagues to sign up.

Geelong District, Ovens and Murray, Murray and Picola District leagues strongly resisted joining.

Geelong District league president Neville Whitley. Picture: Mark Wilson

Neville Whitley was a key figure in a meeting of country leagues at Bungaree in 2018 to push back against leagues being forced into the hubs.

He said history would judge favourably the leagues that wanted to manage their own affairs and also backed the return of “country footy being run by country people”.

“There were leagues needing help, there was no doubt about that,” he said.

“But it wasn’t the right system.

“Clubs in the bush are still disappearing and we’re lucky down our way because we’re a growth area.

“It’s not always about money.”

Former Wycheproof-Narraport coach Paul White, right, his son Rory and sons Teddy, 3 and Billy, 8. Wycheproof-Narraport and Nullawil are merging for the 2025 season. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

The biggest gripe at any country ground is the grassroots’ place in the pecking order of AFL priorities when it is still pumping out high-end talent for the elite level.

The women’s game has exploded and financial support is still flowing into expansion states of NSW and Queensland.

Critics point to a lack of continuity of those in charge and AFL Victoria head office as a roadblock to meaningful intervention to help the game in the country.

Former Hawthorn player Greg Madigan is AFL Victoria’s latest chief executive after predecessors Ben Kavenagh and Brad Scott had brief tenures.

Gippsland’s regional manager job has been a revolving door for a decade and the hunt is still on for someone to fill the top job in Central Victoria.

The Goulburn-Murray region is still battling to keep staff working in league operations roles.

A push to have someone with a strong country football background added to the AFL Victoria board was also borne out in a recent survey of leagues.

Adam Dowie, a highly successful coach in the Hampden league for more than a decade, says country Victoria is feeling unloved when participation levels, salary cap compliance and volunteers drowning in red tape are burning issues needing attention.

“The elephant in the room is the money being spent on players,” he said.

“There are always one or two clubs in your league that have got money.

“In all the little towns that don’t have the population any more, the way they seem to survive is farmers with crops or farmers with cattle, chipping in.

“There are too many teams, not enough players, and part of me thinks if you haven’t got juniors, you’re not having seniors.

“Also, I do think country footy has fallen to the bottom of the list in terms of the AFL’s priorities. You get the feeling they just want more people watching the elite game.

“But I’m a PE teacher, I don’t want people watching, I want people doing.

“They are also putting money into growth areas, like along the NSW coast, where there are these beautiful Aussie rules grounds with light towers and all the bells and whistles.

“But country Victoria is seemingly always missing out.”

Picola District operations manager Shane Railton. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Shane Railton is operations manager of the Picola District league that has had numerous highly publicised spats with the AFL.

It remains the only competition in the state not affiliated with the governing body.

“Our position has always been that we’ve challenged things and ideas that the AFL has come out with and I’ve got no doubt the AFL has taken exception to that,” he said.

“Commissions and regional administration centres would have been successful if the Peter Jackson Report was followed. It was initially said joining administration centres should be an option, but they soon became mandatory.

“A format of the VCFL will be the only thing that will save community football in the country.

“We shouldn’t be governed and have decisions made by people whose greatest interest is in the elite level.

“It’s a complete conflict of interest.”

AFL Victoria community football manager John O’Donohue said its objective was to ensure leagues were “engaged and brought together” in its dealings with head office.

“The key to most successful organisations is the calibre of individuals involved,” he said.

“There is a focus on ensuring good local people with strong regional knowledge are part of boards, councils and commissions across the state to help ensure issues and opportunities relevant to local football and communities are discussed with AFL Victoria.

“It is important to emphasise that local issues require local solutions made by local people.

“AFL Victoria will provide funding, support and advice while offering evidenced-based guidance to help local people within councils and commissions make decisions for the betterment of the game in their regions.”

CRYSTAL BALL: HOW COUNTRY FOOTY COULD LOOK IN 2030

Despite being the lifeblood of rural life, country footy is being constantly challenged, leading to almost 30 teams folding or the same number of mergers being agreed to since 2000.

The Weekly Times has proposed a four-step model where country people take charge of their game’s destiny.

GOVERNANCE

Step One

A body solely responsible for running senior country football-netball leagues be created.

It will be vested with powers to deal with movement of clubs between leagues, assist in broking club mergers, salary caps, player points clearance disputes and appeals.

AFL Victoria will remain the overarching body in charge of participation, umpiring, facility development, women’s football and Auskick.

Every country league to be self-administered and regional boards on existing boundaries be formed with one member from each league board and independent chair.

The new body will initially have a full-time general manager, operations manager and finance-sponsorship manager.

SUSTAINABILITY

Step Two

All country football-netball clubs be subjected to a sustainability test every three to five years.

Each region will have a hand-picked panel of past and/or present administrators who will work with clubs to identify strengths or areas for improvement financially, and playing and volunteer capacity.

Based on feedback, strategies will be devised on whether a club wants to stay put or has a desire to move to a higher or lower standard league.

It will also be deployed to identify areas of growth and help guide the formation of new clubs and leagues, particularly in their major population centres that continue to experience population growth.

STRUCTURE

Step Three

In the wake of an AFL reserves competition starting, a new look VFL will be formed with Melbourne and country-based senior and under-18 teams.

The under-18s talent league will be disbanded and alliances struck between existing metro-based teams and stand-alone VFL senior clubs such as Werribee, Port Melbourne and Coburg.

New country teams with seniors and under-18s teams will be created in the Gippsland Power, Bendigo Pioneers, Greater Western Victoria, Geelong Falcons and Murray Bushrangers existing zones.

The under-18s season ends when the national championships are held mid-year.

Players then have the option of playing in VFL seniors or returning to their country club for the rest of the season.

Television rights for both competitions be put to market to help finance new-look model.

PROMOTION

Step Four

Stage the AFL Gather Round at regional Victorian venues when the present hosting deal with South Australia ends in 2026.

Venues at Lavington, Ballarat, Bendigo, Morwell and Warrnambool have all undergone major investment in recent years to host AFL and AFLW matches for premiership points.

Resurrect the Victorian Country representative team to play either Victorian metro or Victorian amateurs in the curtain-raiser match to the annual AFL Country Match between Essendon and Geelong at the MCG.