Shepparton East, possible move to the KDFL?

[Wayde Petersen]

Well, that's the big local football rumour going around around our region at the moment, and officials at Shepp. East have stated openly thay've always been open to any move away from the Central Goulburn Football League, and into the Picola District Football League (already 13 teams, with Berrigan joining from the Murray League this year) or one of thier former leagues, the Kyabram District Football League (11 teams, with the futures of two clubs, Murchison & Undera, looking very shakey:( ).

Well, Congupna whinged and bitched about wanting to leave the then Goulburn Valley Football League Division Two, to go into the Murray League, and it looks like thier neighbour, Shepparton East looks like doing the same thing.

Travel is the major sticking point for the Bombers, with only Rumbalara (Shepparton) & Dookie United the closest clubs in the CGFL, in this dis-jointed league., and they think that a move to the KDFL, (with most clubs within easy driving distance from Shepp East), could help the club.

I hope that Shepparton East don't join the Kyabram District Football League simply because it puts the future of the CGFL, and the rest of the clubs in great jeapoady, plus the number of clubs in the Kyabram League is adequate anyway, with our 11 member clubs.

Aso the KDFL doesn't have an Under 14's competition, unless an Under 14's comp. is developed (Stanhope, Girgarre, Rushworth, Avenel & Nagambie already have Under 14's teams in seperate Junior competitions, Lancaster has thier juniors linked with Kyabram's, (ditto Ardmona with Mooroopna), and Tallygaroopna, Murchison, Merrigum & Undera would really struggle to field an Under 14's side), and I don't think that will happen, considering that our Under 18's comp. is severly one-sided.

I hope that that gets knocked on the head straight away, so that real change in Goulburn/Murray football can be achieved.

[timelord]

The problems started in that region when the Tungamah FL was taken over by the Goulburn Valley FL. I know that virtually every TFL official flipped off the GVFL (and I think the VCFL as well) for that - and things have never been the same since. GVFL Division Two was a flop, with Congupna spitting the dummy and taking off for the Murray FL. Mansfield were the only real beneficiares (I think!!) now playing in the GVFL proper and (along with Congupna in the MFL) are the only TFL clubs still playing major league footy. Remembering that the TFL WERE a major league at the time.

At the same time you had Moama and Echuca United come over to the MFL (staying in the then new Central Murray FL would have been crazy).

I don't think there's any doubt that the entire region is badly balanced. There is a problem though - and that is the lopsided nature of clubs at the district level. Reforming the old Waranga North East FL has been mentioned in the past, but that region has three major league clubs (Seymour, Euroa and Mansfield) with the rest being district clubs over three different leagues - one of them not even being in the district - I think! (that's Broadford in the Heathcote league).

The KDFL is badly balanced, and Picola is probably heading in the same direction. Benalla District would have to be taken into account as well.

So I'll give this one some thought. Won't be easy!!

[Richoagain]

Join 2-3 leagues together, four divisions of eight teams each, two promoted/relegated each year.

Pity the clubs that end up 100+ ks from everyone else in their divvy I spose...

You'll notice I haven't thought much about this, give me a day or two and I'll make a more realistic response.

[Mobbenfuhrer]

Minor leagues should not have so many clubs in them.

*leaves unexplained deliberately*

[Richoagain]

Eight to ten's a good number for a league. If nothing else it means you don't have teams holding up the arse end of the ladder for years on end.

So, if you put the clubs from the PDFL and KDFL together, how far would the league stretch from one end to the other?

Would it be possible to play a combined league as three groups of eight with promotion/relelgation?

Would it help clubs who've gone without a win for three or four seasons (eg Whungnu or Blighty) to attract players if they aren't going to get belted every week?

[Mobbenfuhrer]

Originally posted by Richoagain
Eight to ten's a good number for a league. If nothing else it means you don't have teams holding up the arse end of the ladder for years on end.

So, if you put the clubs from the PDFL and KDFL together, how far would the league stretch from one end to the other?

Would it be possible to play a combined league as three groups of eight with promotion/relelgation?

Would it help clubs who've gone without a win for three or four seasons (eg Whungnu or Blighty) to attract players if they aren't going to get belted every week?

Ok I just lost a 30-line post so here's a tiny one.

13 clubs in PDFL, 11 in KDFL.

If merged, furthest distance would be Deni Rovers v Avenel ... 155km as the crow flies.

Previous furthest in PDFL would have been Deni Rovers to Tungamah, 100k a.t.c.f

Previous furthest in KDFL would have been Avenel to Tallygaroopna, about 75km a.t.c.f

[mick4]

the fact that the name of the club is Shep East that they have no hope of joining the P.D.F.L. That and they are doing quite well on there own and Berrigan was less than welcomed into the leuage

[Wayde Petersen]

Yeah I know, but if Berrigan didn't get out of the Murray League, they would've either folded or merged with another MFL club (Finley or Berrigan), and that would have been a bad thing all round.

But, you're right Richo, in the Kyabram League, the only teams that have a realistic chance of winning the flag are Lancaster & Stanhope, and the rest of the clubs just make up the numbers (especially Undera & Murchison, who after a brief flirt with the top end of the ladder in the laste 90's, have been getting flogged every week for a few weeks now), I WISH THAT THESE TWO CLUBS **** OFF OUT OF THE LEAGUE, so that Murch plays other teams that are similar in ability.

