By ROY WARD
SOUTHERN Dragons president Jamie Pi believes his club will thrive in the Victorian Amateur Football Association after winning the right to leave to the Southern Football League at a AFL Victoria appeals board hearing last week.
The Dragons had attempted to move since August with the SFL objecting the change on the grounds that the league had put a lot of time into helping the Dragons, who attract players from multicultural backgrounds, to develop into a fully-fledged club.
The 2011 division 3 SFL premiers will be entered into the VAFA D4 league for the 2013 season. Pi said his club, which will change its name to Dragons Football Club to reflect its wider reach, had to move to an amateur competition and to a wider-reaching league as its players came from all over Melbourne.
The Dragons played in the SFL’s division 2 competition this past season but struggled against bigger clubs who paid some of their players and coaches.
He made it clear the Dragons, who don’t pay any of their players or coaches, were very appreciative to the SFL for its help but were a better fit in the VAFA.
“There is no doubt there was more semi-professionalism than in division 3 and it was part of the reason we have moved,” Pi said. “But more so that we are seeking to be aligned with an amateur competition and give our members the opportunity to play in a league which plays all over Melbourne because we have members who live outside the south-eastern area. This was a members decision, as a committee we didn’t do anything until our members voted to support the move.”
SFL chief executive David Cannizzo issued a statement on the league’s website which said the Dragons move had nothing to do with the running of the SFL and its member clubs.
He also said the release of the SFL’s fixtures would be delayed until just before Christmas as adjustments had to be made in lieu of the Dragons’ departure.
“The SFL has strongly promoted diversity in our league and our strong collaboration and efforts with SDFC to get them to where they are today are an example of this,” he stated.
“That being said, the SFL remains a strong and vibrant league that will continue to grow in 2013 with the introduction of the Carrum-Patterson Lakes Football Club and expanding colts, thirds and netball competitions.”
Pi said the Dragons were training hard on field and off-field were working closely with the VAFA to get everything in line for the 2013 season.
