Families the focus for local league

By Brad Kingsbury
THERE has been plenty of lip service paid to issues of behaviour in sporting clubs across the state over the last 12 months, but this year the MPNFL is set to get serious and Casey Cardinia League clubs are on notice.
There will be new set of guidelines developed for all clubs and their supporters, with alcohol consumption at league venues firmly in the crosshairs.
A recent meeting of all MPNFL presidents decided to ban all BYO liquor coming into every ground from round one and strictly monitor the sale of alcohol in accordance with their license in an effort to make an afternoon at the local football more family friendly.
This is in line with policies being put in place by many municipalities including Casey Council, which is being used as a benchmark for MPNFL clubs.
The key to the policy is the designation of specified ‘Wet Areas’ at every ground, to be strictly enforced by council officers and police, together with vehicle searches at the gate by MPNFL organised security guards.
MPNFL operations manager Ian Benson said the league expected the measures to reduce underage drinking, the amount of bad language and unacceptable behaviour that, in the past, had spoiled a day at the local football for others including families.
“In the past there has been a few unruly groups who have had an esky full of alcoholic drinks in their cars, whose sole intention is to become intoxicated at the footy and club presidents have had enough,” he said.
“Underage drinking is a major community issue and clubs need to ensure that there is no alcohol sale to or consumption by underage patrons or members.”
Benson added that there would also be no sale of alcohol in glass containers outside the social rooms and anyone refusing to comply with the rules regarding carriage of drinks into a venue would be asked to park outside the ground.
Codes of behaviour outside the club will also be scrutinised this year and all MPNFL players and members are on notice.
League administration, together with the VCFL have become very touchy about the portrayal of both the local competition and the sport of Australian Rules Football as a result of last year’s well-publicised end-of-year trip dramas at Warrnambool involving a group from Pearcedale.
The aftermath saw Pearcedale placed on a $10,000 good-behaviour bond and two Panthers players deregistered with the MPNFL for the year, but as one rival president muttered afterwards, they probably did every other club in the league a favour in the long run.
Big marks, big goals, premierships and superstars used to be the main fare of football journalists, but that has changed and the first question asked when there is an assault or some sort of headline grabbing incident involving a young man is, ‘does he play football?’
The story under ‘Footballer charged with assault’ will always grab more interest than the truer ‘Man charged with assault’ headline.
The MPNFL is aware of the need to protect the brand, and clubs have become party to that attitude.
The pride with which club uniforms are worn in public is wonderful until there is some trouble and every player or supporter of that club is lumped in to the troublemaker category because of the actions on one or two idiots.
The rules will be clear that when a player or member is representing his or her club, their behaviour is also representative of the league and certain standards must be maintained.
It will become far more black and white after the MPNFL brings down its new regulations, but the best advice will no doubt be not to play up.