Regional Rebuild ... Your Say

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MortlockWatcher

MortlockWatcher

Club Legend
Veteran
Dec 18, 2013
2,925
3,114
Leaning against the boundary fence
AFL Club
Carlton
You have been given the task to re-build the composition of the Riddell league as well as its surrounding leagues for the benefit of the region beyond the short-term.
How would your revamp look?
List the teams in your new-look RDFNL as well as listing the changes in and out of the league.
 
I can see the league expand by a net figure of two clubs by 2022, with the league consisting of:

Ballan, Diggers Rest, Kyneton, Lancefield, Macedon, Melton Central, Melton South, Riddell, Rockbank, Romsey, Rupertswood, Wallan and Woodend-Hesket.

IN: Ballan, Kyneton, Melton South.
OUT: Broadford.

Ballan is a logical fit as their travel would reduce, they would be competitive and I reckon they would be able to recruit better if they weren't trying to convince people to travel beyond Ballarat to play.

Kyneton would be a better fit in the Riddell if their recruiting focus is directed at Melbourne. They also need to spend a fair bit of coin to compete against more attractive BFNL clubs at the moment and once again a big selling point is not having to travel to Bendigo every second week to play. If they recruit more from surrounding districts and/or Bendigo, they'd be more likely to stay. The biggest plus would be the lure of regular finals football if they consistently had a good playing group.

To me it seems that it would be the right time for Melton South to stop heading west to play. It's a little bit warmer here than on the fields of Ballarat LOL. The downside is that they might have to wage a serious battle to get out of the BFNL - Daylesford took a while and I think Maryborough had to work very hard to get a clearance to Bendigo. IIRC Sebastopol have tried in the past without success.

No disrespect towards Broadford but I see them exiting within the next two years as there is a better fit with Heathcote football or else the proposed Seymour league. I am not too sure about the playing in the Kyabram league due to travel.

If we got the three in's then we might not have the rumblings that some clubs are looking eastwards.

The staff at AFL Victoria, AFL Goldfields (and the other hubs for that matter) better not count of having too much leave in the next six months as they are going to be - or should be - hard at work developing the future path for our regions and leagues.
 
I'm no stranger to controversy, been involved in local footy for over 40 yrs so i think I have a good understanding of where the league is, where it was and what its future should look like, if people bury egos and have footy in the region as there priority, and not concentrate on protecting there little empires, then I think the league has a chance of survival. But lets be honest, the vultures are circling the carcass that was the once the mighty RDNFL.

So lets break it down to a few simple facts.

Years ago the clubs in the RDFL were power houses, if an RDFL club took on any other club from the surrounding leagues we more than held our own, if fact we lead the way with recruitment and junior development. Unfortunately we never set the world on fire in Interleague as the problems of the today are the same of yesteryear , the best players do not want to play. To be honest the clubs got so powerful that neighbouring leagues (Bendigo, Ballarat and Essendon) saw what we had to offer and dangled the carrot in front of our big clubs and enticed them away. And apart from Melton South, all the clubs that left have won Premierships in there new leagues and to this day are powerhouses in there new leagues. So why did they leave......Opportunity? ......Better Competition?....Better Sponsorship?......they maybe some of the reasons, but the real reason they left was due to poor management from a league level. Poor Management took many forms and its a debate that has been debated many times so I wont go to deep here.

So here we are 20 yrs later and has the problems changed? Simple answer is No. We have sold our soul to Big Brother( AFL Goldfields).....who promised us the world but have delivered nothing, except high fees, poor representation at our local level and an uneven competition where clubs now want out...and who could blame them. Gee this sounds like the same story we had 20 yrs ago. In AFL Goldfields eyes we run a distant last compared to its other comps it manages, in fact all but the major league(Ballarat FL) have clubs that are struggling and uneven competitions. Has anyone seen league reps at a game? Or even more the men who walk on water from Ballarat at our games to see for themselves whats happening down here? So poor Management has created this mess again.....good to see our fees going to work to make local football better in Ballarat.

