It may be the middle of summer, but debate around the future of football and netball in the Limestone Coast is at an all-time high.
After the SANFL amended the charter of the Limestone Coast Regional Football Council in May with a focus on the sustainability of football and netball going forward, a historic meeting was held between both bodies, plus representatives from all clubs, leagues and associations in the region where the biggest sporting brains in the area were picked.
The byproduct of the unforeseen occurrence has been the LCRFC’s review of the sustainability and structure of football on the Limestone Coast which attempts to plot the best route in the short to long-term future.
It has generated an abundance of talking points, but the most polarising has been the recommendations for change.
The council’s first suggestion was for Kalangadoo and Penola to jump on board with the six Western Border clubs in a new competition before the entire landscape is shaken up by the introduction of separate town and community competitions.
The loss of the Magpies and Eagles will impact all aspects of the Mid South Eastern and Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara Netball Associations after both sides were crowned A Grade premiers on the court.
MSENA president Sara Gray said she was caught off-guard by the announcement and did not want the intimate atmosphere of her competition to be torn apart.
“As association president I was a bit surprised because it was not one of the two scenarios that were mentioned at the start,” she said.
“In the Mid South East we pride ourselves on being the family league with friendships and bonds that are formed from being at your club over long periods of time.
“There is a great family ethos and atmosphere due to small close-knit communities playing sport together on a Saturday.”
Despite the speculation for change and Kalangadoo having won the last nine flags, Gray said the MSENA was in a great position to survive and thrive.
“The clubs are quite happy,” she said.
“We met with our clubs before the review and we were all on the same page.
“We as an association are very healthy and in a good position.”
Due to this strong connection with the clubs, Gray does not believe the recommended changes should be implemented and wants to see more consideration given to the netball side of things.
“It has been very much football centric,” she said.
“I do not feel netball has really been taken into consideration and the importance to communities of football and netball as a whole has not been understood.
“If you have a club with 200 juniors against a club with 40, one team is already on the front foot and I do not understand how it can work.”
The other association that could be greatly affected by the potential changes is the KNTNA, with Penola asked to consider leaving the competition less than a year after its maiden A Grade flag.
KNTNA president Tracey Grosser said the potential loss of the Eagles would be sorely missed.
“They are a fantastic club with strong leadership,” she said.
“The success of winning their first A Grade premiership for many years (was great) and their juniors are also strong. So they are very valuable to the KNTNA and we hope they are part of it for a long time going forward.”
However, the KNTNA is no stranger to recent farewells after Kaniva Leeor United left the competition to stay on the Victorian side of the border ahead of the 2021 season and Grosser understands it is a complex situation.
“We are happy for each club to decide what is best for them,” she said
“If that is to stay in the KNT, we recognise that is fantastic for us, but we also understand there might be times we need to have a broad view and look at the bigger picture.
“Change is challenging, but we are not going to make anyone do anything they do not want to do.”
Grosser believed the work between the 10 clubs and association had been amazing.
Although Penola does not feel the LCRFC has focused enough on netball, Grosser feels her association has been heard.
“Every netball president was at the meetings and I feel like they are considering us to a point,” Groser said.
“We are very keen to get a netball representative on the council and they told us that is happening.
“I feel like Trevor (Smart) and the team understand the importance of netball and I am confident they will continue to do that.”
The competition that has the most to gain from the proposed changes is the WBNA with the possibility of the showdown everyone has been waiting for – Millicent v Kalangadoo.
The pair have dominated netball courts in their respective leagues for decades, while throwing 2021 premiership teams Penola and East Gambier into mixture cooks up a dream battle for the ultimate prize.
WBNA president Jo Gibbs said she welcomed the proposed changes and believes change must happen for the good of the game.
“I think for the viability for both football and netball in the entire region,” she said.
“Change is something that is needed not just for the Western Border’s benefit, but for the Mid South Eastern and Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara as well.
“Covid has certainly affected the lower grades with players put in a position where they think it is just a little too hard.
“The impact of COVID has an affect on all of us and financially it has been huge.
“It (the recommendations) can only strengthen the competition and we have been really fortunate to be strong a state country level.
“So, to have two powerhouses like Kalangadoo and Penola involved, it can only benefit for the players as well as the spectacle.”
Gibbs also did not agree with the opinion of netball not receiving enough representation paying credit to the LCRFC’s work to cover all areas.
“All netball clubs and associations were asked to meet with the council and I think they listened,” she said.
“We understand if change was to happen, it is adjusting those competitions to suit everybody and that is inevitable.
“We are open to that to allow as many people as possible to be involved.”
