Great Scott! What next for Gippsland football?

LAST Tuesday night May 19 AFL Gippsland officially launched a wholesale review of all aspects of league operations which they are calling a “collaborative 10-year vision for the future of football and netball across Gippsland”.

To be staged over the next 19 months, starting with consultation between AFL Victoria/AFL Gippsland and local leagues and clubs, the process is targeting approval and implementation from “2028 onward”.

What’s ironic, however, is that on the day one of the game’s greatest-ever players, Scott Pendlebury, ran out for his record-breaking 433rd game for Collingwood last Saturday, his home club of Sale could barely raise a gallop at Leongatha.

Across the three games played, Sale lost by an aggregate of 360 points, including 190 points in the seniors, while not even having enough young players to field an under 18 side.

If that’s not sounding alarm bells at the highest levels, it should be.

In the football-mad town of Wonthaggi, Bass Coast’s only major-league club, Wonthaggi Power, went through the same problems a few years ago and had to move heaven and earth to relaunch its under 18s in 2025.

In their next round, at a level where young players need to be playing every week, on Saturday May 30, they have a bye because there’s no match scheduled for them at Sale.

It’s indicative of the main problem facing football today: the transition between Auskick and junior football, through the under 16s and under 18s, to senior football and potentially to the very top level of the sport as exemplified by the greatest-ever Gippsland footballer, Scott Pendlebury.

AFL Gippsland posted details of the meeting on its website.

“On Tuesday, 19th May 2026, AFL Gippsland officially introduced the Gippsland Charter at a combined meeting of Senior and Junior Heads of Leagues hosted at Lowanna College.

“With all local leagues, Netball Victoria, and regional Umpire Associations in attendance, the meeting marked a landmark collective commitment to work towards a collaborative 10-year vision for the future of football and netball across Gippsland.

“The evening also served as a formal welcome to AFL Gippsland’s new Region Council Chair, Karen Cain, who was officially introduced to stakeholders.”

Among those in attendance was acting chair of the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition Board, John White.

We asked him about what happened on the night.

I understand you represented the West Gippsland league at the Gippsland Charter launch on Tuesday at which all leagues, Netball Victoria, and regional Umpire Associations were in attendance. What was the main thrust of the meeting?

“They don’t like to call these things a ‘review’ because they feel there can be negative connotations of that following a long history of reviews such as the failed G25, but it was basically a launch of what they’re calling a ‘collaborative 10-year vision for the future of football and netball across Gippsland’,” Mr White said.

“They’ve set out a timeline, which has been published, holding consultations with leagues and clubs from May this year to February next year, setting their priorities from March 2027 to December 2027 and then implementation from 2028 onwards.

“But the reality is there are issues which are presenting themselves right now that need to be addressed that won’t wait until 2028,” he said.

Mr White said there wasn’t much time for Q&A but of the eight questions asked, six of them were about the problems transitioning young players from participation levels at Auskick, Juniors and Youth through to seniors.

“I don’t need to single out individual clubs, it’s right across the board,” he said.

Keen football contributor Andy Thomas, the former president of the Dalyston FNC, is doubtful the process will address the key issues in a timely-enough manner.

“To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure they’re even concerned about community football and where it is going at all. As long as there are kids going into the ‘pathways’ system, it really isn’t important to them what happens to the clubs that supply them,” Mr Thomas said.

“By the time AFL Gippsland has all the information in front of them, the whole landscape will have changed, and the information will be totally useless,” he said of the inquiry process.

But whatever you think needs to happen to footy and netball in Gippsland the “Gippsland Charter” review is coming to a club near you.

What happens as a result is in the lap of the gods at AFL House.