Following on from the recent competition structure reviews conducted by AFL Barwon and AFL Gippsland, AFL South East have announced its own review into the senior competition structures within the South East Region.
In announcing the review, AFL South East General Manager Jeremy Bourke said competition balance and club sustainability will be the main focuses of the review.
“The 2011 Country Football Review conducted by Peter Jackson identified club sustainability as the key focus of football governance and administration moving forward. We have worked hard over the past 24 months to build a governance and administrative framework needed for the future. It’s now time to look at our region with a blank canvas and diligently assess every option, evaluating the positives and negatives with real data from leagues both within and outside the region”, Bourke said.
The first step in the review process will be the establishment of a review panel, which will have cross-sectional representation and involve in-depth consultation with stakeholders. The review will assess the current structures and measure that against alternatives including the rearrangement of league composition, promotion/relegation options, conference systems and other mainstream and radical structural variations.
“Nothing will be off the table and all propositions will be thoroughly explored, assessed and discussed through the consultation process”, Bourke said. “We want to ensure all clubs have the opportunity for cyclical success, have the ability to find their level and that we are providing the opportunity for new and existing clubs within our region to compete within our region”.
The review will commence immediately and run through the course of the 2016 season, with final recommendations to be made prior to the finals series. AFL South East are confident that if any changes to the current structure are recommended, these would be able to be applied prior to the 2017 season. Mr Bourke said that this would be “dependant on what the recommendations were and the extent of any structural change required as a result”.
Questions or further information relating to the AFL South East Senior Football Review can be directed to Jeremy Bourke, AFL South East General Manager on 0415 844 580 or jeremy.bourke@aflsoutheast.com.au
Last Modified on 03/03/2016 15:39