AFL Barwon celebrated and recognised this year's most influential Football and Netball leaders at the 2025 Community Awards on Wednesday evening.

The Community Awards are a true celebration of coaches, administrators, umpires, trainers and club volunteers who are the lifeblood of local sporting clubs throughout the region.

The nominations for all awards categories were exceptional, with all shortlisted nominees and award winners providing a great reflection of the strength and high-quality people that are within our community.

We would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s AFL Barwon Community Awards.

Ian McTaggart Club of the Year

South Barwon

Social Media & Communications Club of the Year

South Barwon

Leisure Networks Inclusive Club of the Year

St Joseph's

John Edsall Award (Outstanding Service to Administration)

Kevin Dalton (Newtown & Chilwell)

Leon Schram Football Administrator of the Year

Luke McNamara (Armstrong Creek)

Junior Netball Administrator of the Year

Emma Zahl (Portarlington)

Senior Football Administrator of the Year

Jessica Duke (Newcomb)

Senior Netball Administrator of the Year

Kelly McCarthy (Grovedale)

Personality of the Year

Steve Hynes

Peter Burke Award (Senior Football Coach of the Year)

Heath Jamieson (Queenscliff)

Joy Grubb Award (Senior Netball Coach of the Year)

Leah Wilson (Drysdale)

Rookie Me Female Football Coach of the Year

Claire Moody (South Barwon)

Rookie Me Youth Football Coach of the Year

Jason Bonacci (Ocean Grove)

Youth Netball Coach of the Year

Shania Ritchie & Chelsea Dawson (Newcomb)

Inclusive Coach of the Year

Brett Campigli (Bell Park)

Junior Netball Coach of the Year

Scarlett Birrell (Queenscliff)

Junior Football Coach of the Year

Wayne Barrett (Surf Coast Suns)

Auskick Coordinator of the Year

Ebony Storrar (St Albans)

Net Set Go Coach of the Year

 Imogen Brooks (Modewarre)

Corio Bay Health Group Trainer of the Year

Matthew Hart (Portarlington)

Football Umpire of the Year 

Chris Jones

Football Best First Year Umpire

Jess Heath

Football Rising Star Umpire

Jack Tingiri

Netball Umpire of the Year 

Chloe Scott

Netball Best First Year Umpire

Ava Verhagen

Netball Rising Star Umpire

Tylah Paech

Hamlan Hanger of the Year   

Hamish Shepheard (Geelong Amateur)

Geelong Homes Goal of the Year

Jack Sarcevic (Bell Park)

AFL Barwon is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Naylor as our new Head of Football.

Sarah joins the organisation with extensive experience across both industry and community sport. She has most recently worked as a Business Planning Analyst with Carbon Revolution and holds a Bachelor of Commerce/Sports Management from Curtin University.

Sarah brings significant football leadership experience to the role. She previously served as Chairperson and General Manager of Football at the Geelong West Giants for five years, contributing to substantial growth across both club operations and on-field programs. Earlier this year, Sarah joined the AFL Barwon Commission, providing her with deep insight into the region’s football structure, participation landscape, and strategic priorities. She will formally resign from the Commission to take up the new position.

The appointment follows an extensive recruitment process that attracted a high calibre of candidates.

“I am incredibly honoured to take on the role of Head of Football at AFL Barwon,” Sarah said. “Community football plays such a vital role in the fabric of our region, and I am passionate about ensuring that all levels of the game continue to thrive. Having worked in club and Commission settings, I’ve seen firsthand the opportunities and potential within our leagues, and I am excited to contribute to the continued growth and success of football across the Barwon region.”

AFL Barwon Chair Michelle Gerdtz welcomed the appointment and highlighted the strengths Sarah brings to the organisation.

“Sarah’s appointment is an outstanding result for AFL Barwon and the football community,” Gerdtz said. “Her experience across industry and community sport, coupled with her leadership at club and Commission level, made her a standout candidate. Sarah’s strategic capability, knowledge of the game, and passion for supporting clubs will be invaluable as we continue to build a strong future for football in our region.”

Gerdtz also acknowledged Sarah’s service to the AFL Barwon Commission.

“We thank Sarah for her contribution to the Commission and are delighted that she will continue her involvement with the organisation in this new capacity. Her insight and experience ensure a seamless transition into the Head of Football role.”

Sarah will work closely with AFL Barwon staff, clubs, leagues, and stakeholders to support football development, competition management, participation pathways, and strategic growth across the region.

Sarah will officially commence in the role on Monday, 15 December.

AFL Barwon advises all affiliated clubs and stakeholders of the confirmed dates and meeting details for the upcoming Annual General Meetings.

