Is this the end of the Sunday Football League?

WA Amateur Football Leagues
1

Have just seen that the 2026 Sunday (Metro) Football League premiers Koongamia have been accepted into the PFL for 2027.

With Midland moving over to the Hills League at the start of 2026 and Dwellingup folding, the competition is now down to just five teams.

Is this the end of that competition?

I’m aware that the league has had more than its share of problems, but where does this leave the remaining five clubs?

The PFL’s level of governance, administration and even the standard of football in the lower grades is a very big step up from the SFL. There’s also no guarantee that the existing PFL clubs would be all that keen on absorbing another five single-team clubs.

2

I would say sadly for them it is.

Not sure what Grade Koongamia expects to be in,but surely they don’t think they start high up in C Grade.

E Grade for starters boys.

3

Unless they can add a reserves team it will be a start somewhere in the E grades for them.

If they can get a reserves side up then C5 would be a good option for them. 2 teams playing together makes recruitment more attractive and with the opportunity of promotion if the club does well. With Rossmoyne and Whitfords gone up to C4, the competition should be a bit more balanced too.

E grades would still be a step up from SFL, there are some really strong single team clubs and some solid bigger clubs 3’s,4’s and 5’s teams. From memory TA’s 5ths won the E1 comp for 3 years in a row with a bunch of older boys who could seriously play.

Hopefully the league gets these gradings right though. Nothing worse than having lopsided E grade competition where c4 and c5 clubs 3rds teams are getting smashed by single team clubs or bigger clubs 3rds teams.

1 Like
4

Koongamia are keeping a sunday team and a saturday team.

The comp will compete with 5 if that’s all they have but they are always reaching out to clubs to get a team in.

1 Like
5

Viper, wouldn’t they be better off putting both teams into the PFL in c5 and c5r?

Means volunteer resources are only committed on one day and can hold all 3 (league, ressies and women’s) teams at home games across the day.

Without knowing much about the club or the area, would surely make them a more attractive proposition to prospective recruits as a lower C grade club than an E and Sunday League club.

6

There are some people that still work Saturday’s and Sunday’s is a better day for them. Club is going to cater for both.

7

Good luck to them. Always good to see a smaller club grow and this is a step in the right direction.

1 Like
8

It is only my assumption by the way … nothing to do with the club but I have been told they are not dropping from SFL.

9

I do hope for the sake of the remaining clubs they can keep some sort of viable SFL competition together.

It wasn’t that long ago that it had 2 full divisions and a women’s competition. The drop off has been steep.

Also may be a challenge for a few of these clubs in finding leagues to play.

10

The previous Sunday FL had to fold when they were reduced to 5 or 6 clubs early in 2009. Quite a drop after starting with 17 in 1984. There were more clubs in their Saturday competition.

1 Like
11

yeah they will operate with 5 if they have to. Those clubs can’t play anywhere else. This competition gives them a chance each week to play football.

Some fantastic football players running around.

2 Likes
12

The Sunday comp will allow them to play even if they are registered in the PFL.

1 Like
13

From memory Gossy and I think maybe Kenwick too had a team in the Sunday comp while competing in the PFL (going back a few years). Secret Harbour also has a team in the E grade while playing in the Peel league.

1 Like
14

Was it a matter of their Saturday Team transferring to Sunday?

ie Gossies and Kenwick