THE biggest shake-up to the structure of football in the North-East and southern NSW in decades has been floated by a former Ovens and Murray coach and leading player.
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Ben Hollands' blueprint for the future has been rolled out a time when the code is struggling on multiple fronts.
Under his model no existing club will fold and women's football will be embraced.
But the Ovens and Murray Football League's reserves competition will be a casualty and replaced by a women's competition and an additional under-age competition created.
Formal alliances between O and M clubs and up to five district league clubs in close proximity would be struck to cater for existing reserves players each week.
For example, Corowa-Rutherglen, which has struggled to put a reserves team on the ground for the past two seasons, would team up with Rutherglen, Billabong Crows, CDHBU and Wahgunyah.
Hollands experienced first-hand the impact of club zones when he played for SANFL club West Adelaide and said recent introductions of the player points system (PPS) and salary caps would eventually even out the O and M.
But he said player numbers had reached crisis levels and required immediate attention.
"It will take time to build strong relationships, but I believe there will be great benefit in aligning clubs from certain zones," he said.
"With support from AFLNEB I believe a framework can be put in place to provide a career pathway for juniors, development programs could be established, shared resources between clubs could eventuate and player movement could settle down.
"With an influx of about 150 players or more from the O and M, the district league competitions should thrive.
"Their senior competitions should improve in standard and depth in playing lists should also improve.
"This should flow onto junior grades, where the vast majority of kids can develop in the junior grades instead of being forced into senior football before some are ready."
O and M clubs would name a squad of 35 players each season and they could still recruit from outside their agreed alliance, but a player from outside aligned clubs would be assessed at a higher PPS value.
O and M chairman Graeme Patterson said there was no immediate plan to scrap reserves.
"It's not on the radar," he said.
"There have been no request from Corowa-Rutherglen or other clubs to not have reserves.
"It's been a discussion point previously, but to go to that extreme the whole football structure would need looking at."
Ben Hollands’ blueprint
STATE COMPETITIONS – Funding support from the AFL, playing in the VFL
- Murray Bushrangers VFL – Squad of 35
- Murray Bushrangers TAC Cup – Squad of 35
OVENS AND MURRAY FOOTBALL AND NETBALL LEAGUE
- Senior Competition – Squads of 35. (a reduction of around 15 -18 players per club)
- Ovens and Murray Women’s Competition.
- Under 19 – Squads of 30.
- Under 17 – Squads of 30 (to be an extension of the current junior competitions. Clubs would only field one Under 16 side in their respective junior competitions (AWJFL, WDJFL).
- No reserves.
TDFL, HUME FL, O&K, UMFL.
- Senior, Reserves, Under 17s and Under 14s
O&M – DISTRICT CLUB ZONES
- Albury – Holbrook, Culcairn, Henty, Osborne (HFL)
- Nth Albury – Howlong, Jindera, (HFL) Thurgoona (TDFL)
- Lavington – Brock/Burrumbuttock, Rand Walbundrie/Walla, Lockhart, Murray Magpies, (HFL)
- Wodonga – Wodonga Saints, Kiewa, Tallangatta, Mitta United (TDFL)
- Wodonga Raiders – Chiltern, Barnawartha, Dederang Mt Beauty, Yackandandah (TDFL)
- Yarrawonga – Clubs From Murray and Picola FL’s.
- Myrtleford – Beechworth (TDFL), Whorouly, Bright, Milawa. (O&K)
- Corowa/Rutherglen - Billabong Crows, CDHBU. (HFL), Rutherglen, Wahgunyah (TDFL)
- Wangaratta – Bonnie Doon, Glenrowan, Goorambat, Benalla All Blacks, (O&K)
- Wangaratta Rovers – King Valley, Greta, Nth Wangaratta, Moyhu, Tarrawingee (O&K)
Having plenty in reserve has challenges
BAIRNSDALE Football Club president Rob Soulsby believes having no reserves isn't a pain-free solution to overcoming a shortage of players.
The Redlegs competed in Gippsland's major league up until 1999 before dropping back to the East Gippsland league.
After a dominant period in the district league, which included eight premierships from 10 grand final appearances, Bairnsdale returned to the major competition in 2011 on the condition it wasn't required to field a reserves team.
Each season the club names a squad of 30-plus players and those not required at senior level return to play for their orginal or aligned club in the local area.
An extended squad is named on Tuesday after training and released the next morning.
The Redlegs' squad trains on Thursday when a final team including emergencies is chosen.
Mr Soulsby said keeping the lines of communication open with players and aligned clubs was the biggest challenge.
"It works, but just because it works here doesn't mean it is going to work somewhere else," he said.
"Every area has a different amount of players, clubs and footy is changing all the time.
"Personally I think it is the model for our area, but there are people in the East Gippy league who believe Bairnsdale should have reserves.
"It would have a lot of positives, but it would be a struggle with so much footy on offer in the area."
Bairnsdale is surrounded by eight East Gippsland league teams and a further six in the Omeo league.
It is located on the eastern edge of the Gippsland league and travels more than two hours to play against Leongatha, Wonthaggi, Warragul and Drouin.
The GFL has seniors, reserves, under-18s and under-16s with Bairnsdale playing finals only once at senior level since returning.
