The Mid South Eastern Football League board of management is preparing a response to the bid by the Casterton Sandford Football Netball Club to become its tenth club next season.

The MSEFL submission will be directed to Peter Lindner who chairs the SANFL Community Football Committee.

The MSEFL board of management memo sent to its nine current clubs last week states the current application by the Casterton Football Netball Club to join the MSEFL for 2023 is being conducted in accordance with SANFL Community Football Regulation 18.

“Paragraph four states the decision of the Community Football Committee to either approve or reject the recommendation of the Investigations Committee is final and binding on all parties,” states the MSEFL memo.

“Therefore, we as a league or clubs do not actually have a say on this current application, nor will be afforded any voting rights to either allow or disallow Casterton Sandford to join.”

Mr Lindner’s committee is appointed by the SANFL and comprises eight men and four women.

The Cats made the unsolicited bombshell announcement around two months ago to seek to leave the Western Border after 58 seasons of competition.

Casterton has won just two flags in that time and the most recent was in 1990.

It merged with South West District Football League club Sandford a few years ago but its on-field playing fortunes have not improved.

There has been little enthusiasm for the tenth club among the MSEFL given its stable format and the fact it draws its clubs from small towns.

It has had just one change in composition in almost 60 years making it one of the most stable competitions of its size anywhere in Australia.

There are fears that a further shakeup would be imposed by the SANFL if the Casterton Sandford defection was approved and the Western Border was reduced to just five clubs.

On the other hand, there has been little apparent interest in the MSEFL from the Casterton Sandford quarter of late with very few of its supporters attending the four MSEFL finals.