MAIDEN Gully YCW's senior football team will start the Loddon Valley league season 12 premiership points in arrears.
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The Eagles - last year's senior wooden spoon side - have been hit with the loss of 12 premiership points and a $10,000 fine, of which $5000 will be suspended, relating to their non-fielding of an under-18 team in the LVFNL for the third year in a row.
The Eagles - who begin their season at home on Saturday against Calivil United - were informed of the sanctions on Wednesday in a letter from the LVFNL, which states it has been "disregarded and "disrespected", while Maiden Gully YCW has also "bought discredit on the LVFNL".
"The LVFNL board of management before determining any disciplinary action has provided MGYCW with the opportunity to be heard multiple times, through a face-to-face meeting, along with written correspondence," the letter states.
"MGYCW has, on multiple occasions, publicly stated they would field an under-18 team if they were successful in their 2022 application to join the Heathcote District Football Netball League in 2023 and their 2023 application to join the Bendigo Football Netball League in 2024.
"However, MGYCW have confirmed they are not fielding an under-18 team in the LVFNL in season 2024, a league in which their club is affiliated with.
"It has been deemed by the LVFNL board of management that MGYCW has disregarded and disrespected the LVFNL. MGYCW has engaged in conduct prejudicial to the LVFNL. MGYCW has also brought discredit on the LVFNL.
It has been deemed by the LVFNL board of management that MGYCW has disregarded and disrespected the LVFNL. MGYCW has engaged in conduct prejudicial to the LVFNL. MGYCW has also brought discredit on the LVFNL
- Letter from the LVFNL to Maiden Gully YCW
"Therefore, in accordance with Loddon Valley Football Netball League By-Laws 5 and 14, the following penalties will be imposed on the Maiden Gully YCW Eagles for season 2024:
* Loss of 12 senior football team premiership points.
* A fine of $10,000 of which $5000 will be suspended to April 30, 2025. Payment of the fine must be made prior to April 30, 2024."
THE BACKGROUND
Maiden Gully YCW last fielded an under-18 team in 2021 before withdrawing it from the LVFNL on the basis it wasn't serving the development of its players.
After withdrawing from the LVFNL the Eagles applied unsuccessfully to enter into both the Bendigo and Heathcote District league under-18 competitions in 2022.
There was also subsequent attempts made by both the Maiden Gully YCW senior and junior clubs in recent months to enter into the Bendigo league under-18s in 2024.
The Bendigo league had accepted both applications, both of which were appealed by the LVFNL and subsequently upheld by the AFLCV commission.
In conjunction with the application to join the BFNL under-18s the Eagles had sought to also "provide a genuine undertaking and guarantee to make a concerted effort to form an under-18 side to compete in the LVFNL competition commencing in 2024."
However, both the Maiden Gully senior and junior clubs state they had no response from the LVFNL to their options put forward in early December that would have had the club working to field a team in both the LVFNL and BFNL under-18s this year.
LVFNL chairman Simon Tuohey acknowledged a "breakdown" and said the league had apologised, but added Maiden Gully's correspondence didn't "guarantee" they would have an LVFNL under-18 side in conjunction with a BFNL team.
EAGLES TO CHALLENGE SANCTIONS
Maiden Gully YCW president Chris Garlick said on Thursday the club would challenge the sanctions imposed and was working through its appeal options, while also seeking clarification around examples relating to the terms of "disrespect" and "discredit".
LVFNL chairman Tuohey said the league by-laws state a club must have an under-18 team unless an exemption is granted.
"As I said to Chris yesterday, you can't continue to go to the Heathcote District and Bendigo leagues for under-18s and refuse to put a team in the Loddon Valley league," Tuohey said.
"At the end of the day, we have done this because it's prejudical and unbecoming conduct to the league and a bit of a smack in the face to all the other eight clubs who are trying their backsides off (to get an under-18 team), yet they have the ability and capacity to do it, but still refuse to do it.
"Across 2022-2023 all the other clubs have had about 18 kids playing senior football and under-18s at the same time, so there is a pathway that exists, yet Maiden Gully YCW hasn't had the capacity to do that because they aren't willing to do so.
Across 2022-2023 all the other clubs have had about 18 kids playing senior football and under-18s at the same time, so there is a pathway that exists, yet Maiden Gully YCW hasn't had the capacity to do that because they aren't willing to do so
- Simon Tuohey - LVFNL chairman
"Maiden Gully YCW is probably struggling a bit for numbers this year (for open-age teams), but if they had have been fielding under-18s for the past two years as well as this year they could be dripfeeding some of those kids into their senior side and giving them that experience and a taste of it rather than going to play under-18 football in Bendigo or something like that.
"You can't tell me they are doing the right thing by their members if that's the case.
"We're not the villians here... if they want to come out and say they want to go to play in the Bendigo league because the competition is weak out here, well, how can they say that when they haven't played out here for the past two years.
"I'll flip it around... our senior teams don't say they don't want to play Maiden Gully because we're too strong for them; that doesn't happen.
"So we have taken this stance to do something about it and I can say that there is a precedent after speaking to other past presidents of years gone by.
"There is a precedent in the Loddon Valley where both YCW and Marong were told that you find a side (under-17 at the time) or else you are going to lose four premiership points for your senior side for every week that you don't have one.
"That is back in the 1990s and 2000s, so there is a precedent, and they found sides.
"It's probably a bit harsh to do four premiership points for every week because they may not have a side at all, so we've stuck it at 12 points so it doesn't penalise them too substantially.
"We feel the 12 points is a harsh enough penalty."
This year's LVFNL under-18 competition features five clubs - Marong, Bridgewater, East Loddon, Inglewood and Pyramid Hill.
Calivil United, Newbridge, Bears Lagoon-Serpentine and Mitiamo all have exemptions for not fielding under-18s.
"The difference with Maiden Gully is they keep saying if they go somewhere else outside of the Loddon Valley they will have an under-18 side," Tuohey said.
