The Wimmera Football League is likely to continue filming senior football matches, after "overwhelmingly positive" feedback from coaches and clubs for last season's initiative.
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The Wimmera league contracted video company 'Dartfish' to film every senior football game for the first time last season.
Matches and highlights were then made publicly available online at the Dartfish website.
"Our feedback from clubs last year was all really positive," Wimmera Football League commissioner Trevor Albrecht said.
"The coaches feedback was huge. They can look at team structure, stoppages, certain players, and can look at other games to see opposition teams from previous weeks as well. It's a really handy tool.
"I reckon with where we are at with the videoing of senior games, I don't think anyone would want to go back from here."
The Horsham District league however appears unlikely to follow suit.
Horsham District Football Netball League chairman Fred Mellington said it was up to clubs to decide if they wanted matches filmed.
He said it would be on the agenda at a presidents and secretaries meeting closer to the season.
AFL Wimmera-Mallee's Stephen McQueen said the main roadblock was the expense of filming matches, with clubs forced to pay in conjunction with the league.
Mr McQueen said the cost for each Wimmera league club was approximately $100 per game last season.
Minyip-Murtoa president Scott Arnold said despite the cost, the video footage was "worth every cent".
"It's a great advertisement for the league and it helps a lot for training purposes," Mr Arnold said.
"I know how much it costs to run a club and the expenses, but for how much we pay, I think it is worth every cent."
Mr Arnold said it also helped umpires improve, and could offer important clarity for on-field incidents.
"It's just for peace of mind if anything happens - if something happens on the field, the video is there," Mr Arnold said.
"(Umpires) want to work on their own skills and improve too, so the video is a great learning tool for them."
The Wimmera league however has no plans to extend the filming to reserves and junior football matches, despite its potential to assist with tribunal decisions.
Mr Albrecht said even though filming every match could help provide clarity, it was prohibitively expensive.
"In an ideal world, it would be good, but I just don't know whether it is possible," he said. "
"It would be great to have but the expense is pretty tough to manage.
"Clubs are strapped for cash as it is - how far can you stretch your financial resources?"
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Richard Crabtree
richard.crabtree@austcommunitymedia.com.au
richard.crabtree@austcommunitymedia.com.au
