The Riddell District Junior Football League hits McPherson Park in Melton on Sunday for the first time in three years. Fourteen grand finals will take place across three grounds spanning four age groups, and according to RDFL operations manager Toby Boyle, there will be a massive crowd.
"If you factor in the 700 players, two parents for each plus other family members, we'll get somewhere between 2000 to 3000 people," Boyle said.
Boyle highlighted the significance of the grand finals returning to McPherson Park and that it brings families and clubs together. The aim is to make travel easier between age groups and venues. The league has worked hard to fixture club matches as close to each other as possible to reduce the necessity for travelling throughout the finals. This has enabled clubs and families to stay at the same ground and cheer on other teams in their club competing at the same ground.
"This has been something that we've tried to work with our fixturing of matches right throughout the finals series," Boyle said.
If the weather permits, the league is expecting a carnival-like atmosphere with plenty of people. There are 10 of the 16 clubs in the competition that are competing for the premiership cup on the day.
"We're pretty confident that Melton and Melton Centrals will do a great job on hosting the day," Boyle said.
OFF FIELD
The league has enjoyed a lot of success off the field. Boyle was full of praise for the efforts of Tony Smith and Rob Beatson in their efforts for the junior development of the league and its players. He admires the efforts of all the club presidents.
"Their work has been astronomical with what they have done for the league," Boyle said, "What the presidents do is remarkable and they do a fantastic job."
ON FIELD
The league will assess its grading structures after the season. This year has been a big stepping stone with RDFL general manager Rod Ward and Boyle taking over from John Batty and Scott Ledwidge at the start of the season. They had the job ahead of them and are finding success including the improvement of the junior interleague program.
There is a spread of dominant teams and clubs throughout the year and there are more players turning their hand at playing the game. The Under 9s program continues to draw more clubs since its formation several seasons ago. The league will grow enormously from this year.
"There is a lot of improvement to come and we want to be the best league in country Victoria," Boyle said.
Last Modified on 24/08/2012 11:25