TO all the Millewa people I have upset so much with last week’s article, I am sorry.
I’m sorry that your comments on it couldn’t actually answer my question about the health and future of your league.
What I did read was a lot of comments on how wrong I am, how I don’t ever write a positive article on the Millewa, how I just beat up on them and how I’m just here to prop up the SFNL Reserves.
However, I did not read a comment with a valid argument or reason on why I was actually wrong.
All I was doing was making an observation that many have made before me and I raised an idea of what may be an opportunity for both leagues to take hold of.
I never said your club’s culture wasn’t great.
In fact, just last year in one of my articles I specifically said how good your club environments are, in most cases, compared to the SFNL clubs.
Your netball teams, in particular, have incredibly strong numbers and are thriving.
That’s not my concern. My concern is that your men’s football comp is very vulnerable and with that your netball and women’s football teams may become collateral damage if the men’s team doesn’t field enough players for a team one year.
Here’s a question for you: If a club can’t feed a men’s footy team in the comp one year, will your club be brave enough to still field women’s netball and football teams without the men’s team?
Will your club survive even one season without a men’s footy team, or will it force all of the club into recession?
One comment, though, that caught my eye the most was when this person mentioned they’ve been involved in the Millewa League for 30-plus years and they have heard all these merger talks before and that the Millewa won’t go there.
Well, let’s do the numbers of the prosperous last 30 years, shall we, and see what’s happened in that time.
Coomealla folded exactly 30 years ago, you’ve had a merged club in Meringur-South Merbein cease to exist in that name in 1995, another merged team in Karween-Karawinna folded in 1997, Meringur went alone and dropped the Merbein South name in 1995 and went into recession for a season in 2012 and nearly folded a few years back. A merger between Robinvale and Euston took place in 2014.
So how are we going so far with the numbers?
To me these numbers show in the last 30 years of the Millewa that two clubs folded, one club merged with an SFNL club and left the league and the one who was merged and stayed went alone and then went into recess for a year and is being smashed by 150-points plus each Saturday.
Oh, and Bambill moved into town during this time, which was a key to their survival too.
I hope the next 30 years doesn’t bring the same result as the last 30 years, because if it does you are in strife.
Another interesting observation I have for you is that the current top three sides on the ladder in Cardross, Bambill and Gol Gol have their training and playing facilities all within 10 minutes drive of Mildura CBD and they all have much stronger numbers than the bottom three clubs.
Nangiloc, Werrimull and Meringur all play at least 30 minutes away at Nangiloc and Lake Cullulleraine each weekend, so why then do Nangiloc choose to train at Cardross on a Monday night (yep Cardross!) and not at Nangiloc like they do on a Thursday?
And why do Meringur and Werrimull both train in town all week?
Well, it’s simple. They wouldn’t get players going out there to train twice a week and play with them if they weren’t training it town, it’s too far away as I would suspect 90 per cent of their players live in Mildura.
And that is why most new Millewa players elect to play at the “city” based clubs. They don’t want to travel.
Given the Millewa is run by three separate entities (the Millewa Football League runs the men’s footy, Millewa Netball Association runs the netball and the SFNL/AFL Vic run the women’s footy, which is unlike the SFNL that runs men’s footy, women’s netball and junior footy under the one entity), how would it all work if one men’s team went into recession?
These are just a very few questions for consideration. But I’m sure the Millewa is all over this with contingencies in place for any curve ball thrown their way.
But honestly, does it matter to me if the league does keep going or does go into recession at some stage?
No, not really. Until last week I honestly did care about the future of your league and more so the clubs in it and I did absolutely care about the many good people I know very well in your league.
And I feel very sorry for the ones who agree with me.
But as most of you said I must be wrong, which means a heap of other people I speak with must also be wrong too.
So from here I honestly wish you all the best and I hope you don’t change a thing at all. As you all said loud and clear, you are fine.
