tion: Coughlin Park WFL option: Anzac Park FOOTBALL leaders have ruled out Horsham City Oval as the venue for both the Wimmera and Horsham District football league grand finals.

Reasons for the decision are that the netball courts are not safe to play on, and the oval surface has deteriorated because of its substantial workload during the season.

Ararat's Alexandra Oval looms as the ground most likely to host the Wimmera league decider, while last year's venue Anzac Park at Warracknabeal and Stawell's Central Park are also in the mix.

Horsham Saints' home ground Coughlin Park and Stawell's Central Park are the front runners to host the district league grand final.

District league chairman Grant Kuchel said the city oval would not have been considered even if the netball courts had been repaired.

"The centre corridor at the city oval is barren," Kuchel said. "I don't think we would have been able to play on it, even if the netball courts were right.

"It has just had too much traffic on it."

Horsham Rural City councillor Gary Bird said the city oval would be greatly redeveloped in coming years.

"Our hands are tied in regard to the netball courts," Bird said. "We have a state of the art court planned, funded and ready to go. But we have to have six consecutive days of 26-degree temperatures before we can begin work. So we will have to wait until the weather gets better."

Cr Bird also said council would address the overloaded schedule of matches on the city oval before next season.

Kuchel said he expected the district league to choose between Coughlin Park and Central Park as possible grand final venues.

"We would ideally want to keep it in a central place like Horsham so people don't have to travel so far," Kuchel said. "But we will have to look at the costings and other considerations like facilities at a meeting on Thursday. "We hope to make a decision then."