FOOTBALL Mid North Coast's board hopes to make a decision within a week on the sixth club from this zone to play in next season's Coastal Premier League.
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Board chairman Mike Parsons confirmed that two clubs - Southern United, a newly formed entity from the Forster-Tuncurry area and established club Camden Haven Redbacks have applied to join the CPL. The CPL currently takes in 10 clubs, five each from Football Mid North Coast and Coffs Harbour-based North Coast Football.
Mr Parsons described Southern United as 'a marriage between the Tuncurry Forster and Wallis Lake clubs.'
Wallis Lake was a powerhouse in the former Football Mid North Coast Premier League while Tuncurry-Forster also played in the competition and is now involved in the FMNC Southern League. The Great Lakes area is not represented in the CPL, with Taree Wildcats the most southern club.
Camden Haven Redbacks also played in the FMNC Premier League and but did not initially seek a place in the CPL for 2020. The club currently fields sides in the FMNC Northern League.
Mr Parsons revealed that North Coast Football club Bellingen has also applied. Under the plan one club from both zones would join the league in 2022 to make 12 teams in first and reserve grades.
Mr Parsons said he will arrange a Zoom meeting of the FMNC board members and he is confident a decision would be made by the end of next week.
"Even though we've had the pandemic in the two seasons of the CPL, we believe it has been an unqualified success,'' he said.
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He added there's also a healthy appetite to play in localised community football competitions like the FMNC's southern and northern leagues.
"These competitions suit players who don't want to travel but just want to have a game with their mates. And some players, for reasons of work or family commitments, aren't able to travel,'' he said.
FMNC announced earlier this week that all competitions in the zone would cease this year due to the ongoing lockdown. This includes the northern and southern leagues as well as junior competitions.