The Western Region Football League will revert back to a 10-team division 1 competition in 2016 with no relegation to occur at the end of the current season.
The league will also promote the division 2 premier, removing the need for a bye.
Division 1 dropped from 10 teams to nine teams on the eve of the 2015 season after Parkside was unable to field a competitive side and subsequently moved back to division 3.
WRFL football operations manager David Newton said the league’s preference was always to return to the 10-team format.
“Our bylaws have always specified that the best structure is 10 teams,” he said.
“Based on a couple of things that happened in the off-season, that didn’t work out in 2015.
“The feedback from our clubs in regards to the nine teams hasn’t been negative but certainly, the way we see our premium grade, we would hope that there are no byes and we think the 10-team competition is the best for us, with everyone playing each other twice.”
The race for promotion from division 2 to division 1 is one of the most closely contested in league history.
Six teams are still vying for finals and the premiership race is wide open.
While the division 2 premier has not been promoted since Yarraville-Seddon in 2013, Newton said the rise would occur this year.
“Not being promoted has never been option for clubs to use as such,” he said.
“Our bylaws and rules state that promotion and relegation will always occur, although in extreme circumstances the board can look at each individual case and decide whether that is necessary or relevant based on those teams.
“The clubs won’t have options unless the board deems that something significant has to occur in regards to promotion or relegation.”
