Junior clubs buoyed by league revamp

By Paul Pickering
THE Dandenong and District Junior Football League last week praised its member clubs for their support and leadership during a transitional year for the competition.
Five local clubs were represented at the DDJFL’s annual general meeting last Wednesday (2 December), when club representatives endorsed a new governance structure and new constitution for the league.
The ongoing revamp is a response to an independent review requested by the clubs and released in February this year, which resulted in a new direction for junior footy in Melbourne’s south-east.
The league, under the guidance of newly appointed general manager Shaun Connell and chairman Roger Hampson, is now looking to expand further into the Cardinia and Casey regions, while bolstering its presence in the City of Greater Dandenong.
Cardinia clubs Beaconsfield, Officer Kangaroos and Pakenham will be joined by new addition Cora Lynn next season, while Berwick and Berwick Springs remain among 13 clubs in the City of Casey.
Connell, who joins the league after stints with the Dandenong Ranges junior league and the Victorian Country Football League, believes the passion shown by club officials bodes well for the future of the competition.
“The clubs have really taken leadership in driving the changes and I think that’s important from a community aspect,” he said last Friday.
“They’ve taken ownership and made sure that the league is heading in the right direction and that’s exciting, because that doesn’t happen often.”
Connell will benefit from the efforts of AFL Victoria project manager Liz Triffitt, who has been responsible for developing the DDJFL’s strategic plan for 2010-2012. He believes the league has now addressed its administrative problems and is ready to thrive. “The foundations are now set for the league to grow,” he said. “It’s pretty much a fresh start, and that’s why my appointment has been important too, because it’s a fresh pair of eyes.”
The league also presented its awards for best conducted club and best conducted teams at the AGM, with local clubs cleaning up.
Officer Kangaroos scored the best conducted club gong as well as the team awards in the under-16 and under-13 divisions, while Berwick Blue (under-10 Blue division) and Pakenham (under-15 Division Two) were also recognised in their respective divisions.
Meanwhile, AFL Victoria’s determination to rebuild ailing participation levels in the City of Greater Dandenong has prompted the governing body to establish the Dandenong Task Force.
The group, headed up by AFL Victoria community football development manager Peter McDougall, will meet today (9 December) with a wide variety of stakeholders – including Dandenong clubs, Victoria Police and multicultural support agencies – in a bid to discuss opportunities to promote the game in the municipality.