BFNL players get their measure

The system, which was enforced across the Maryborough Castlemaine District and Riddell District netball competitions, works almost identical to the one used in football leagues during recent years.

Clubs will have 26 points to build a list, with players' value dictated on prior experience.

Players from an elite background can be worth as many as six points, while junior and senior players with little to no representative experience can be worth as little as one point.

Players can also be worth more points depending on how many clubs they have played for.

Ballarat Football Netball League manager Shane Anwyl said the purpose of the system was to drive and promote youth development in the region.

"The reality is, it stops teams from stacking themselves with x number of state or national league players that dominate the competition," he said.

"It's about providing that evenness a little bit more."

Anwyl said clubs were given guidelines on how to assess the worth of its players and decided on a list based off those results.

Assessments were also crosschecked by the league.

He said feedback from the AFL Goldfields clubs had mostly been positive.

"Clubs had seen the success it was having in football in trying to promote junior players to play up and also to try and curb players from hopping around from club to club," he said.

"So it's to dissuade that and promote more loyalty towards clubs."

While team stacking hadn't occurred much in the BFNL, Anwyl said it had taken place in other district competitions.

He said clubs had seen the benefits of the system and it would help to smooth out the league.

"The BFNL is a relatively even comp and has a high level of player quality," he said.

"The finals last year were fantastic and we expect it to keep going that way."