It’s been a long few years for the Mudgee Black Swans, but the end is looming for the struggling AFL club.
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Faced with dwindling numbers, a lack of board members and simply too many sports to compete with in the town, news is grim.
Forced to fold after the change to the Central West AFL that meant it would become a one-tier competition, the Black Swans have already been fighting to keep the dream alive for years now.
However there is one last chance to keep the club running, and to compete in the Central West league again, and it comes in the form of the final Black Swans meeting at Courthouse Hotel.
The meeting is planned for Sunday, February 19, at 12.30pm.
There, the final board members will discuss the closure of the club, and shut down operations.
Joe Cook, president of the club, thinks that only a miracle can save the sport in Mudgee now.
“It’s really quite sad, but we’re going to need something close to a miracle to allow us to keep operating now,” Cook admitted.
“We’ll need a whole team of eager players to turn up at the Courthouse [Hotel] on the weekend, and announce that they are ready to support the club.
“It’s looking grim, and as it stands this is the end of the club participating in anything more than AusKick in the town.
“At least for the foreseeable future,” Cook added.
The Swan’s historical highlight came in 2005 when they won the reserve grade grand final, an impressive feat considering the dominance of both the Bathurst Bushrangers and Cowra around that time in the top-flight and reserve grades.
“Hopefully in the future we can come back with passion with a new set of players in a new generation,” Cook said.
“We want to try and continue AFL in Mudgee.”