Tara Murray
Kyneton Football Netball Club will hold an open information session following the recent announcement by AFL Central Victoria about possible changes to football and netball in the region.
The AFL Central Vic commission revealed last week it was interested in obtaining club input on the concept of a new senior football and netball competition.
The new competition is being considered for the 2024 season to support clubs who feel that the league they are currently competing in is not aligned to their short and long term goals.
One possible operating model would be a new stand-alone competition and another model could be a second division of the Bendigo Football Netball League with a promotion and relegation system operating.
Kyneton on its Facebook announced the club was holding a session which will be held on Friday.
The Tigers said in an earlier statement that it was a surprising announcement from AFL Central Vic.
“We will assess all the information from the league and develop a comprehensive plan that outlines the potential next steps for the future to ensure the sustainability and longevity of our great club,” it said.
“We are passionate about our community club and may have some big decisions to make with the help of our supporters.”
While in the very early stages of development, a new competition would include senior, reserves and thirds football teams and both senior and junior netball teams.
The Bendigo Football Netball League, where Kyneton plays, released its own statement following a board meeting to discuss the announcement and called for the commission to meet with the leagues affected.
“As a key stakeholder, the BFNL board are disappointed at the lack of communication, consultation, and engagement with relevant leagues, particularly as it was mentioned in a recent email to AFLCV clubs and leagues that a ‘division 2’ in the BFNL was suggested as a proposed future competition,” BFNL board chair Professor Carol McKinstry said.
“We are keen to be involved and acknowledge that improvements are needed in the region, however, strongly believe that there needs to be an appropriate process with agreed principles to guide the process involving all key stakeholders.
“The BFNL do not support or understand what a second division of the BFNL competition would entail, however are open to finding out more about what is being proposed.
“We are also disappointed at the apparent lack of acknowledgement towards netball in the limited communication, which is considered of equal importance to football by the BFNL.
“Furthermore, we are concerned that three of our affiliated clubs have been identified publicly and have been directly targeted regarding interest in a possible new competition.
“All 10 clubs that are affiliated with the BFNL are highly valued by the league and we have provided support in various forms over a long period where possible.
