Daylesford fails to field two senior netball sides after mass walkout

President Guy McLeod said the club lost 22 of 26 senior players with the significant loss of numbers caused by a range of reason.

Pregnancy, travelling overseas, university commitments and moving interstate were the prime reasons for the huge exodus of players.

But McLeod said the club would comfortably field a C grade team, with the goal of returning to A grade in 2018.

“We’ll put everything in place to be ready for next year,” McLeod said.

Central Highlands Netball League president Rebecca McCahon provided backing for McLeod’s comments, saying the league was committed to working with not just Daylesford but all clubs that were finding it increasingly difficult to field multiple teams.

McCahon said the league was comfortable with Daylesford only fielding a C grade team and said the goal would be to put the processes in place to ensure the club’s A grade longevity.

“In terms of building towards the future, that was why the decision was made to allow that (just fielding a C grade team),” McCahon said.

“It’s very important that they field at least one team and work towards putting the building blocks in place.

“That is part of our constitution for maintaining the standard of the league and maintaining the A grade level.

“It is getting harder for clubs, not just Daylesford but lots of clubs in the region, and not just in the Central Highlands – it is important that we work with them to maintain their viability.”