Thanks for nothing AFL.

[Dave]

Due to AFL rezoning the Sydney area my son's club (that I also goal umpire for) the Winston Hills Lions is going to have to fold.

Apparently, there aren't enough kids playing AFL in Sydney so this rezoning is part of the strategy to address that.

Well it sucks! We might only have two teams (U9's & U10's) but we are profitable and actually making progress by having a few wins this year (and last). I even wrote a club song for them!

So much for trying to build a club from the grass roots. If my son wants to play next year he'll probably have to try Baulkham Hills which is alreay so big that they field 2 teams in the U9's.
He probably won't even get a game considering he'll still only be 6yrs old.

Thanks for nothing.

[Ruda Wakening]

Poor little buggers.

[satchmopugdog]

I can't even begin to think what you have to go through. Last weekend I woke to the sound of hundreds of cars stopping and parking outside my place(I live across the road from the Ulverstone footy ground) and all day there were kids footy games going on. It was a great day and it was all volunteers etc. It happens because we have had decades of precedent. To start it all must be unbelievably draining.

[floppinab]

Firstly I might suggest the mods move this one to the NSW board as there are a few there who might be interested in what is going in Sydney junior club footy next year.

Dave, if the issue is rezoning why is the club going to fold????

I don't pretend to know exactly what is going on next year but I think it's something like this, and if anyone wants to correct me please go ahead.

The current Association structure may well be going to be changed to produce assocations of roughly equal size (I say may well be as there has been some initial communication but little confirmation of what may or may not be happening at this stage). This has of course caused some heartache in the Northside Assoc. as it is currently the biggest and strongest by a long margin and therefore a number of clubs are being carved into the City Assoc. and Greater West.

My guess is Dave, Winston Hills may be heading to Greater West and you are worried about losing parents who don't want to travel. If that's the main reason then that's a bit sad if as most other kids sports are similar if not worse in this regard.

I understand that the Associations may be getting full time resources to assist in management which will be interesting as to date they have been run purely by volunteers (and some much better than others).

[Tooth Fairy]

AAAAAAAAH! Re-zoning! And here I thought you couldn't spell "reasoning" LOL

[Dave]

Originally posted by floppinab


Dave, if the issue is rezoning why is the club going to fold????

This has of course caused some heartache in the Northside Assoc. as it is currently the biggest and strongest by a long margin and therefore a number of clubs are being carved into the City Assoc. and Greater West.

My guess is Dave, Winston Hills may be heading to Greater West and you are worried about losing parents who don't want to travel. If that's the main reason then that's a bit sad if as most other kids sports are similar if not worse in this regard.

The reason for the club folding is that we are in the Northside zone at the moment which is being modified. I guess we are too small to exist in our own right.
We will not exist as a club in our own right. We will have to join whatever clubs are left.

As far as travel is concerned:
It will be a big strain on us if we have to consume large amounts of time travelling to practise/games as I often have commitments on weekends involving travel, sometimes after the game (which I goal umpire for when in town), not to mention the fact that if I'm away my wife has to deal with getting two kids ready and at the ground by 9:00 on her lonesome.
At the moment we travel about 20mins max. That's manageable.

Above all, we have a good group of people and kids who, by the grace of the AFL, will now be torn apart.

You can see that we have made some progress from being a team that suffered the "mercy rule" every game in 2003.

http://www.northsidejafl.com.au/northsidejafl/competition/showladder.shtml?&age=u9w&highlight=whl

[j s]

Originally posted by Dave
At the moment we travel about 20mins max. That's manageable.

You've been lucky. 20 mins was the shortest trip (other than home games) that I had to make with my son each week.

The longest was two hours each way (Pittwater to Penrith) at least once each season. Did that for 11 years.

[Dave]

Originally posted by j s
You've been lucky. 20 mins was the shortest trip (other than home games) that I had to make with my son each week.

The longest was two hours each way (Pittwater to Penrith) at least once each season. Did that for 11 years.

!!!!!!!

[floppinab]

Originally posted by Dave
[B]
As far as travel is concerned:
It will be a big strain on us if we have to consume large amounts of time travelling to practise/games as I often have commitments on weekends involving travel, sometimes after the game (which I goal umpire for when in town), not to mention the fact that if I'm away my wife has to deal with getting two kids ready and at the ground by 9:00 on her lonesome.
At the moment we travel about 20mins max. That's manageable.

The trouble is mainly with the lower age groups no doubt. A 45 min. or longer drive, 10 or so times a season, for a 8.30/9 am start on a Sat. morning for 9 year old footy is a tough ask. Whereas for say 13 year olds and up where the starts are a bit later on the morning/afternoon it's a bit more bearable (our club has a to do a few of those but again only for the older age groups). You might note Dave the east/west structure disappears in the Northside U11's meaning you might be heading to Pittwater, St. Ives, Frenchs Forest if you have 11's next year and if the status quo is maintained.

In your case Dave I hope some common-sense prevails for these younger age groups, and regardless of what happens band together and keep it going, we need more clubs in footy.

[Dave]

Originally posted by floppinab
The trouble is mainly with the lower age groups no doubt. A 45 min. or longer drive, 10 or so times a season, for a 8.30/9 am start on a Sat. morning for 9 year old footy is a tough ask.

In your case Dave I hope some common-sense prevails for these younger age groups, and regardless of what happens band together and keep it going, we need more clubs in footy.

Yep. He is only 5! (6 next month) and his brother is 3, so you can see where I'm coming from.

We hope something will work out as there is a good bunch of people involved.