Phil, the only thing that buggered up the Tungamah League was the admittance of Mansfield after the WNEFL folded (after Euroa & Seymour left to join the GVFL), which led to a whole heap of other southern clubs, joining the TFL, subsequently teams such as Mulwala, Katandra, Katamatite, Tungamah, and Congupna tired of the travel, decided to play in more local competitions.

You're right though, the whole region is a basket case, and sadly petty parochialism has prevented this from happening.

[Richoagain]

Ah yes, petty parochialism, the most efficient way for a club to kill itself....

I play at St Marys with a guy from Cobram who said on the weekend the leagues are virtually at the the stage where they are divisions of the one structure - what with the amount of clubs who've had to change leagues in the last few years.

[timelord]

Originally posted by Wayde Petersen
Phil, the only thing that buggered up the Tungamah League was the admittance of Mansfield after the WNEFL folded (after Euroa & Seymour left to join the GVFL), which led to a whole heap of other southern clubs, joining the TFL, subsequently teams such as Mulwala, Katandra, Katamatite, Tungamah, and Congupna tired of the travel, decided to play in more local competitions.

Maybe so, but then why did the WNEFL let Euroa and Seymour go anyway? There's no way they could have stayed together after that, and the remaining clubs had to go somewhere with Mansfield in probably the worst spot. They ARE a major league club - even though the GVFL is probably a little too strong for them. But where else can they go? That's the problem.

I mean, look at the WNEFL in it's last season (1976)

Five clubs - Yea, Mansfield, Broadford, Thornton and Alexandra. Seymour and Avenel's departure the previous year decimated the league (Seymour to GV, Avenel to KD). Yea, Alexandra and Thornton tried Yarra Valley - that was bound to fail - and Broadford went off to Riddell and then Heathcote.

But I still think it was the major league status issue that dictated terms to Congupna at least. Mulwala I think you're right, the MFL is better for them. The others just couldn't cut the mustard in a major league - as well as the travel to Mansfield probably (it's a fair point I agree) - so Picola was more appealling.

Berrigan - for the record - should have joined Coreen IMO.

[Mobbenfuhrer]

Where was Eildon at that time, Phil? Already merged with Thornton?

Hey the thing that confuses me, and Phil's added to it by commenting that it would have been a bad move but not elaborating :) is why Lockington-Bamawm, when they found themselves too strong for the N&EFL, tried the BFL instead of the CMFL, and then when they found themselves too weak for the BFL, tried the HDFL instead of the CMFL.

Does the CMFL have cooties?

[timelord]

No Kev, LBU left the CMFL option behind for the same reason Moam and Echuca United did - travel. Strength wise CMFL would have been much better than Bendigo, but they thought as long as they were a major league club (at the time) they thought that they could cope. Trouble was they had a major league club at that level right next door (Rochester). Result, players went to United to seek the appropriate level - and LBU ceased to be a major league club at all as a result. Hence their move down a notch to Heathcote.

The above is all logical guess work BTW!

[Wayde Petersen]

Originally posted by timelord
Maybe so, but then why did the WNEFL let Euroa and Seymour go anyway? There's no way they could have stayed together after that, and the remaining clubs had to go somewhere with Mansfield in probably the worst spot. They ARE a major league club - even though the GVFL is probably a little too strong for them. But where else can they go? That's the problem.

I mean, look at the WNEFL in it's last season (1976)

Five clubs - Yea, Mansfield, Broadford, Thornton and Alexandra. Seymour and Avenel's departure the previous year decimated the league (Seymour to GV, Avenel to KD). Yea, Alexandra and Thornton tried Yarra Valley - that was bound to fail - and Broadford went off to Riddell and then Heathcote.

But I still think it was the major league status issue that dictated terms to Congupna at least. Mulwala I think you're right, the MFL is better for them. The others just couldn't cut the mustard in a major league - as well as the travel to Mansfield probably (it's a fair point I agree) - so Picola was more appealling.

Berrigan - for the record - should have joined Coreen IMO.

Berrigan wanted to go to the Coreen League, but was rejected. and although the Picola League is already too big, but Berrigan (like Mansfield) had to go somewhere, and they're going alright in the PDFL.

But as far as the Coreen league goes, Urana forfieting all thier games last saturday puts grave doubts about their future, and maybe this could be a chance by some disgruntled PDFL clubs to shunt Berrigan off to the PDFL ?.

[Wayde Petersen]

There's more on the current move by Shepparton East, during our committee meeting tonight, Shepp East had thier President, Secretary & Treasurer along to sure up our vote to let them into the KDFL, (they were also going to speak to Rushworth as well on the same night, so they only stayed for half an hour).

They did all the usuall bull****, handed out a few flyers, gave a few speeches highlighting the reasons why they should be in the league etc. When that was all done I had the floor for the first question and I said. What will happen to the Central Goulburn League and its member clubs if your application to join the KDFL is successful?.

They couldn't answer that but anyway, for our point of view, why allow a club into our league that's going to make it harder for us to attract players from Shepparton?, and who has a ****load of money, and lot of resources.

As far as I know, only Tallygaroopna (who should be in the Picola League, but that's another matter), has voted in favour of Shepp East's move, but the rest of us, have already voted no, or are likely to do so.