Steelworks job losses create uncertain future for Whyalla's football clubs

Football in Whyalla is facing an uncertain future as the region grapples with the flow-on effects of mass redundancies at the steelworks, with local clubs concerned a drop in player numbers could lead to their demise.

Last month, the state government revealed that the steelworks' blast furnace, which had been shut down for months, would not be restarted and, as a result, the plant's direct workforce to be reduced from 1,700 to 1,200 people.

A further 300 contractors were also expected to be impacted, and it is unknown how many workers will chase employment opportunities elsewhere and consequently leave the Upper Spencer Gulf city.

Last week, more than 250 workers who accepted redundancies finished up at the steelworks.

Roopena Football Club is one of the six which make up the Whyalla Football League, and president Robert Brereton said each club was bracing for player shortages.

"I think every club in Whyalla at the moment probably doesn't fully understand what season 2027 is going to look like for them," he said.

"Unless something changes where the population grows again, there just isn't enough people."

He said it was not just players clubs could lose, but volunteers.

"Every one of those teams has a level of volunteer support and we've noticed over the journey that it's difficult to find the volunteers needed to keep all the sports on the park."

The steel city's population peaked in the mid-1970s, when about 33,000 people were living in the region, but the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show it had fallen to about 21,400 in 2021.

Greg Flanegan from the North Whyalla Football Club said it was likely the number of clubs in the league needed to reduce.

"With the club situation, we really need to go down to four clubs — at least five, if not four. We were four prior to 1968,"

he said.

"With the expansion of Whyalla getting so strong we went to six clubs, and Port Augusta and Pirie just stayed the same. I don't know that we'll ever get back to that."

President of the Central Whyalla Football Club, Richard Wallace, said he felt "a little bit nervous" about the future of the league.

"In the current form — six teams, and we're one team that's been struggling a little bit, if you lose too many people it's pretty hard to keep your club going so it doesn't look good but we're going to hang in there. Whyalla hangs in," he said.

He said amalgamation was not on the table for his club "at the moment", but the concept was "not completely a bad thing", noting clubs like Woodville-West Torrens and the Brisbane Lions had won premierships in the years following mergers.

"I'm hopeful for the future of footy, and Whyalla. I've got to be," he said.

"It's going to be a tough couple of years coming up, let's stick together and try and keep Whyalla going."

Mr Brereton said the South Australian National Football League had "basically given clubs two options" if considering mergers.

"One is one club consumes the other completely, or both clubs fold and form a new club. And the appetite for either of those two options is not high," he said.

"All clubs have struggled a bit with that understanding that potentially in a merger one club disappears and 100 years of history goes with it, or they both lose their 100 years of history and a new club forms and they continue on like that.

"I can see issues with both, but at some point I think it will get forced simply because of a lack of numbers."

But, he expected the town's future — including for its sporting clubs — would become clearer after a buyer for the steelworks is announced.