‘These are young boys who just want to play’: Devastated junior footy team has all their competition points stripped because they are TOO GOOD
- South Coogee Junior Football Club has been stripped of its premiership points
- It was reportedly done after its A division players refused to move to B division
- The B division team has been struggling to win its league matches
- The WA Football Commission wanted to even the competition with the swap
A junior football team has been stripped of its shot at a premiership because its players are too good.
The West Australian Football Commission has stripped South Coogee Junior Football Club’s Year 10 A division team of all of its premiership points and given them a $500 good behaviour bond.
This was reportedly in reaction to five of the six A team players refused to move to a B division team, which has been struggling to win its league matches.
The means any team playing against the South Coogee A team in the remaining six games is automatically awarded a win – with a victory margin pre-set at 60 points.
The WAFC’s attempt to even the competition has left players and parents devastated.
‘It is just a shame because these are just young boys who want to play footy yet they are forced to face the politics that goes on behind the scenes, at such a young age,’ a club source told WAtoday.
The West Australian Football Commission has stripped South Coogee Junior Football Club’s Year 10 A division team of all premiership points to date and imposed a $500 good behaviour bond
‘And the WAFC and other officials wonder why so many are turning their back on footy to play other sports like soccer.
‘The reality is, both teams will probably leave and not play next year because of all of this.’
The football team was split after South Fremantle junior competition director Mark Brookes moved a proposal to WAFC in February this year.
The permission was granted on the condition that both teams need to be competitive.
South Coogee’s A division team was selected with those who wanted to advance to a higher level and the B division team had players ‘who just wanted to play the game with their mates.’
Initially, the teams were supposed to play in A and C divisions, but South Coogee had to field its ‘second’ team in division B after another football club Willeton withdrew from division C.
The C division team was forced to play in the B division.
Troy Kirkham, WAFC’s executive manager for Youth, Community and Game Development, said junior rules around competitive balance have been in place for more than a decade.
‘The WAFC has worked with South Coogee Junior Football Club since the beginning of the season to achieve a competitive balance for their Year 10 teams, so that the success of one team was not prioritised to the detriment of the other,’ he said in a statement.
‘And it did not have a negative impact on player retention at the club or among opposition teams.’
Officials from South Coogee Junior Football have been contacted for their comments.
The WAFC’s attempt to even the competition in order to retain the players, however, has not gone down well with players, parents and the junior football club (stock image)