The Upper Murray league has moved to combat low junior football numbers by considering the option of fielding a combined under 15s side in Wagga’s Sunday competition this season.
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The alarmingly low numbers of young people in the Upper Murray has forced the league to abandon the under 16s competition for 2018.
Junior football organisers have been working with the five clubs that field under 16s teams in the league to find a way for players in the affected age group to still have a game on the weekend.
After discounting entering a team in the Albury-Wodonga Junior Football League (AWJFL) and lowering the age level to under 15s as options, it was decided at a meeting this week to explore Wagga as a possibility.
Named the Upper Murray Giants, the team hopes to compete in the 15 and under age group on Sundays.
Due to the diminishing numbers at the under 16 level over the past few years, the league implemented a nine-a-side competition, but most clubs are now finding it difficult to even make up those numbers, despite some girls playing and without younger players ‘doubling up’ on Saturdays.
The league’s junior football coordinator Jonothan Pole said a demographic study of the league’s catchment area revealed that there were only 60 boys in the 14-16 age group and less than half of those play football.
Faced with those figures, the chance of entering a team in the Wagga league was considered a far better option than losing upwards of 20 boys to the sport.
“We’re probably two years ahead of everywhere else that’s had this problem, we’ve been very proactive,” Pole said.
“You’ve got Walwa, Cudgewa, Corryong and Federal all within 30 kilometres of each other, so if you play a proper competition with 20 per side in the under 13s and under 16s, you need 160 kids to field four teams.
“Instead of losing them to O and M when they’re 18 or 19, we’re losing them at 14.
“We’re hoping our 16-year-old boys will make the transition to senior football a year earlier, which is quite feasible up here, and the 14s and 15s will hopefully be going to Wagga to play.”
Officials said it wasn’t possible to enter a team in the AWJFL because it requires a club to field under 12s, under 14s and under 16s sides.
Corryong premiership mentor Evan Nicholas is set to be the inaugural coach.
Beau Greenway
I like to tell the stories of great people in our communities. Email: beau.greenway@austcommunitymedia.com.au
I like to tell the stories of great people in our communities. Email: beau.greenway@austcommunitymedia.com.au
