The release of the SANFL Limestone Coast Regional Football Council’s Discussion Paper last week was one of the biggest undertakings in country sport in modern memory.

The 23-page document took a deep dive into the sustainability and structure of football and netball on the Limestone Coast as concerns of the respective sports’ long-term health in the area grows.

Football was the focus of the Discussion Paper, looking back at the game’s 127-year history in the area and outlined potential restructuring methods of the current three-league model.

LCRFC chair Trevor Smart said the paper took three to four weeks to compile and has been put together to provide clubs with plenty of information to brainstorm ideas for the future after the Western Border Football League requested for a ground-breaking meeting at Naracoorte back in June.

“The Discussion Paper is intended to both inform and to provoke thought from all football leagues, netball associations, football and netball clubs and players,” he said.

“There have been discussions of what should and should not happen in country football and netball forever, so we had a regional forum in late June where we had a good turnout.

“From that everyone agreed the LCRFC would go away and look at what football and netball could look like in the future.”

Despite all the speculation of possible changes to the current structure of the Western Border, Mid South Eastern and Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara competitions, Smart confirmed the plans are only being spoken about so there is a backup plan to fall back on in case sudden change is needed down the track.

Despite many of the concerns laying within the six-team WBFL, the potential “catalyst” could also occur in the other two competitions.

“What we are trying to come up with is a blueprint for if we have to go down a different model,” he said.

“It gives us the opportunity to instead of waiting for the change, proactively go to a model.

“The work will be largely done, but it could be in one year, 10 years, whenever the catalyst is.

“There has been plenty of chat around whether the Western Border competition considers dissolving which is completely up to them.

“That will be a major catalyst, but there are some clubs across the other two leagues where their medium to long term future may be questionable.”

Smart said many points raised in the document provide factual evidence behind the council’s belief change has to happen for the good of the community.

“There are a number of factors, but change has always occurred in football,” he said.

“I think teams shifting will always continue, but at what pace.

“With our general population decline across the Limestone Coast and the age grouping where the decline is happening, the player pool is diminishing.

“This means some clubs may be under threat of not being around.”

The Discussion Paper heavily researched many areas of football from history, participation rates across junior and senior grades and the future of the clubs, but the most notable takeaways were the revealing of the four preferred options of how the game will be played in the future.

The most supported structures were a Northern and Southern conference Limestone Coast Football League or separate town and community competitions.

“We looked at all four options as presented at the regional forum, so as a council we thought we needed to focus on the preferred options,” Smart said.

“Western Border dissolving was more of a thought than a model and we had to figure out where the six clubs would go and options two and three (conference and town/community) do that.

“We did not really consider the division model either because we thought it would provide challenges of future improvement within two unequal competitions.

“But the North and South conference or town and community models can hopefully be treated as more equal competitions.”

None of the four options included the current status quo of the three standalone leagues.

Smart said the time-frame of how long all three competitions could remain in the region before becoming untenable was “something we have not arrived at yet”.

The next step of the consultation process will include face-to-face discussions between the LCRFC and the clubs.

Netball clubs, junior committees and umpiring bodies within the three leagues will also be included in the consultation process.

Smart said himself and representatives would speak to every club in the region from next Monday and he believed the process was tracking along nicely.

“There have been some healthy steps so far,” he said.

“We will now meet with every club individually to get their thoughts and feedback on the Discussion Paper.

“We expect anything from some clubs saying we do not need change, while others will be in favour and some will have ideas of a completely different model which is what we want to hear from clubs, leagues and associations.

“But one thing outlined is a head in the sand approach is probably not an option.

“Then the council will put together a final report outlining what should happen from our perspective before another forum held in late October, early November and we will see where it goes from there.”