The Limestone Coast Football Association is set to be bolstered with the return of a cross-border competitor.
After five years away from the Limestone Coast Football Association the Portland Panthers Football Club will return for the 2025 season.
The Victorian club first left the league back in 2020 due to COVID border restrictions, before competing in the South West Victorian Football Association where they have been a competitive club, winning last season’s grand final in the women’s competition and making the grand final in the division 1 men’s team.
Limestone Coast Football Association chief executive Bruno Vadori said he was pleased to welcome Portland back into the league, something he has worked hard to make happen.
“I’m really happy that we have been able to get Portland to come back into our league, this is something I have worked pretty hard on over the last part of last year, between myself and David Stafford (Portland FC President) from Portland,” he said.
“We started phone calls in late September early October it was one of the things as CEO that I really wanted to do and get them back under our banner.”
Vadori believes it’s a positive step for the league to have Portland back.
“It’s a very positive step I think as a league growing indeed of getting smaller, were lucky enough that a team has left our association and has wanted to come back,” he said.
“It’s really positive to have more players in the league because they have been a stable club for a long time and it was only COVID that made them stop playing.”
Portland Football Club President David Stafford said his club was excited to be rejoining the league.
“I think it’s excellent and I’m looking forward to coming back into the Premier League, it’s where our history lies,” he said.
“We came over the border to the Victorian league because of COVID and now we have got through that period of our club and have stabilised our numbers and membership and we’re on the build and we thought it was the right time to come back to the LCFA and give it a crack.
“I feel like the structure and the processes that are in place over there are a fair bit stronger so I’m really looking forward to the challenge that is the LCFA.”
A big reason Portland made the move back into the Limestone Coast was because of the ability to play all of the club’s games on one day in one location.
This was something they were not able to do in Victoria and Stafford said it was difficult as it made the club feel not as connected with different teams playing at different venues on game day.
Stafford said the news had been well received by the club’s playing group and the Portland community.
“It’s been very well received, the senior group is extremely excited so pre season is always a time of great excitement,” he said.
“The juniors are looking forward to the challenge of a higher level competition and it might take a bit of time but they will adjust to the standards in the LCFA.”
Troy Jensen has been appointed head coach of Portland’s men’s senior side for 2025.
The lifelong Panther will step up to take on the senior coaching after previously coaching under 17s and assisting with the senior side last season.
“I am looking forward to the new challenges the Limestone Coast Premier League will offer us,” Jensen said.
“The boys have been working hard in the off-season and we are aiming to go one better than last season’s grand final appearance.”