Clubs converged on Narrandera early last week for a delegates meeting with AFL Riverina and AFL NSW-ACT officials.

The expansion of the AFL Southern District Women's competition from eight teams to a possible 13, and the travelling and scheduling logistics it creates, was a big topic of discussion.

A women's program is one of the criteria for inclusion in a 'premier league' competition from 2023 after a new club-based model was the centrepiece of the AFL Riverina Competitions Review in 2019.

It advocates a Premier League (with firsts, reserves and under 18s) along with a Platinum League, a Community League, and a Platinum under 18s.

"We need to find a way to make the second tier comp enticing," Hamblin said.

"In a couple of years a couple of teams could fall away, because it could be hard to find players to play in it that are competitive.

"There has to be a way to avoid there being a stigma around the second tier league."

AFL NSW-ACT's community football manager, for regional NSW and ACT, Marc Geppert, said the tiered system was designed to also accommodate clubs who may not be equipped to compete in the Premier League.

"It's probably just highlighting the standard difference between the leagues currently at the moment," Geppert said.

"Realistically we've probably got a slightly better league in terms of on the field in the Riverina League. It currently fields under 17.5 teams from all clubs, compared to the Farrer League where it's been a consistent struggle to get all those junior teams on the paddock.

"We've designed the model the way it is because we know there's clubs out there that won't be able to compete at that (Premier League) level, and can't grow any more than they have based on factors like population or geography.

"You've got that clear standard difference between a Premier League and a Community League, because they're ultimately playing a role for two different types of footy clubs."

Proposed alterations to the Player Points System were also discussed. Riverina and Farrer League clubs averaged well below the maximum allocation of 36 this year, while the salary cap average was in a similar boat.

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Bulldogs president Steven Marks, who will step down from the role next season but will remain in an interim capacity until a replacement is found, said the make-up of the premier league will be intriguing.

"It will be interesting to see how many Farrer League teams are going to apply to be in the premier league, because at the moment there's no Riverina League teams looking to go down a division," he said.

"Some clubs are going to be disappointed, and others are going to be happy."

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