The Central Highlands Football League is considering an approach from a club about the possibility of it becoming the competition's 18th team next season.
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Maryborough Football Netball Club has lodged an expression of interest with the CHFL on the possibility of joining in 2025.
The Maryborough Magpies are looking into leaving the Bendigo league, with the CHFL among destinations it is investigating as a possible future home.
The CHFL has comprised of 17 clubs since Smythesdale left and ultimately disbanded at the end of 2018.
CHFL president Doug Hobson said Maryborough had initially made an informal approach to himself - outlining its status and what options it believed were open to it.
He said this had been followed by an expression of interest as part of the club's process of feeling out the thoughts of possible destinations.
Hobson said Maryborough had stated in the correspondence that its preference was to join the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football League, but all options were being investigated.
He said the CHFL board was in the process of canvassing all 17 clubs for their views on the possibility of adding Maryborough to the competition.
Hobson said the feedback would determine what direction the process would take - including further investigations by either party.
He said ultimately the addition of an 18th club would need the formal support of a majority of clubs.
The CHFL was a 14-team competition until 2010, after which Skipton, Carngham-Linton, Rokewood-Corindhap and Smythesdale joined as a result of the Lexton Plains league being disbanded.
Maryborough confirmed in May that this season might be its last in the Bendigo league.
The Magpies joined the competition in 1992 after leaving the Ballarat Football League, where it had played continually since 1946
They won premierships in 1998 and 1999, but have struggled for the past decade, being winless in four seasons and finishing on the bottom five times.
Maryborough is yet to win this season and has a percentage of 14.77.
It has not fielded a reserves team since round two, but does have an under-18 team.
The township of Maryborough already has a presence in the MCDFNL, with the Maryborough Giants becoming a new entity this season with the merger of Maryborough Rovers and Royal Park.
