There will not be a season.

[141397]

We all need to seriously contemplate a non season for 2007, it has not happened yet, perhaps rain will prove me wrong. What are we going to do if such a disaster were to occur? Will clubs fold because of this? Positives? A year off could give the new diamond valley hierarchy the time they need to get sorted. What about the players?

Edit: Season goes ahead. I was wrong.

[A Living God]

We all need to seriously contemplate a non season for 2007, it has not happened yet, perhaps rain will prove me wrong. What are we going to do if such a disaster were to occur? Will clubs fold because of this? Positives? A year off could give the new diamond valley hierarchy the time they need to get sorted. What about the players?
The season will go ahead, it will start on may 5th. There is no way it will be canceled.

[Jimmy Gwilt]

We all need to seriously contemplate a non season for 2007, it has not happened yet, perhaps rain will prove me wrong. What are we going to do if such a disaster were to occur? Will clubs fold because of this? Positives? A year off could give the new diamond valley hierarchy the time they need to get sorted. What about the players?

good point mate - such a disaster could happen but lets hope not

[Hoggy]

Why would clubs fold?

[bibi01]

good chance the season won't go ahead
even if we get rain, a lot of the grounds will just turn to mud when the rain comes

the decision to go ahead or not is not entirely the decision of DVFL, the councils will play a big part in the decision as they own most of the grounds and are financially responsible for the upkeep of the grounds
and lest not mention insurance.

not sure clubs will fold, if anything it will make 2008 season a great season as it allows players to recover from injuries, missing a season may give players the hunger to play footy again.

just on a side note, if 2007 does not go ahead it may be a good chance for dvfl to start planning for a dvfl with 3 divisions.

[Giveyathemail]

Im as convinced, now more than ever that we wont play in 2007.

Have seen 6-10 of the grounds in the last 2 weeks and they are rooted...

It will take a week of solid rain, plus regular downfalls to soften the grounds and replenish the surfaces.

[matchwinner]

Would be very disappointing if that was the case. Footy clubs are such a big part of your life! Not only do you share the highs and lows from week to week with a bunch of blokes who become your closest mates, but for 6 months of the year, these blokes also become a big part of your social life. Would certainly be a big hole to fill if the season doesn't go ahead.

Does anyone know how many grounds would be considered playable at present??? I know our surface (Lower) is top notch, but down the hill, Mont is not looking real good at all!

[devil's advocte]

Problem is that the grounds that are good such as lower will now need to be used by other teams such as mont for home games and lower will have no say in it as it is council property.

Thats ok for mont as they wont have to move too far for a game and it shouldnt effect income. What about other teams? will Heidelberg be forced to have north heidelberg share the ground? will it just be cheaper for north to say we pull out of the competition for 2007 as it is not viable when we pay $7000 a game and no way to recoup the costs with out the home games?

[looker]

Stuff the footy week in week out.
It the NO End -of -season trip i'm concerned about!!!!!!!:(

[Hoggy]

From what I have seen/heard...

Great to play on - considering the drought
Heidelberg
Epping
Northcote Park (assuming given district cricket is played here)
Hurstbridge
Wallan (so I've heard, own water system apparently)
Kinglake (same as Wallan)
Lower Plenty
South Morang
Watsonia

Playable, but not great
Diamond Creek
Eltham (Plenty)
Mernda

Unplayable
Montmorency
Panton Hill

Unknown
Greensborough
Bundoora
West Preston-Lakeside
North Heidelberg
Fawkner Park (would be assuming it would be terrible though)
Whittlesea
Macleod (same as Fawkner Park)
Reservoir
Parkside (no idea where it is)
Thomastown
Lalor
Heidelberg West

Anyone else care to add where the other grounds would be categorised.

There are also the grounds of juniors clubs that could be used in case of emergency, the one's capable for senior football would be Anthony Beale Reserve (Greensborough Juniors), Keon Park Stars (although this would probably be ****ed), Redleap Reserve (Mill Park), West Lalor and Yarrambat.

[Fatboy35]

Hoggy, I think you got the grounds almost spot on. The worry is we need 13 grounds each week to play and those same grounds will be used week in week out. With the council money that has gone into Lower, Watsonia, Hurstbridge there is no way the councils will allow these grounds to be used each week and have a chance to become ruined.

What about the other senior games, I think the reserves and under 19's comps will have to merge, just to reduce traffic on grounds, then you have grass won't grow after April so even if it does the rain the traffic will turn the grounds to mud and then we will probably get kicked off.

Then you add DVFL clubs won't get control of their league until 30 April, the very next day, Stage 4 water ristrictions are almost certain to come and we expect that four days later we will be playing?

