Delegates from Woodsdale Football Club attended a special meeting of the Oatlands District Football Association recently at Oatlands requesting readmission for the 2022 season.
Woodsdale played three games in 2015 before withdrawing from the roster due to player shortages and has not played since, with the club eventually going into recess in 2020.
The association heard Woodsdale had recently reformed following significant community interest with a committee and coach appointed and over 30 players registering their intention.
A barrier to Woodsdale playing games at their home ground is potential safety and compliance risks relating to infrastructure at the Woodsdale Oval, owned by Southern Midlands Council, with AFL Tasmania recently completing a facilities audit of the ground.
Woodsdale is a foundation club of the ODFA ...
The audit findings are expected to be released to Woodsdale and the association with the outcome potentially driving whether conditions apply to Woodsdale's re-entry.
Any recommended repairs or upgrades permitting football to be played at the Woodsdale Oval would need to be addressed by the council.
Woodsdale is a foundation club of the ODFA having won 21 premierships - the most of any club in the association - including 13 consecutive grand final appearances between 1989 and 2001.
Clubs will vote on affiliating Woodsdale into the association by the end of the month.
Delegates from the Oatlands Football Club, who remain affiliated but did not complete in 2021, also provided an update on their return to playing with the club, confident of fielding a side in 2022 following strong committee and player interest.
Swansea Football Club also did not compete in 2021, however is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether they return to playing in the association.
