THE Sea Lake Nandaly Tigers have begun their push to become the North Central Football League’s eighth club next year.
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The Tigers play in the Mallee Football League, which will be disbanded after this season following a North West Structural Review.
Among the recommendations of the review was that Sea Lake Nandaly and Woomelang Lascelles amalgamate to compete in the Central Murray league from next year.
However, there was also an alternate recommendation for both clubs to remain separate entities and join either the North Central or Golden Rivers league.
The Tigers have opted against merging with Woomelang Lascelles and will instead seek to join the NCFL from 2016.
The club took the first step in the process on Monday night when it held a presentation with the NCFL board and AFL Central Victoria commission.
“The presentation was informative and provided the league with clarity on issues such as finances, recruiting strategies, club demographics, netball, junior structures and potential hockey structures,” NCFL general manager Lance Standfield said on Wednesday.
The next step in the process is for NCFL clubs to be provided with all the information on the Tigers’ application and to then submit their feedback on the proposal.
The addition of Sea Lake Nandaly would significantly add to the travel in the NCFL, with the Tigers’ closest game 62kms away against Birchip-Watchem.
Other travel distances in the NCFL for the Tigers would be 77kms to Wycheproof, 107kms to Charlton, 112kms to Donald, 131kms to Boort and 138kms to Wedderburn.
Sea Lake Nandaly president Paul Summerhayes said any competition the Tigers played in would require extensive travel for the club.
Summerhayes said the Tigers – who won last year’s Mallee premiership - were already well set up for the NCFL structure with under-13 and under-16 junior teams, and the club would endeavor to field hockey teams as part of the competition.
Once the views of the clubs are established, the NCFL will work with the AFLCV commission and other affected commissions, such as AFL Wimmera Mallee and AFL Central Murray, to put forward a recommendation, with the process expected to be completed by the end of the month if there are no appeals.
