James Murphy
THE wait continues for a final say on what shape the Limestone Coast football and netball scene will take in 2024 and beyond.
The current proposal, put forward by the South East football and netball working group, would see the disbandment of the Western Border Football League, with its six clubs distributed between the Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara and Mid South Eastern competitions.
Put forward to all three leagues and the public in last month, the proposal would have Casterton Sandford and East Gambier transition to a rebranded MSE league, while Millicent, North, South and West Gambier would join the current KNT clubs.
While the finer details of the proposal are yet to be released, there are many who remain uncertain why there has been a push for change in the first place.
In light of this The Border Watch has been provided with some data and key information regarding the current state of all three South East football competitions.
The information, collected over the span of several years, sheds some light on the major concerns for all three leagues and their longevity.
Playing numbers is the key component to the data and over the last six years there has been a steady decline across the region.
Since 2017 the WBFL numbers for senior players – aged 18 and over – have dropped by 130, while MSEFL has lost 167 and KNTFL is down 209.
Combined this is a staggering total of 506 players, which for context is more than the entire current senior playing lists from every KNTFL club combined.
Adding further weight to these figures is the fact 176 players currently registered in the Limestone Coast are aged 36 or older.
Western Border has 53 players in this age bracket and KNT has 49, with Mid South East leading the statistic with 74.
The dwindling registration numbers are by no means reserved to the senior ranks, with worrying statistics in the junior ranks outlining concerns for the future.
There are clubs across all three leagues which have felt the strain of putting junior teams on the park.
In particular the 13-17-year-old age bracket faces some adversities, which is concerning when considering the fact it covers two separate grades.
In the MSEFL Kalangadoo has only 13 players registered in this age bracket for 2023, while Nangwarry has 15 players in that demographic.
Looking at the younger ranks and Mount Burr has just six players in the Under 12 bracket.
In the KNTFL, Mundulla has suffered a 42 per cent decline of registered players in the Under 12 age bracket from 2019 to 2023 and currently sits at 14 players.
Border Districts has 16 players in the 13-17 group, while Padthaway and Lucindale combine for a total of 16 players in the Under 12 category.
Padthaway itself has 11 registered players in the 13-17 bracket.
The same issues in the WBFL see a disparity between the clubs.
In the Under 12 age bracket, Millicent has 50 per cent less players registered than both North and South Gambier, while Casterton Sandford has a total of 60 less players in this group than the two Mount Gambier clubs.
Further details on the working group’s proposal are expected by next month, while the final cut off for a decision is early September.
