A PAST Woomelang Lascelles netball president says many netballers will not play this season following the club’s disbandment last year.
Trudy Symes, who played for Woomelang for over a decade and was the netball president in the club’s last two years, said a large contingent have chosen to “have the winter to themselves” but other outgoing netballers will choose a new club depending on accessibility.
“Most will go where their kids go to school, either Hopetoun or Sea Lake,” she said.
“The ones up on the other side of Lascelles will maybe head to Ouyen.
“Some might go home to their home clubs just so they’re walking in somewhere familiar.
“I think a few families will just take a year off … they can go to a game without that commitment.”
Ms Symes said she was unhappy with the way the Mallee Football League review was conducted.
“It should have been more widespread,” she said.
“They should have put it off and reviewed all the leagues in Victoria and split them into better leagues geographically.”
She told The Guardian she holds concerns about the social impact the loss of the footy club will have on Woomelang Lascelles residents, particularly those from nearby farms.
“The footy club is the heart of the town, a place where everyone comes together on a Thursday and a Saturday,” she said.
“Football is one thing that all the men and boys stop for and put that first.
“It was a real outlet for a lot of older farmers.
“Woomelang doesn’t have a pub open at the moment so there’s nothing else to do.
“It’s a real problem with mental health — people aren’t getting out.”
The four other MFL teams have moved on to other leagues — a merged Ouyen United and Walpeup-Underbool will compete in the Sunraysia Football League, Sea Lake-Nandaly was admitted to the North Central Football League and the Southern Mallee Giants are heading to the Horsham District Football Netball League.
