Victorian club playing in South Australian-based football-netball league stuck in limbo

Casterton-Sandford Football Netball Club plays in the Western Border league and is affiliated with the SANFL.

But it must follow Victorian state government social distancing restrictions which, at present, limit social outdoor gatherings to 10 people.

The Cats' South Australian-based rivals can have three groups of 10 training on an oval at any one time.

Casterton-Sandford president Nathan Fidler said the club was in a tricky position.

Adding to its issues - if a season starts - are border restrictions and quarantine periods between South Australia and Victoria and the fact its coach, Tom Renzi, lives in Mount Gambier.

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"It's very confusing because we can't go by the South Australian league rules because we're in Victoria," he said.

"We don't get any information from AFL Victoria because we're not affiliated there. We're just chasing our tails at the minute."

Western Border league president Michael Summers said it was a predicament.

"It is a bit of an unusual one but the whole situation is unusual for us as a world," he told The Standard.

"We're trying to work as closely as we can with Casterton to try and get to the bottom of this.

"Some of their players are in South Australia so they've been training over here in South Australia."

But Summers said Casterton-Sanford's rivals had thrown their support behind their Victorian opponent.

"If we don't get the border restrictions lifted, Western Border won't be going ahead without Casterton," he said.

"That is a major decision that's been made by the delegates this week.

"It shows a bit of solidarity towards Casterton because we really need Casterton to be in our league.

"It was nice to hear that from the other delegates on Monday night."

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Summers said the Western Border league was waiting on state government and health department advice.

He is hopeful "we can have a kick of the footy and run around with the netball" in 2020.

"We'd like to start our season by August 1, that is our cut-off period," Summers said.

"We wouldn't start any later than that. It runs in too much to the summer sports.

"It would be a 10-round series, so everyone would play each other twice, and then our grand final would be on October 31."

But the first-year president said potential crowd restrictions could make it difficult to get a season started.

"Football is 20 per cent football these days and 80 per cent social," Summers said.

"We really need that crowd to come to the footy."

Fidler agreed, highlighting the club's community spirit.

Casterton is a town of 1600 people, located 42 kilometres east of the South Australian border.

Sandford, just five kilometres down the road, has about 150 residents.

The towns' football-netball clubs merged in 2013.

"As a club we're not going to start until crowds are allowed and people can get out of their cars," Fidler said.

"We're not even interested without that because we're a community club.

"Mount Gambier is a little bit different, it's the second-biggest city in South Australia, whereas our population (in Casterton) is only 1500.

"It's more about the town than the club. We're not just making a decision for the club, it's for the town as well.

"It's just the situation we're in. We'd all love to be playing footy but it might be one of those years it doesn't eventuate."

Fidler said the amalgamation had been a success.

"We merged a few years ago to bring the community together and it's been good," he said.

"Membership and sponsorship has gone well above expectations."

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