In response to valuable and constructive feedback from our club Presidents, we’re making a small but impactful change — the Barwon Bulletin will now be released every Wednesday, starting next week.

This shift is designed to better align with club operations, provide more timely updates ahead of the weekend, and ensure key information lands when it’s most useful. We thank our clubs for their input and look forward to continuing to strengthen communication across our region.

With TAC Road Safety Round taking place across the weekend of July 26–27, AFL Barwon is gearing up to support this important community initiative, and we’re calling on all clubs to get behind it.

Club merchandise packs, including TAC Band Together blue armbands, posters and booklets, have been distributed and should arrive early this week (if not already). Clubs can now collect these from AFL Barwon.

Clubs can also access bonus armband rolls for urgent activity, early promotion, or media opportunities. Please direct requests to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A digital stakeholder pack to help clubs with messaging can be foound below.

Make sure to tag @TACVictoria, @AFLVictoria, and use #tacbandtogether when sharing any content.

For general club questions, please direct them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Let’s band together and make a visible impact across the Barwon region.

The AFL has today launched a new feature in PlayHQ to help leagues, clubs, players and families manage concussion across community football. 

Following extensive consultation with leagues and clubs, the feature is now live nationally and allows clubs and leagues to enter suspected concussions for players, making them immediately ineligible for selection and triggering email notifications outlining the steps they need to complete to manage their safe return to play.

Players, or their parent/guardian, will need to successfully complete the clearance process by making declarations through their PlayHQ profile to reactivate their selection eligibility, which includes:

• Players who suffer a concussion – must declare that it is at least 21 days since the concussion, and they have completed all the return to play requirements.
• Players who did not suffer a concussion – must declare that a doctor has cleared them of suffering a concussion. In these situations, a club administrator, via PlayHQ, must confirm they have sighted the medical clearance before the player is eligible for selection.

In 2024, the AFL introduced a new policy that states all players who suffer a concussion must sit out a minimum of 21 days before returning to play, which applies to all levels of Australian Rules Football below the elite AFL and AFLW competitions.

The new functionality is a key initiative under the AFL’s Strategic Plan for Sport-Related Concussion in Australian Football and follows the release of the AFL PLAY Concussion Hub, which was launched on the AFL Play website in April.

Home to all AFL community concussion resources, the AFL PLAY Concussion Hub has translated policies and community guidelines into simplified, engaging and easy to understand content, empowering everyone in local footy with the knowledge and tools they need to recognise, respond to, and manage concussion.

As part of the new functionality in PlayHQ, if a player is suspected of suffering a concussion, they or their parent/guardian are automatically directed to the AFL PLAY Concussion Hub via email communication, which contains information to help support and educate.

Since its launch in April, there has been a nearly 200 per cent increase in people visiting the Hub webpage, with participants finding the resources or information they need more efficiently.

AFL Executive General Manager of Game Development Rob Auld said this new feature in PlayHQ was designed to make the game safer for local footballers.

“On behalf of the AFL, I’m proud to release this new functionality in PlayHQ, which will help clubs, leagues, players and parents manage concussion incidents in local football and support the health and wellbeing of participants,” Auld said.

“While we don’t want concussions to occur, we know like all contact sports, accidents will happen from time to time, so when they do, it is imperative we have the right processes and tools in place for the local footy community to manage players’ safe return to the field.

“This initiative comes off the back of the AFL PLAY Concussion Hub, which is another big piece of work that sits under the AFL’s Strategic Plan for Sport-Related Concussion in Australian Football.

“We strongly encourage all clubs and leagues to utilise this new feature that’s now live and available in PlayHQ, as well as access the AFL PLAY Concussion Hub for support, resources and educational guidelines.”

AFL Chief Medical Officer Michael Makdissi said the update to PlayHQ, coupled with the AFL PLAY Concussion Hub, will promote safe return to play steps for participants.

