Introducing the Calder United Lions as merger partners agree on new name

The two North Central league football, netball and hockey clubs that have agreed to merge at the end of this season have taken the next significant move in their amalgamation with the confirmation of their name.

The merged entity will be known as the Calder United Lions.

The two clubs over the past month have given the opportunity for their members to submit their suggested names for the merged club before a vote by financial members from both clubs was taken where Calder United was selected.

More than 150 people submitted name proposals for the merged club.

The name Calder United is a reference to two clubs based on the Calder Highway uniting to form one, but bears no reference to the names of the two clubs that have merged.

"Initially there were some people concerned that we needed to keep the names of the clubs otherwise people wouldn't know who we are," Wycheproof-Narraport committee member, and member of the merger working committee, Rory White said on Friday.

"But we looked at what the Southern Mallee Thunder (representing Jeparit, Rainbow, Hopetoun and Beulah) as they are now known has done and they have been a fantastic sounding board for us.

"They said there was always going to be arguments around which name went first and some angst around that, so we felt it was best that we went completely neutral with the name.

"And the other thing with that is this name probably opens us up to if there's any other clubs in the future that may want to come on board it's a neutral name, so we feel it gives us a bit of flexibility going forward."

With the name and club nickname now decided, the next step will be finalising the design of the club's football, netball and hockey attire.

Wycheproof-Narraport is already a merged club following the amalgamation of Wycheproof and Narraport in 1964.

Before agreeing to merge in March this year there had previously been amalgamation discussions between the Demons and Nullawil in 2018-19.

During those previous discussions Nullawil was playing in the Golden Rivers league before the Maroons joined the Demons in the North Central league last year.

Wycheproof and Nullawil are 28 kms apart on the Calder. The Lions will play half their home games at Wycheproof and the other half at Nullawil, the same as what the merged Leitchville-Gunbower does in the Heathcote District league.

"The two communities are very connected," White said.

"By no means is this having a crack at all at Nullawil, but there is no pub, supermarket or school in Nullawil, so a lot of kids and families are coming to Wycheproof to go to the supermarket or have a meal at the pub and so forth.

"A lot of Nullawil kids go to school in Wycheproof as well, so the communities are very intertwined, which is why this makes a lot of sense."

The unveiling of Calder United as the name comes on the back of Wycheproof-Narraport and Nullawil last week playing each other for the first time since their merger agreement in March.

Wycheproof-Narraport won the senior game by 58 points and in what's very much a twist of irony, the two are among a logjam of four teams battling for fourth spot on the senior ladder.

"It was a fantastic day for both clubs because we are very connected as communities," White said.

"It was a really social day and when they shut the footy rooms up afterwards there were just as many young Nullawil fellas in there as Wyche, so it was a great day."

The two clubs will meet again in the final round of the home and away season on August 17.