AFL Riverina operations manager Shane Buchanan
AFL Riverina has agreed to combine the Farrer and Riverina football league under 17 competitions for next season.
As of next year, a separate under 17 competition will be run that loosely follows both the RFL and Farrer senior competitions.
The AFL Riverina board met for four-and-a-half hours before voting to merge the two fixtures in a bid to save the ailing Farrer League junior system.
"I guess it wasn't a difficult decision for the board in the end ... they saw it as a very positive decision," AFL Riverina operations manager Shane Buchanan said.
The Farrer League this year dropped to a four-team under 17 competition when five clubs failed to get a junior team on the paddock to play.
Mangoplah-Cookardinia United- Eastlakes were called on to field a second team just to ensure a competition would be played and the Goannas ended up playing the grand final.
Only North Wagga, Coleambally and Temora were left fielding a team in the competition by the end of the season as the other five clubs scrapped to make up numbers.
AFL Riverina employed the help of an independent review committee chaired by AFL legend Paul Kelly to urgently look into the Farrer League juniors and find a solution.
The committee spent the past month meeting with clubs from both leagues and handed its findings into AFL Riverina last week.
An AFL Riverina press release confirmed it will adopt the suggestions made by the committee the main suggestion being the merging of the competitions.
AFL Riverina will now sit down to devise a draw for next season but it has confirmed it will introduce a "showcase" draw which will include a round one "triple header" and a midweek doubleheader under lights with shortened game time.
The inaugural season will be monitored by the review committee and any necessary changes made for 2014 and future seasons.
AFL Riverina believes the benefits will include a measure for player recruitment and retention and the chance for clubs to decide prior to each season whether or not they can field a junior team.