ARDMONA will not have a senior football team in the Kyabram District Football League for the remainder of this season.
The league executive decided on Wednesday night to move Ardmona’s senior team into the reserves competition.
The Cats have not fielded a reserves side so far this season and in the first two rounds their senior side lost to Undera by 254 points and Rushworth by 348 points.
In a statement league president Wayne Ryan said it was a difficult decision but the right one to help the club rebuild.
He said the league spoke to Ardmona’s president Brett Sharp and coach Brent Ralph and proposed playing their senior side in the reserves for the rest of the season.
“They spoke to their playing group who accepted this as the best path forward and we then consulted with each club president who were also supportive of the move,” Ryan said.
“With the club fielding only one senior side the move to the reserves will allow them to be more competitive and also to retain their players for the rest of the season and rebuild their list.”
Sharp said it was a good outcome for the club.
“We might get a couple of wins on the board and things will stay positive around the club and we move forward for next year,” he said.
Ardmona did not win a senior match last year, failing to register a score in the final four games of the season, and replaced its new coach for this season with Ralph last month.
Sharp said Ardmona had told the league prior to the season it would not be able to fill a reserves side for the first 4-5 games and would forfeit those matches.
“We’d been getting close to 32 people training so we were just about there to get our reserves side back on the park, and then this idea of why don’t we just stop our seniors and just play reserves came up,” he said.
“The league worked out a way we could do it.”
The club also fields an under-18 side and five netball teams.
Ryan said Ardmona’s two games against Undera and Rushworth would be reduced to 100 points to zero margins. Best-and-fairest votes and goal kickers will be retained.
The two reserves games that have been played without Ardmona would also be considered a 100-0 forfeit.