THE Border-Walwa Football Club has a stay of execution - for now.
But with no local players in the seniors this year, president Rob Newnham says the writing is on the wall.The club approached more than 30 people before Kade and Matthew Butters accepted the job as coach over the weekend.
Now the coaches are in place, the club must try to recruit the team and all will come from outside the tiny Upper Murray town.
Rob played for Walwa until his dodgy knees forced retirement, and his passion for keeping the Magpies going is clear.
He is realistic enough though to see that the clubs day's are numbered.
While places on the club's five netball teams are full, it will take a lot of work to make sure there are enough players to fill the senior and reserves teams each week when the Upper Murray Football League kicks off on April 20.
They have selected Wodonga-based coaches so the players can train in town, and only head out to Walwa once a month for training and to play.
This is, Rob said, better than the alternative of the club folding, though the drive-in drive-out nature of the club meant the town's pub and store did suffer.
There is also the struggle to find volunteers each week - field umpires, canteen staff, scoreboard officials, time keepers and canteen workers.
"It's a bloody big job to run the club - it is really a business,'' he said.
"We only really have farming as an industry in Walwa and there are not many young families.
"That flows on to the footy club struggling.''