"The AFL PLAY Concussion Hub is a valuable resource for the football community that offers simple, comprehensive, and up-to-date information on concussion in sport. It helps players, parents, coaches, and trainers understand the key steps needed to optimise recovery.

"The update to PlayHQ is also exciting, as it will assist players in following the community concussion guidelines and promote a safe return to play.”

Tim MacKinnon, Chief Executive Officer of PlayHQ said that the new online automated system puts player safety first.

“PlayHQ's concussion management feature automates the protocols that keep players safe while removing the administrative burden from volunteers. The moment a concussion is suspected, the system takes over – managing the minimum 21-day recovery period, tracking clearances, and ensuring no player returns until they’re genuinely ready. Technology can improve safety and transform a fragmented, paper-based process into an automated system with player safety at its core."

We’re excited to invite our community to an upcoming ACL Prevention and Education Seminar, aimed at delivering practical tools and expert knowledge on reducing the risk of ACL injuries.

This free event is proudly supported by our Premier Partner Epworth Geelong, Major Partner Corio Bay Health Group, and the AFL-endorsed Prep to Play program.

📅 Monday, July 21st
🕕 6:00pm start
📍 Epworth Geelong

With increasing interest in this space, particularly within our female football and netball communities, this session is ideal for athletes, coaches, and officials alike. We encourage clubs to share this opportunity widely with players, parents, and support staff.

Let’s work together to keep our participants healthy, active, and performing at their best. 

We are seeking a creative, enthusiastic and motivated person to manage all operational and strategic facets of Football in the AFL Barwon Region.

The Football Operations Lead is responsible for the delivery, management and oversight of all football competitions and football operations across the AFL Barwon region. This role is a key driver of competition integrity, planning, stakeholder relationships and the successful coordination of regular season and finals competitions.

The Netball Competition Coordinator is primarily responsible for managing and coordinating all onsite venue requirements for the AFL Barwon Junior Netball midweek competitions. The AFL Barwon Junior Netball competitions are run across Tuesday and Friday evenings at multiple venues. 

The successful applicant will be responsible for liaising with key stakeholders, clubs, netball umpires, AFL Barwon staff and other valuable groups present at our midweek competitions.

BFNL

Senior Football

19/7/25 - Drysdale vs Geelong Amateur - 2:10pm

A Grade Netball

19/7/25 - Queenscliff vs Newcomb - 12:30pm

GFNL

Senior Football

19/7/25 - St Joseph's vs St Mary's - 2:10pm

A Grade Netball

19/7/25 - Grovedale vs Lara - 11:50am

CDFNL

Senior Football

19/7/25 - Alvie vs South Colac - 2:15pm

The Real MVP – Marathon Foods Volunteer Program recognises and rewards the unsung heroes who make community football and netball possible.

This initiative honours the volunteers who represent the heart and soul of their clubs — the ones who go above and beyond to keep things running behind the scenes.

Connect your child’s passion with their education and complete Years 11 & 12 at SEDA College. SEDA College is an Independent Senior secondary school and our model places student interest at the forefront of their Senior Secondary education, alongside a practical connection to the sport & recreation industry.

We are currently following up on a few outstanding submissions to for this year’s award across all Senior Male and Female Football, and A Grade Netball competitions.

To maintain the integrity of the results and ensure players across all clubs are recognised appropriately, we kindly remind all coaches to submit their votes if they haven't already.

These votes provide a valuable opportunity for coaches to acknowledge standout performances, both from within their own teams and from the opposition.

At this stage, we are holding off on publicly releasing the leaderboards to ensure all data is complete and accurate.

If you have any questions or require assistance with submitting your votes, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

Registrations Are Now Open! Serenity in the Stadium 2025 is back-bigger, brighter, and more mindful than ever.
Join us at GMHBA Stadium 8am on Sunday 19 October for a powerful morning of yoga, connection, and community. Whether you're a seasoned yogi or just starting out, this event is about moving your body, calming your mind, and celebrating wellbeing in a space that brings us together.
Early bird tickets are on sale on the link below