Weekly Times |AFL Gippsland region general manager Travis Switzer has confirmed the creation of a new league in 2017 was one option considered in a review into football in the region.
The Alberton, Ellinbank and District, Gippsland, Mid Gippsland and North Gippsland leagues are the senior competitions under review by a panel aiming to find the “optimal structure” of the region’s competitions from 2017.
The review panel had its final meetings with clubs last week. Draft recommendations are expected to be released to clubs and leagues next month.
Speculation has been rife about what the review might propose, and Switzer, who is chairman of the review panel, said the creation of a new league was “one of many” ideas considered.
He said there had to “be changes for the betterment of football in west Gippsland”, in particular to the Ellinbank league — which reverted to one competition this year after the 15 clubs were split into two geographical divisions for a single season. Switzer said there could also be changes in south Gippsland involving the Alberton league.
“There’s 27 clubs in south and west Gippsland and too many teams for too few leagues … and some of those clubs are at different stages in their growth and development,” Switzer said.
Switzer said he did not view the impending proposals as “hugely radical, but who knows. We’ll only really know when we put the recommendations out”.
But he said the recommendations would not drive mergers between clubs.
“We put a few of those rumours to bed actually with some of the clubs we met with recently,” he said. “That’s not on our agenda to merge clubs or shut clubs down as part of this review, definitely not.”
Ellinbank and District league manager Ken Moore said everyone was waiting to see what the review proposed “so we can get on with things”.
“We would like to focus our resources on the clubs that are in need and clubs that are actually going to be within our league in the long term.”
Alberton vice-president and director of football operations Barry Stride said the league was supportive of the review, but would not comment on potential proposals.
Feedback on the recommendations will be due within six weeks of their release.