By Nicholas Creely
AFL Outer East is set for a raft of changes for its second season in 2020, with plenty of movement within the grades and a newly formed club entering three senior sides for the first time.
The three senior football grades – Premier Division, Division 1 and Division 2 -will become a 10-team, nine-team and nine-team competition respectively next year, after a review of the feasibility of the North Eastern standalone competition, the application for Berwick to join the Eastern Football League, as well as multiple meetings with clubs who entered an expression to join the Outer East competition.
In the Premier Division, Healesville will be relegated to Division 1, while the top two sides from Division 1, Pakenham and premiers Doveton, will make the move up a grade after their brilliant seasons.
The Gazette understands, however, that the Premier Division structure for 2020 isn’t set in stone, with one other club applying to go down to Division 1 at this stage. This will be resolved in the coming weeks, and will speed up now due to Berwick staying with AFL Outer East.
In a new-look Division 1, Berwick Springs – who only formed as a senior club this season with an under-18 side – are locked in to play seniors, reserves and under 18s, as well as a full string of netball sides, in an exciting development for the Casey region.
It was initially expected that the club would field at least a reserves side next season, but it was purely based on numbers, something that has gradually increased over the last few weeks.
Club president Ash Allison recently told the Gazette that the club had exceeded all expectations in its first season as a senior club.
“We are a young and exciting club, and it’s a great opportunity to not be a part of the norm, so it is exciting for anyone that wants to join us,” he said.
“In terms of development of players we are ahead for sure – we’re ahead of where we thought we’d be, but we’ve still got a long road ahead of us.”
The Titans have already signed its inaugural senior coach, with Rodney Benstead – a current junior coach with the club who has played with North Melbourne in the VFL, as well as Coburg and Oak Park, and coached Lyndale for two years – the man who will lead the club next year.
Seville and Gembrook Cockatoo will make their way up to Division 1 after being promoted to Division 2, while Warburton Millgrove will be relegated from Division 1.
The only clubs to remain from Division 1 this year will be Belgrave, Emerald, Monbulk, Mount Evelyn and Officer, but one of these clubs could go up to Premier depending on the application from the Premier club to go down.
Pending approval, Broadford will be another new club set to enter the competition in Division 2. The club’s application has been ratified at the SGM by the club itself, AFL Outer East and the clubs.
It comes after a review into the North Eastern region, with the AFL Outer East commission of the firm belief that there is a genuine desire and need for a standalone competition in the North Eastern/Upper Goulburn region. AFL Outer East is expected to continue to work with AFL Goulburn Murray and the North East Border in identifying whether a standalone competition is possible in the region.
In terms of promotion/relegation between the three divisions, this will only occur between Premier and Division 1, with one side being relegated and promoted. The bottom side in Division 1 will not be relegated to Division 2, unless specifically requested.
The salary cap of the Premier Division will be dependent on total team numbers, which will be confirmed at the end of October, however will be $135,000 in an 18-round season, and $125,000 if it’s a 16-round season. The player points will be between 39 and 44.
Division 1’s salary cap will be $110,000 in 2020, with 44 player points, while Division 2 will be $80,000, with 47 player points.
While the competition structure in 2020 (pending an application for one club to move down from Premier) – and the clubs involved in the league are locked in – it is understood a prominent south-east club in the Southern Football League is well and truly on the radar of the Outer East, and are at this stage, likely to join the competition from 2021 onwards.
2020 AFL OUTER EAST COMPETITION STRUCTURE
Premier Division: Beaconsfield, Berwick, Cranbourne, Pakenham, Doveton, Narre Warren, Olinda Ferny Creek, Upwey Tecoma, Wandin, Woori Yallock
Division 1: Belgrave, Emerald, Gembrook Cockatoo, Monbulk, Mount Evelyn, Officer, Berwick Springs, Healesville, Seville
Division 2: Alexandra, Kinglake, Yea, Broadford**, Powelltown, Thornton Eildon, Yarra Junction, Warburton Millgrove, Yarra Glen
In other news surrounding the competition structure for 2020, AFL Outer East will introduce graded competitions in the Under 18s. After a commission review into the possibility of a move from Under 18 to Under 19 football, there was a clear indication from the clubs that Under 18s is the preferred model.
The grading will follow the models by Northern, Eastern and AFL Barwon, and will be done on a case-by-case basis, with the club’s senior level not a key consideration in which division an Under 18 team is placed. At this stage, the preferred structure for Under 18s is a three-division competition.
AFL Outer East has also confirmed that they will run a standalone female competition in 2020, with initial indications suggesting there will be two divisions.
As expected, the Officer Senior Football Club have applied to join the competition from the South East Women’s competition after being unsuccessful in joining this year. By 2021, AFL Outer East hopes to grow the competition to three divisions.
And in netball, it is expected that all clubs will enter four senior sides and Under 13, 15 and 17 sides in 2020.
In terms of Berwick’s application to join Eastern, last night at the Ringwood Football Club, the EFL clubs voted at a special general meeting on the Wickers’ application to join the competition.
Ultimately, 53 per cent of the vote went against the Wickers – a rather emphatic result.
In the lead-up to the meeting, the EFL clubs spoke about their options – if Berwick’s application was to be approved.
It was decided that Division 2 – the EFL’s third tier – would be the Wickers’ starting point if they were voted in.
The idea behind that was to minimise the structural change to the competition just a year after the five-division restructure.
Division 2 in 2019 was made up of Boronia, Ringwood, Mitcham, Heathmont, Templestowe, The Basin, Mulgrave, and Scoresby. Mitcham won the premiership to advance into Division 1, while South Belgrave won promotion out of Division 3.
AFL Outer East region general manager Aaron Bailey told the Gazette that Berwick are a big part of the competition’s plan going forward, and will only strengthen the divisional football model that the south-east clubs craved when the SEFNL disbanded at the end of 2018.
“We remain committed to building a strong, vibrant, sustainable competition through Casey, Cardinia, Yarra Ranges and Murrindindi,” Bailey said.
“Berwick remains a key aspect of this. In the pursuit of greener pastures, its perhaps been lost that there is a home for these clubs in the South East corridor, in a commission and competition that see them as key parts of the future and vital to what we collectively are building.
“Divisional football is now a reality in the region and as seen by the emergence of Berwick springs in just 12 months, significant scope for growth exists.”