Bellarine Football Netball League (BFNL) & Geelong Football Netball League (GFNL) AGM's

AGM Date: Wednesday, 26 November 2025

Venue: Virtual Only and can be accessed via the below links. 

• Geelong FNL – 6.00pm - Meeting link

• Bellarine FNL – 6.30pm - Meeting link 

AFL Barwon AGM

Date: Wednesday, 25 February 2026

Venue: Buckleys Entertainment Centre

AFL Barwon & AFL Victoria today announced a significant governance reform and AFL Barwon organisational restructure designed to strengthen alignment between community football and netball competitions within the Barwon region.

The reform of football’s governance structure follows more than a decade of evolution in the way community football and netball are administered across regional Victoria.

Regional Administration Centres (RACs) were first introduced in response to the 2011 Peter Jackson Report, which recommended consolidating local league administration, umpiring, and game development into unified regional models. While the approach achieved varying degrees of success across Victoria, it became clear that this structure  was increasingly difficult to sustain, especially given significant growth across both football and netball competitions in the Barwon region. The AFL Barwon Commission, AFL Victoria and Netball Victoria have been in constant dialogue regarding possible changes for the past 12 months.

In recent years, AFL Victoria has increased its focus toward participation growth, game development, and community engagement, recognising RAC models — centred on consolidated administration — may no longer be the most effective framework for delivery of these priorities, as well as increasingly complex football and netball league operations and locally focused strategic initiatives.

The governance reform reflects this new direction. It aims to establish clearer responsibilities between AFL Victoria’s strategic governance role and local operations of Leagues,  ensuring that football and netball in the region remains strong, sustainable, and community-led.

This new structure will provide greater clarity of roles, strengthen local league connections, and maintain a regional focus where the sports of football and netball can thrive.

A name for the new local entity is still being finalised.

Appointment of a Chief Executive Officer

As part of this transition, the recruitment  of the first Chief Executive Officer to manage League functions and a newly created position, will lead the reformed organisation into its next phase of growth and development of Leagues and competitions.

Recruitment for the role commences immediately, with the successful candidate to begin in January 2026.

Reporting directly to the newly constituted Board, the CEO will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight across football and netball programs in driving governance excellence, community engagement, and financial sustainability.

This appointment reflects a commitment to strengthening independent operations and enhancing support for leagues, clubs, and volunteers.

Realignment of the Region Manager Role

The AFL Victoria Region Manager position for Barwon will transition to align with the AFL Victoria governance and priorities. Lisa Patterson will continue in this role.

The Region Manager will lead regional governance and strategic alignment under AFL Victoria, working collaboratively with Barwon Leagues to drive participation and game development and deliver regional planning, facilities, and development initiatives.

This realignment ensures a clear separation of League operations and competition management and strategic governance, leadership and growth (led by the AFL Victoria Region Manager), reinforcing transparency and consistency across the Barwon region.

Continued Regional Operations

The newly constituted body (name to be confirmed) will ensure regional governance and leadership responsibilities of Leagues will align closely with AFL Victoria, and will continue to operate with a strong regional operational focus.

The organisation will remain responsible for the delivery and management of Bellarine FNL and Geelong FNL and key regional competitions including:

• Female Football,
• Junior Football, and
• Midweek Netball.
• All Abilities Football and Netball
• Football Umpiring

It will also continue to provide administrative and operational support to the Geelong & District Football Netball League (GDFNL) and the Colac & District Football Netball League (CDFNL) through existing service agreements.

This ensures continued consistency in competition delivery, tribunal processes, and operational standards across the region’s football and netball landscape.

Proposed Constitutional Amendments

To support these changes, constitutional amendments for member consideration will be brought forward at its next Annual General Meeting, to be held in February 2026. 

Proposed amendments include but not limited to:

• Removal of Regional Governance clauses
• Inclusion of clauses to establish League operational functions
• Formal inclusion of the Geelong FNL and Bellarine FNL Chairs as members of the AFL Barwon Commission.
• Replacement of the “Regional General Manager” title with “Chief Executive Officer”; and
• Update of the organisation’s trading name to reflect the football and netball focus and removal of AFL and Barwon branding.

These changes are designed to modernise and strengthen  the regions governance, operations, league connections, and collaboration across the region’s football and netball network.

Transition Period

A 12-month transition period will be implemented to ensure a smooth and coordinated change process.
During this period, consultation with key stakeholders — including leagues, clubs, umpires, and partners will remain a top priority.

Next Steps

Town Hall Meeting

Thursday 4 December 2025 – Time and venue TBC

AFL Barwon Commission and AFL Victoria staff in attendance to talk the structure further and answer any questions.

Further updates on governance outcomes and appointments will be communicated in early 2026, following the completion of the recruitment process and constitutional review.