TBR MN or any one else. Did the "press release" come out on Sunbury. Speaking to people at the game and they were saying it was still just rumour. People seem to think the rumour is very strong however nobody else has confirmed that it is a done deal.
As Posted on Ballarat thread last week.
Sunbury steps closer to move
THE SUNBURY Lions Football Club has moved one step closer to leaving the RegionalOne Ballarat Football League.
Sunbury president Greg Allen confirmed the club would have formal discussions with the Essendon and District Football League about possibly joining the suburban league, after the EDFL agreed on Monday to meet with the
club on a yet to be determined date.
But Allen insisted a possible shift to the EDFL was just one item being considered by Sunbury's future directions committee that was established in 2005, and leaving the BFL was no certainty to happen.
"In 2005 the club established the future directions committee to discuss the club's future, and as part of that review we needed to have discussions with the Sunbury Lions Junior Football Club, the Ballarat Football League and
the EDFL. We had to make an application in order to have formal discussions with the EDFL and we've done that," he said.
Allen, who is also a member of the five-man future directions committee, said the meeting was primarily to provide the club's members with the information to help make a decision about its future.
He said that once the information was obtained the issue would go to a vote of the membership at 2007 annual general meeting.
"From day one the BFL has been aware of this and aware of the existence of the committee," Allen said.
"I won't hide from the fact that the amount of travel is an extremely difficult thing for the club. But we have a situation where the EDFL wants new clubs to enter through B-Grade whereas the Sunbury Football Club has a strong
preference to enter through A-Grade."
The Sunbury Lions Junior Football Club is currently in the Riddell District Junior Football League. If Sunbury joined the EDFL, its junior affiliate would also join, allowing the two to be in the same competition for the first
time since 1997. Allen said Sunbury would meet with the junior football club on July 24 to discuss closer ties and a possible move to the EDFL.
But Ballarat Football League chairman David Smith said he was confident Sunbury would see the sense in staying with the BFL.
"It is a bit early to talk about the future of the Ballarat Football League without Sunbury," he said. "I'm quite convinced the Sunbury Football Club will realise they are in a good position being in the league."