Lara’s return snub: AFL Barwon reveals alternative plan the club rejected

Lara Sporting Club was unwilling to consider anything short of a full return to senior football in 2027, turning down an alternative offered by AFL Barwon, chief executive Kate Patterson revealed on Friday.

Speaking to Matt Worland and Cameron Mooney on SEN Geelong’s The Run Home, Patterson said the league had tried to find a way for the club to play football next year after it fell short of the requirements to rejoin the Geelong Football Netball League’s senior competition.

Lara did not play the 2026 season after failing to secure enough players to compete.

The club was set requirements for a return to competition through the Lara Future Planning Group, setting 1 October as the deadline for the club to secure 45 registered players, appoint a coach and establish a full committee.

After failing to meet the deadline, AFL Barwon gave the club more time before it issued a statement on 7 October announcing its intention to return in 2027, with the committee saying it believed the requirements had been met.

However, AFL Barwon staff were not satisfied when they met with club representatives.

“We very quickly met with them [after the statement was released] and they weren’t able to confirm they’d appointed a coach,” Patterson said.

“They didn’t have the 45 players contracted, and at that stage, they didn’t have a full committee.

Patterson said AFL Barwon had remained in almost daily contact with Lara after it missed the October 1 deadline, working to identify a viable pathway back into senior football.

One option was to join the league’s new thirds competition before working towards a full senior return. Patterson said the league was open to Lara entering more than one team in the competition if needed.

The league was also prepared to schedule Lara’s matches in the traditional 2pm Saturday time slot, alongside its home netball games, to help maintain links between the club’s football and netball programs.

But Patterson said Lara was unwilling to consider the offer.

“We thought that was a really viable pathway for them back to senior football,” she said.

“But they unfortunately just weren’t interested in considering anything other than a full return.”

Patterson said AFL Barwon had considered more than the minimum requirements when assessing whether Lara was ready to compete.

“It’s been a really challenging year,” she said.

“We’ve spent a huge amount of time on it and worked really hard to try and get a better outcome, but unfortunately, we’ve found ourselves where we are.”

A decision on whether Lara will field an A-grade netball team next year is yet to be confirmed.