Sport

27 May, 2025

Maryborough Football Netball Club apply to join MCDFNL for season 2026

The Maryborough Football Netball Club (MFNC) has taken its first steps to potentially make a return in 2026, applying to transfer from the Bendigo Football Netball League (BFNL) to the Maryborough Castlemaine Football Netball League (MCDFNL).

By Jonathan Peck

The Maryborough Magpies announced on Thursday an intent to transfer form has been submitted to the MCDFNL in accordance with AFL Victoria Community League Affiliate regulations.

Maryborough officially entered into recess for the 2025 season, allowing the club “to focus on rebuilding its strength, both on and off the field, with a view to returning to the BFNL in 2026”.

The club announced in November last year that a taskforce, led by Gerard Murphy, was implemented to decide the best way of bringing the Magpies out of recess in 2025.

According to club president Glen Bardsley, the taskforce deemed a return to the BFNL wasn’t a viable options.

“We just cannot sustain staying in the BFNL with our senior football, those days are gone for now,” he said.

“We wanted to stay in the BFNL but it was just too hard, we don’t have the support, we don’t have the money, we just couldn’t compete as you can see from the results of the last 10 years.

“It was time to find another option, instead of folding, hopefully, we can get into the MCDFNL and keep the club going.”

The Magpies have met with all 13 clubs in the MCDFNL to com-municate their intentions and address any concerns ahead of the planned application.

After the MCDFNL rejected Maryborough’s application to join the league in 2025, Bardsley believes it’s vital for the Magpies to adopt the feedback from their last application and express their situation personally.

“The MFNC thanks the MCDFNL clubs for allowing the MFNC the opportunity to meet on an individual basis to discuss the future of the MCDFNL and the possibility of the MFNC being included into the current structure of the MCDFNL,” he said.

“Being in recess for 2025 has allowed the MFNC to refocus on what is important to the MFNC.

“This has resulted in a fresh start for the MFNC, who will focus on providing a club that is inclusive and provide a hub for the community to attend.

“The MFNC is a central point for a lot of people in the Maryborough community, the reestablishment of football and netball at Princes Park in 2026 is an important pillar in the community.”

According to the club’s statistics, 20 senior footballers and 18 senior netballers formerly listed at Maryborough are without a club in 2025.

According to Bardsley, the club’s recess has also taken a massive toll on junior numbers.

“There’s a lot of kids not playing football and netball at the moment because they can’t get into a team,” he said.

“Parents can’t afford to drive their kids 40 minutes here and there to go to training and games each week.

“Football and netball brings people together, and if you lose that what have people got?”

The Maryborough Magpies will officially present their application at the MCDFNL’s presidents and secretaries meeting scheduled for June 4.

From there, 20 members from the league and club representatives will meet to vote on the application. The date for that meeting has yet to be determined.

“We could have just thrown in the towel and said ‘this is too hard’ but the feedback we have gotten from a lot of people is the Maryborough Magpies have to play,” Bardsley said.

“We have got the opportunity for the club to stay open — it doesn’t happen everywhere because some clubs just fold and that’s the end of them, they are gone forever.

“We have got an opportunity to keep the club alive and keep over 150 years of history going.”

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