PLEASE BRING ON THE OPENING ROUND!
Hi to everyone. Hope you are all safe and well in these difficult times.
As much as I don’t want to mention the corona virus the EDFL will follow the recommendations from AFL Vic and AFL Gippsland. Lets face it community health is more important than our football league.
Looking back over recent years I have been pleased with the improved competiveness within our league since we reverted back to a 10 team competition in 2017. The EDFL Board of Management is hoping and confident this trend will continue – and across all grades when the season does start.
My Board of Management has devised a number of contingency plans once the Government, health authorities and AFL Gippsland give the green light to go ahead. These all revolve around a six to 10 week home away season plus either a three or four week finals series. With no AFL Grand Final in September this year we could play our grand final on the 26th September. Fingers crossed we do!
While Longwarry won the senior flag last year my sources suggest it will face stiff competition again from last year’s runners up Ellinbank while Poowong have many admirers. Personally I hope a non finalist from last year steps up to make its mark on the competition for the intrigue but I guess time will tell. Bring on the opening round!
The EDFL is also pleased to announce that our major sponsor Parklea is back on board again.
Parklea is an Australian owned company leading the way in property development in Victoria.
Once again our league publicity will acknowledge Parklea and we hope our partnership continues for many years to come.
This season the EDFL will not field a senior Interleague team due to the AFL Vic Country abandonment of the Worksafe Country Championships. From a league perspective we are disappointed more so because we have used this opportunity to field our under age teams on the under card and give our stars of the future vital experience at a higher level. With the corona virus impact I very much doubt the championships would have gone ahead anyway.
I would also like to mention that I am very disappointed for Lang Lang who pushed hard to bring forward their round six match against Poowong to 28 March in order to showcase their new ground at Caldermeade Road. I’ve been out there and can let you know it looks fantastic. I urge all EDFL fans to get to Lang Lang when it does host its first match and be part of EDFL history. Wish I could give you a date!
With regards to the AFL Victoria regulations once again our league has a team salary cap set as $80k similar if not the same as all district leagues and a Player Point System (PPS) is again in operation.
I would also like to announce and welcome two new board members this year, Chris Behrendorff a former President of the GUA and Chris Morse, our U16 Interleague coach last year and confident both will add value and ideas to our Board of Management.
I will also take this opportunity to relay the stance of the EDFL to the G25 report that has put forward plans for the restructure of football in Gippsland – in particular West and South Gippsland.
We have prepared a reply for Colgan-Bauer – the consultants – In short the EDFL reject a structural change to merge the EDFL with the WGFNC and a shift to a division structure. The EDFL has been in operation since 1937. Let’s not see another league disappear. We want to preserve our own identity and independence and strongly believe we deserve it.
Finally I would like to offer all clubs, officials, volunteers, supporters, EDNA, the GUA and all our suppliers led by Parklea, Physioworks, MP Gary Blackwood, Warragul Gazette, Royal Hotel Drouin, Healesville Directional Drilling, Wolf Telstra Partner for Mobiles and accessories and Lang Lang Golf Club all the best.
I urge all to support our league sponsors as well as your club sponsors during this trying time.
We will keep all clubs across a possible start date as soon as we hear from AFL Gippsland.
In the meantime please take care and abide by the government’s medical advice and restrictions.
Roger Gwynne
Chairman
EDFL Board of Management
Last Modified on 16/04/2020 19:16