So whats the answer......is it Diggers and Rupo and Romsey joining Essendon next year, what about poor Rockbank....is the Western Region the answer for them?
I dont think so.... we have one last chance to save this league (AFL Victoria does) but unless we make noise now we will loose this comp forever, because once clubs leave they never come back. So I dont apologise for the ideas I am about to throw up, but we do need clubs to start talking and making noise. So here goes.....
Club Viability
To even out the comp AFL Victoria need to play hard ball with clubs and leagues, force mergers, and realign boundaries and entice clubs to make radical business decisions for the benefit of the game ( like they promised in the toothless review)
Lets start with our own comp......If you cannot field 3 teams as per the rules of the league your club is not viable? Hard to do they say? Lets looks at the Reserves.....struggling for numbers...why...Club Footy and Masters. Thats where all the 30 yo players are....Masters footy and Club footy are thriving, but most of them dont come under our clubs structure, they are independent. So why dont we throw out the idea of getting clubs to invest in the formation of a Reserves Comp that actually is the Super rules team or the Club Team.....brings back the older players to the clubs and older players drink beer and have business to inject funds into the clubs? Just an Idea. If you cannot field 3 teams you are in direct conflict of the rules and there fore cannot play....hate to say it and I know clubs work there arse of to get numbers, but its got to hard and players have to many other choices.
Years ago we never played U18s in the Reserves due to the roughness of that level of footy, but today its so much tamer at that level, so what about the idea of the reserves being a 50/50 mix of Under 19 and Reserves players, and those who miss out on a game with there own club play in sides who are short...once again just another idea.
So lets look at clubs individually and this is where it gets hard and people will get the s**ts with my commments
Mergers and why?
Lancefield and Romsey....... we all know Romsey owe the league alot of money, we all know that Lancefield are hanging on..just. so with just 10 or so KM between the towns ..bury the egos, do whats best for footy and merge...like you did yrs ago with the juniors. they would become a powerhouse.
Woodend and Macedon....Sorry Woodend but you are the closest club...Macedon have no 3rds....struggle for numbers in the twos, and have a strong senior team, these 2 together, who I know have hated each other for years would be a super powerful club lets call the Macedon Ranges for the exercise. the reason Macedon should look at it, is the facilities are poor (change rooms) and they dont meet the criteria of fielding 3 teams and they have a history... they did fold once before'
Unfortunately... Broadford belong in the new Northern League
Melton South want in....so lets welcome them back
Kyneton are in trouble and would fit this league beautifully.....lets welcome them
Rockbank need to cross the hwy and merge with one of the new estates teams and as a new identity start again.
Melton Centrals to change there name to Arnolds Creek to better represent its locality in the community and a name change would make sponsorship more appealing as there are alot of footy clubs with the name Melton in it
Time for us to look at CHFL....Ballan and even Gordon comming over to our new look league
So heres what it might look like...

Kyneton
Woodend/ Macedon (Macedon Ranges)
Romsey/Lancefield
Wallan
Rupo
Diggers
Riddell
Arnolds Creek (Melton Centrals)
Melton South
Rockbank/Plumpton...or similar
Ballan
Gordon

I know this will upset people, but we need to start talking, looking for solutions. We cannot continue as we are, but if we make noise and get AFL Goldfields to listen and the RDNFL board of there arse and start talking to clubs then we are doomed. Change is hard, and History is the past....please look forward, save our comp. People are talking and the war drums are starting to beat loud....... its gaining momentum...people are starting to put there hands up and ask questions of the management......its just the start. Happy to accept the bullets here but these are ideas and we have to start somewhere
 

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I also think that AFL Victoria need to apply some force with this round of reviews.

I agree that the re-alignment of boundaries is overdue - it would have been a long while since the last one. With the Golden Rivers league perilously close to disbanding and the potential that some of their clubs might move out of the Central Murray region and the Alberton league also being in its death throes amongst other statewide issues, it is timely that AFL Victoria look to re-set their map of Victoria and the composition of the leagues.

Some clubs will resist mergers out of hand but they need to set aside their parochialism - especially this time around - as the reality is that country football is set for a downturn.

