Coleambally will hold a crisis meeting on June 21 to weigh up the club’s future, amid concerns about dwindling player numbers and a lack of volunteers.
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Less than half a season after they made the grand final, the Blues are facing serious questions.
“It’s been coming for a while,” Coleambally president Shane Mannes said.
“We just struggle for seconds players and for volunteers to run the club.
“Financially we’re going okay but the money we have to raise now just to be competitive – I don’t think it’s sustainable.”
Mannes stood down as president at the start of the year only to have to take the job on again.
He said it’s time to put all options on the table for the community.
“We’ll throw some ideas up and gauge from the meeting what direction we want to go in,” Mannes said.
“Close the doors is one. Amalgamation is another one.
“We’ve got to do something, if it’s not next year, it’s the year after.”
The Blues rely heavily on players travelling across from Griffith and have also signed three ‘fly-in fly-out’ footballers from Darwin for this season.
Low numbers of juniors only add to concerns in a town of approximately 600.
“It’s the population continually getting smaller, and then you get into the problem of having less and less locals playing for your side, too,” Mannes said.
“We’re also competing with rugby league.”
The Blues are at home to CSU on Saturday.
It’s the first of three home games, with the club meeting to fall between games against top three side Temora and reigning premiers East Wagga-Kooringal.
The Blues have won one of their first six games this season. They’ll be without a host of players for the game against the Bushpigs but will welcome the experience of Michael Handby for a one-off appearance.
