Portland and Hamilton will be required to field teams in the Sunday Hampden junior football competition next season under a shake-up in the sport.
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AFL Western District released its South West Junior Review draft recommendations report on Thursday which sets out a junior restructure in the Portland and Hamilton areas.
The recommendations include:
- Portland field an under 16 team in the Hampden league next season;
- Portland and Hamilton Kangaroos field under 14 teams in the Hampden league in 2021;
- Portland Junior Football Association and Hamilton Kangaroos Junior Football League merge to form a six-team Greater South West Junior Football League and
- the GSWJFL have under 16.5 and under 13.5 competitions
The report, which has 26 recommendations, proposes Portland's under 16s would be a "representative side of Portland and the south-west (league) and be aspirational for young footballers in the region".
The draft said players not selected for Portland must be returned to their local GSWJFL side.
The draft, which requires feedback by Friday August 2, also recommends a board be formed with representatives from AFL Western District, PJFA and HKFL to govern the new competition.
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The GSWJFL would consist of six clubs - Heywood, Heathmere, North Portland and West Portland along with two Hamilton clubs.
The draft recommends former PJFA clubs Centrals and South Portland merge to form the South-Central Portland Junior Football Club to be based at South Portland in the new league.
The report suggests no Mininera District Football League sides play in the GSWJFL.
Hamilton Kangaroos chairman John Pepper said his club was planning to have an informed discussion about the draft recommendations report.
He said it had emailed the report to Hamilton-based clubs for them to look at.
Pepper said there would be a meeting with delegates from the clubs on July 23.
He said that would give them a week and a half to put together a proposal to AFL Western District.
Pepper said something needed to be done about Hamilton Kangaroos Junior Football League under 16s competition which only has three teams.
"We need something different," he said.
Portland Football Netball Club did not wish to comment on the draft recommendations report.
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