The Casterton Sandford Football Netball Club may not be in the finals picture, but it has never been busier being in the middle of addressing the more pressing issue of what is next.

A fortnight ago Casterton News revealed the Cats called members to vote on whether or not to move from the Western Border to the Mid South Eastern competition and the big decisions will be made this Sunday.

But before club members decide on the next chapter, an information night was held last week to ensure there is as much understanding as possible around the situation.

With the Victorian based club holding such a special place in the community’s heart, the session held at Island Park attracted a live and virtual audience of more than 400 people.

Casterton Sandford president Dylan Ayton said it was the moment he had been waiting for to spread the facts behind why the announcement was made.

“It was a really good opportunity to actually get some information out there because we knew as soon as we said there was going to be a vote, people would start guessing,” he said.

“Rumours spread quicker than the facts, so we got on the front foot and explained the reasons why we believe we need to go to the Mid South East.

“It is our time to try and sell the vision we have for the club to grow.

“There are always going to be people who doubt the facts or will not budge from their beliefs, but we were happy with the feedback.”

By hosting the meeting at the club and online, Ayton said the session provided the perfect platform to cover all aspects of the situation.

“It was good to have everyone in the room and have many positive discussions about absolutely everything,” he said.

“We feel like we reached around 400 to 500 people and discussed things from volunteers, supporters, sponsors, community to how the Mid South East clubs are very similar to us.”

Reflecting on the decision to follow this route, Ayton said a possible move to the Mid South East was the “only option” the Cats could take after stating change from the current environment was required.

“After everything that has happened with the survey and the SANFL 16-team competition which we thought was really good and will not go ahead, this is the only option we have as a club to push ahead with,” he said.

“If this causes something else in the future we are more than happy to look at that, but as far as what we are in control of, applying for the Mid South Eastern is our only option.

“A lot of clubs have had to be in survival mode since COVID-19 and we were at one point, but now we are really pushing forward to grow all aspects of our club and that could not happen at Western Border level.”

In the Casterton News story announcing the move, Casterton Sandford vice president Shane Foster said “the Mid South Eastern is a better fit for us in all grades of football and netball”.

Ayton backed up this point by saying how the Cats feel a lot more related to the Mid South East teams on and off the field.

“Being smaller towns, they (Mid South Eastern clubs) understand the troubles and challenges we have,” he said.

“So we believe we can work together much better with the understanding of what keeps clubs ticking in small towns rather than trying to deal with the Mount Gambier clubs, who have totally different challenges to us.”

Ayton said he was worried the strong relationships Casterton Sandford shared with the other Western Border teams might have been strained since the news, but has also felt some have been understanding of their decision.

“We never wanted to lose our relationships with the Western Border clubs which is why we have not made this move in the last seven years despite constant discussions,” he said.

“Our priority was to stay involved with the Western Border clubs and bring more teams in, but nothing came to fruition, so we may now have to cut those ties which is disappointing, but it was not working with just six teams and the current junior structures.

“The support from people who potentially could have been angry has been surprising and overwhelming because I think most clubs accept there had to be change.

“In general, there has been a fair bit of support and the feedback from North in Round 15 was fully understanding which was nice.”

Although there are only three days before the Cats vote on their future, Ayton said he and the club are always available to provide extra information for anyone unsure ahead of decision time.

“If anyone has any questions, I am happy for people to contact the club (at castfooty@bigpond.com),” he said.

“If they need an information night or a run through the PowerPoint presentation again, we can do whatever we have to.

“The other part of the process is once we get the votes in, the SANFL will have 60 days to put in place an investigative committee to look at our application.

“With all the survey results and homework that has been done, the SANFL has said there is a huge requirement for change and we believe all the work has been done and there should be no issue with it.”