It was interesting to read the Statements of the President of the Perth Football League, Mr Sam Birmingham to the WAFC Funding Enquiry. I'm not sure if Sam's comments were endorsed by the other PFL member clubs but it seems to me at least to indicate a preparedness by the PFL to move forward and incorporate the existing WAFL Reserves competition into the PFL.
I presume this could only be achieved by having a Semi-Professional League sitting over the existing A Grade competition. Perhaps that is why the WAAFL settled upon the name PFC instead of the Perth Amateur Football League.
I have included an extract below of the comments relating to this issue.
Mr BIRMINGHAM: .....The WAFL reserves competition does not have a purpose. Getting rid of it would not only save money, it would actually help those clubs get closer to their communities again, because they would have direct conversations with the senior community clubs in their district. They have been talking about it since the 1994 Ric Gloede report. Sometimes you have to pull the band-aid off.
The CHAIR: .....With regard to your issue about the WAFL clubs becoming more community‐oriented, I think you are 100 per cent right, but if you take their reserves away, the West Australian Football Commission has already taken their colts away; I do not see how they can become more community‐oriented if they just have a league team.
Mr BIRMINGHAM: ...I take the point. I would say to them there is nothing stopping them from nominating a team in our league as well. If you want to be genuinely community oriented and if you see your mandate as being to provide participation and expand your playing member base to as many people as possible, there are other opportunities to them.
