The Ballarat Football Netball League officially has a 13th club.
The league announced on Monday that the Woady Yaloak Football Netball Club had been admitted as an affiliated club of the league.
After a period of four years planning and support, Woady Yaloak is the 13th club member of the league and will formally compete in the junior competition from 2023 onwards. The club has had junior sides in the competition the last couple of years, but the club was not affiliated with the competition.
With support from Golden Plains Shire, AFL Victoria and the league, the addition of the club will continue to cater for the growth of junior football and netball across the region.
It’s expected that Woady Yaloak will meet the needs of families in the region around Smythesdale and Haddon towards the Ballarat West growth corridor, especially with a growth in numbers after COVID-19.
The club will field four football and two netball teams in their inaugural season.
BFNL chair Adrian Bettio welcomed the news that the club would be affliated with the league.
“It’s fantastic to have Woady Yaloak formally a member of the league after a lot of work to get to this point,” he said.
“Congratulations to Adam [Liversage] and Mark [Ashmore] and all the volunteers and families that will be part of the league moving forward.”
The junior competition, which includes Bacchus Marsh and Darley, will kick off on April 16 with 10 clubs across 10 age groups.
The club thanked the league on its social media, saying the committee was so thrilled to finally have formal recognition as a BFNL club.
A recent come and try day had more than 130 footballers and netballer turn up, with a number or parents and volunteers putting their hands up to help.
“Thank you to the organisers of today as well, without people like you these days can’t come together. 2023 is looking bright.”
