LAST SAY ON GCA CHANGES

Restructure due in April

THE Geelong Cricket Association remains committed to its 10-8-8 restructure for next season, but will give clubs one final chance to provide feedback.

Under the planned changes, division one will be cut from 12 teams to 10, division two will shrink to eight clubs and a third division will be created to accommodate the remaining eight turf teams.

Clubs were due to be sent a final questionnaire yesterday, providing the last opportunity to speak out against the changes.

The GCA will review the feedback next month and confirm the 2017-18 structure at an executive meeting on April 7.

Clubs will know which division they will be playing in by the middle of April.

No club will be promoted out of division two into the revamped division one, so only two GCA1 clubs will drop to GCA2.

That means the top six clubs in GCA2 will stay in their current division, leaving the bottom six to drop out into the newly formed division three, joined by turf clubs Corio and Waurn Ponds-Deakin, who have been playing in the GCA Hard Wicket competition.

That hard-wicket grade will unofficially become the fourth division.

Several existing GCA2 clubs have been vocal about the proposed changes, led by concerns about the viability and attractiveness of being shunted to a third division.

The GCA believes the extra division would foster more competitive matches, reducing the gulf that exists between top and bottom clubs.

It would be the biggest change to the league’s structure since Southern Leigh association clubs joined the GCA for the 2008-09 season.