ON November 27, we should finally find out which Sunraysia Football Netball League (SFNL) club will be moving to the new Mildura South Regional Sporting Precinct.
South Mildura has made no secret of the club’s desire to move from Sarah Oval to the new state of the art facility.
The Dogs have been on board from day one and have a clear vision for their future home.
To me, it makes sense South is the club that gets the nod from Mildura Council.
It has been open and transparent about the reasons for wanting to move.
Isn’t it better to have a club that is 100 per cent committed to making the new facility work for it?
Not once have I heard South officials question the process the council has gone through.
The Bulldogs have been accepting and supportive of everything put in front of them.
While other clubs have been worried about outdoor netball courts and a second oval not being ready for the start of the 2021 season, the Dogs have not.
It’s this positive attitude and vision moving forward which should put South Mildura ahead in the race to secure the rights to the new venue.
Everything, from South Mildura’s name, fits with the new facility.
When you speak to club president Mark Bresnehan or coach John Pratt about the Mildura South Regional Sporting Precinct, you can sense their excitement and what it would mean to them and their club if they are given the green light.
There hasn’t been much positive to write about South Mildura Football Netball Club over the past few years, but finally the clubs has got its act together.
There is a strong board, a good footy department and a passionate and talented senior coach.
A move to the Mildura South Regional Sporting Precinct would be the missing piece in the puzzle.
Having a club based in the precinct that bears the club’s name makes perfect sense to me.
Sarah Oval has served the Bulldogs well, but the ground is tired.
It needs a lot of money spent on it to bring it back up to scratch and, while there is an option to go down this path, it’s not South’s preferred one.
I know people will argue relocating one of the City Oval tenant clubs is a better option, but Mildura has made it pretty clear it has no interest in moving and Imperials have played their cards very close to their chest through the whole process.
I’m still not sure how committed Imps are about moving. I know they had some concerns about a few things, but maybe these have been answered in recent months.
If so, then I’m sure they would have presented a strong case.
Imps are professionally run club and are always very diligent when it comes to making the right decision.
But on this occasion, for sheer passion and never waivering from the commitment to move, I think South Mildura should win out.