[Pheonix20]

Unknown
Greensborough
Bundoora
West Preston-Lakeside
North Heidelberg
Fawkner Park (would be assuming it would be terrible though)
Whittlesea
Macleod (same as Fawkner Park)
Reservoir
Parkside (no idea where it is)
Thomastown
Lalor
Heidelberg West

Anyone else care to add where the other grounds would be categorised.


Bundoora is a desert!

[Dv_Worm]

DVFL will kick off on the set date, even if the grounds are going to be shared between clubs

[Rubix]

Unknown
Greensborough
Bundoora
West Preston-Lakeside
North Heidelberg
Fawkner Park (would be assuming it would be terrible though)
Whittlesea
Macleod (same as Fawkner Park)
Reservoir
Parkside (no idea where it is)
Thomastown
Lalor
Heidelberg West

Anyone else care to add where the other grounds would be categorised.


Bundoora is a desert!

Lalor, Thomastown, Reservoir & Bundoora are all similar, with only patches of grass and extremely hard under foot.

WPL although is still fairly firm under foot it has reasonable grass coverage which is better than it has been in previous years. It has been in alot worse condition (2003 in particular) than it is at the present time. There for it would definately be in the playable yet not terrific catergory

And you would have to imagine that the Show Grounds would have to be in as good a nick as Epping if not better seeing they are in the same council,

[epping pingers]

i think the season will go ahead but it will be bad for the guys playing 2nd year 17's as its probably there last chance to get noticed by scouts if the season doesnt go ahead.

[Hoggy]

Any good U17s would already be playing for the Knights.

[epping pingers]

no mate, thats the dumbest thing iv heard.

alot of players have there breakout years in 17's.

and there are players who have been scouted before but got rejected for knights, but then this is another year to show scouts there worth getting picked.

[Hoggy]

Any 17s that will get drafted have already been scouted.

[blackjack44]

if your not in the TAC system, your going to find it very very hard to get drafted.

[Trotta]

If put in the position of not being able to footy locally, are there blokes willing to play in Bush footy?

I'm from a country club and we've got water and a ground that sounds like its in better nic than Eltham/Greensborough way. If it looks like footy might be off for a year blokes are more than welcome to come up here (Benalla) and play. Club can pay travel etc

[141397]

Correction: There will be a season.:D

[giantroo]

From what I have seen/heard...

Great to play on - considering the drought
Heidelberg
Epping
Northcote Park (assuming given district cricket is played here)
Hurstbridge
Wallan (so I've heard, own water system apparently)
Kinglake (same as Wallan)
Lower Plenty
South Morang
Watsonia

Playable, but not great
Diamond Creek
Eltham (Plenty)
Mernda

Unplayable
Montmorency
Panton Hill

Unknown
Greensborough
Bundoora
West Preston-Lakeside
North Heidelberg
Fawkner Park (would be assuming it would be terrible though)
Whittlesea
Macleod (same as Fawkner Park)
Reservoir
Parkside (no idea where it is)
Thomastown
Lalor
Heidelberg West

Anyone else care to add where the other grounds would be categorised.

There are also the grounds of juniors clubs that could be used in case of emergency, the one's capable for senior football would be Anthony Beale Reserve (Greensborough Juniors), Keon Park Stars (although this would probably be ****ed), Redleap Reserve (Mill Park), West Lalor and Yarrambat.


Lalor Bloods or Stars? Which one is it?

[kennysGo]

From what I have seen/heard...

Great to play on - considering the drought
Heidelberg
Epping
Northcote Park (assuming given district cricket is played here)
Hurstbridge
Wallan (so I've heard, own water system apparently)
Kinglake (same as Wallan)
Lower Plenty
South Morang
Watsonia

Playable, but not great
Diamond Creek
Eltham (Plenty)
Mernda

Unplayable
Montmorency
Panton Hill

Unknown
Greensborough
Bundoora
West Preston-Lakeside
North Heidelberg
Fawkner Park (would be assuming it would be terrible though)
Whittlesea
Macleod (same as Fawkner Park)
Reservoir
Parkside (no idea where it is)
Thomastown
Lalor
Heidelberg West

Anyone else care to add where the other grounds would be categorised.

There are also the grounds of juniors clubs that could be used in case of emergency, the one's capable for senior football would be Anthony Beale Reserve (Greensborough Juniors), Keon Park Stars (although this would probably be ****ed), Redleap Reserve (Mill Park), West Lalor and Yarrambat.


Whittlesea is OK
Wallan a bit patchy but OK (Has its own boreno problem for water).