Some big decisions need to be made statewide over the next few months in order for the sport to benefit over the next 10-15 years. Administrators and clubs need to step up to the plate for the good of the game or else their club might be on the wrong end of inaction or denial.
 
smokey the bear said:
I'm no stranger to controversy, been involved in local footy for over 40 yrs so i think I have a good understanding of where the league is, where it was and what its future should look like, if people bury egos and have footy in the region as there priority, and not concentrate on protecting there little empires, then I think the league has a chance of survival. But lets be honest, the vultures are circling the carcass that was the once the mighty RDNFL.

So lets break it down to a few simple facts.

Years ago the clubs in the RDFL were power houses, if an RDFL club took on any other club from the surrounding leagues we more than held our own, if fact we lead the way with recruitment and junior development. Unfortunately we never set the world on fire in Interleague as the problems of the today are the same of yesteryear , the best players do not want to play. To be honest the clubs got so powerful that neighbouring leagues (Bendigo, Ballarat and Essendon) saw what we had to offer and dangled the carrot in front of our big clubs and enticed them away. And apart from Melton South, all the clubs that left have won Premierships in there new leagues and to this day are powerhouses in there new leagues. So why did they leave......Opportunity? ......Better Competition?....Better Sponsorship?......they maybe some of the reasons, but the real reason they left was due to poor management from a league level. Poor Management took many forms and its a debate that has been debated many times so I wont go to deep here.

So here we are 20 yrs later and has the problems changed? Simple answer is No. We have sold our soul to Big Brother( AFL Goldfields).....who promised us the world but have delivered nothing, except high fees, poor representation at our local level and an uneven competition where clubs now want out...and who could blame them. Gee this sounds like the same story we had 20 yrs ago. In AFL Goldfields eyes we run a distant last compared to its other comps it manages, in fact all but the major league(Ballarat FL) have clubs that are struggling and uneven competitions. Has anyone seen league reps at a game? Or even more the men who walk on water from Ballarat at our games to see for themselves whats happening down here? So poor Management has created this mess again.....good to see our fees going to work to make local football better in Ballarat.

So whats the answer......is it Diggers and Rupo and Romsey joining Essendon next year, what about poor Rockbank....is the Western Region the answer for them?
I dont think so.... we have one last chance to save this league (AFL Victoria does) but unless we make noise now we will loose this comp forever, because once clubs leave they never come back. So I dont apologise for the ideas I am about to throw up, but we do need clubs to start talking and making noise. So here goes.....
Club Viability
To even out the comp AFL Victoria need to play hard ball with clubs and leagues, force mergers, and realign boundaries and entice clubs to make radical business decisions for the benefit of the game ( like they promised in the toothless review)
Lets start with our own comp......If you cannot field 3 teams as per the rules of the league your club is not viable? Hard to do they say? Lets looks at the Reserves.....struggling for numbers...why...Club Footy and Masters. Thats where all the 30 yo players are....Masters footy and Club footy are thriving, but most of them dont come under our clubs structure, they are independent. So why dont we throw out the idea of getting clubs to invest in the formation of a Reserves Comp that actually is the Super rules team or the Club Team.....brings back the older players to the clubs and older players drink beer and have business to inject funds into the clubs? Just an Idea. If you cannot field 3 teams you are in direct conflict of the rules and there fore cannot play....hate to say it and I know clubs work there arse of to get numbers, but its got to hard and players have to many other choices.
Years ago we never played U18s in the Reserves due to the roughness of that level of footy, but today its so much tamer at that level, so what about the idea of the reserves being a 50/50 mix of Under 19 and Reserves players, and those who miss out on a game with there own club play in sides who are short...once again just another idea.
So lets look at clubs individually and this is where it gets hard and people will get the s**ts with my commments
Mergers and why?
Lancefield and Romsey....... we all know Romsey owe the league alot of money, we all know that Lancefield are hanging on..just. so with just 10 or so KM between the towns ..bury the egos, do whats best for footy and merge...like you did yrs ago with the juniors. they would become a powerhouse.
Woodend and Macedon....Sorry Woodend but you are the closest club...Macedon have no 3rds....struggle for numbers in the twos, and have a strong senior team, these 2 together, who I know have hated each other for years would be a super powerful club lets call the Macedon Ranges for the exercise. the reason Macedon should look at it, is the facilities are poor (change rooms) and they dont meet the criteria of fielding 3 teams and they have a history... they did fold once before'
Unfortunately... Broadford belong in the new Northern League
Melton South want in....so lets welcome them back
Kyneton are in trouble and would fit this league beautifully.....lets welcome them
Rockbank need to cross the hwy and merge with one of the new estates teams and as a new identity start again.
Melton Centrals to change there name to Arnolds Creek to better represent its locality in the community and a name change would make sponsorship more appealing as there are alot of footy clubs with the name Melton in it
Time for us to look at CHFL....Ballan and even Gordon comming over to our new look league
So heres what it might look like...

