Weekly Times | SMYTHESDALE Football Club has withdrawn its senior footy team from this Central Highlands league season.
Club president David Tuohy announced in a statement on its Facebook page yesterday it had decided to put the Bulldogs’ senior side in recess for the season “due to unforeseen circumstances and a significant drop in senior player numbers”.
But Tuohy said the club would field teams in all other football and netball grades and players for those groups were still welcome.
“The club does not take this decision lightly and will be doing all it can throughout this season to make sure it does not have a repeat occurrence for season 2018,” Tuohy said.
“We have been more than grateful to the board of the CHFL who have been very helpful and flexible in making sure we get on the park this season.
“As a club we still have a lot of off field work to do to make sure the club survives for the long term and together with Golden Plains Shire, CHFL and our volunteers we believe we can make this happen.”
The Central Highlands season starts April 1-2.
League president Eddy Comelli said teams would receive a bye and four points in rounds they were scheduled to play Smythesdale.
Smythesdale’s oval is being resurfaced so home games in the meantime had been scheduled for Linton, he said.
Comelli said it was important its junior teams kept playing for the community’s sake.
“We’re hoping that in the next few years that the growth of Ballarat in that (Smythesdale’s) direction, that is an area that is expanding, if they can keep going for the next few years hopefully the increase in numbers of schools out that way will see them in good stead,” Comelli said.
“It’s just at the moment they're really battling.”
Smythesdale has won three senior football games since joining the Central Highlands league for season 2011.