Steelworks job losses create uncertain future for Whyalla's football clubs

Key points

• Whyalla's football clubs are worried about their future as steelworks job losses reduce the local population. The state government said the blast furnace would not restart, cutting the plant's direct workforce from 1,700 to 1,200.
• Roopena Football Club president Robert Brereton said every club expects player shortages and struggles to find volunteers. Greg Flanegan of North Whyalla Football Club said the league may need to shrink from six clubs to four or five.
• Brereton said the town's sporting future may become clearer once a buyer for the steelworks is announced.