Kyneton
Woodend/ Macedon (Macedon Ranges)
Romsey/Lancefield
Wallan
Rupo
Diggers
Riddell
Arnolds Creek (Melton Centrals)
Melton South
Rockbank/Plumpton...or similar
Ballan
Gordon

I know this will upset people, but we need to start talking, looking for solutions. We cannot continue as we are, but if we make noise and get AFL Goldfields to listen and the RDNFL board of there arse and start talking to clubs then we are doomed. Change is hard, and History is the past....please look forward, save our comp. People are talking and the war drums are starting to beat loud....... its gaining momentum...people are starting to put there hands up and ask questions of the management......its just the start. Happy to accept the bullets here but these are ideas and we have to start somewhere
Click to expand...
I really like your ideas mate, I’ve plsyed football in the Ballarat and riddle and chfl league.. I think it makes sense !

It would be a great little league ! And much more interesting.
Ballan should look into it.
 
Been a while since i have had anything to do with the RDFL but it made me sad this week to see Rupo trying to leave, after only just returning back from VAFA

I think the major issue with the RDFL is location, its kind of stuck in limbo not being country and not being a metro comp. The distance a club like Rockbank or Melton Central needs to travel to get to Wallan, Romsey etc is extreme where if they joined the WRFL all games would be within 15-30 minutes, same with the Sunbury and Diggers teams in EDFL.. It actually makes little sense for these teams to play in what is considered an inferior competition in the RDFL. Covering these sort of distances is normal for country leagues but Sunbury & Melton ceased being country areas a long time ago and with people in modern society being so time poor this is a big hurdle for the league to overcome.

If you were starting the comp again IMO you would let Centrals & Rockbank join the WRFL, Rupo & Diggers join EDFL and then focus on the Macendon ranges area..

Teams would be
Macendon
Woodend
Romsey
Lancefield
Riddell
Wallan

Then attract the natural fits of Tentham, Kyneton, Gisborne.. Gisborne also is growing so rapidly a 2nd team in Gisborne cant be far away..

That would make 10... Although to be fair the smarter thing to do would be simply merge with the Marybourough Castlemaine league and create 2 divisions
 
ItsAllAboutMe said:
Been a while since i have had anything to do with the RDFL but it made me sad this week to see Rupo trying to leave, after only just returning back from VAFA

I think the major issue with the RDFL is location, its kind of stuck in limbo not being country and not being a metro comp. The distance a club like Rockbank or Melton Central needs to travel to get to Wallan, Romsey etc is extreme where if they joined the WRFL all games would be within 15-30 minutes, same with the Sunbury and Diggers teams in EDFL.. It actually makes little sense for these teams to play in what is considered an inferior competition in the RDFL. Covering these sort of distances is normal for country leagues but Sunbury & Melton ceased being country areas a long time ago and with people in modern society being so time poor this is a big hurdle for the league to overcome.

If you were starting the comp again IMO you would let Centrals & Rockbank join the WRFL, Rupo & Diggers join EDFL and then focus on the Macendon ranges area..

Teams would be
Macendon
Woodend
Romsey
Lancefield
Riddell
Wallan

Then attract the natural fits of Tentham, Kyneton, Gisborne.. Gisborne also is growing so rapidly a 2nd team in Gisborne cant be far away..

That would make 10... Although to be fair the smarter thing to do would be simply merge with the Marybourough Castlemaine league and create 2 divisions
Click to expand...
This would create similar issues with regard to distance, Romsey or Wallan to Navarre is a 2hr+ drive each way.
Expanding on your idea though an option that could work (IMO) would be an amalgamation or realignment between MCDFL, RDFL & CHFL where clubs are grouped into divisions based on location.
 
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