AFL Victoria, in partnership with WorkSafe Victoria congratulates the 19 country football clubs who have today been announced as recipients of the 2025 WorkSafe Club Safety Fund. 
 
WorkSafe has been a proud sponsor of country footy in Victoria for over 20 years, with this partnership reminding regional and rural communities of the importance of staying safe at work.  
 
As part of this message, WorkSafe reminds communities that local football clubs are community hubs for many country towns, and remaining safe at work and at community events is crucial. 
 
Through the WorkSafe Club Safety Fund, all Victorian-based country football clubs were eligible to apply for financial assistance to make safety improvements to their facilities and to assist with occupational health and safety initiatives for players, umpires, coaches, volunteers and spectators. 
 
Clubs were required to provide evidence of the need for a grant to improve the safety of their facilities and demonstrate that an Occupational Health and Safety or Risk Management Program is being implemented. 
 
AFL Victoria congratulates the following clubs on their successful 2025 WorkSafe Club Safety Fund grant applications: 
 
•    Cardinia Tigers JFC  
•    Drysdale Football Netball Club  
•    St Albans Football & Netball Club  
•    Sandhurst Football Netball Club Inc  
•    Strathfieldsaye Football Netball Club  
•    Drouin Junior Football Club  
•    Gormandale Football Netball Club  
•    Maffra Football Netball Club  
•    Morwell Football Netball Club  
•    Mount Clear Junior Football Club Inc  
•    Goulburn Valley Giants Masters  
•    Shepparton Football Netball Club  
•    Myrtleford Football and Netball Club  
•    Frankston Rovers Junior Football Club  
•    Irymple Football Netball Club  
•    Merbein Football Netball Club  
•    Horsham Saints Football Netball Club  
•    Nhill & District Sporting Club  
•    Rupanyup Football and Netball Club 
 
Head of AFL Victoria, Greg Madigan, congratulated all clubs on taking proactive measures to improve safety for their sporting community by applying for this grant. 
 
“We know that local footy clubs are often the centre of many country towns across Victoria, a place where people spend hours of their time every week and it’s imperative that safety upgrades are made to facilities to prevent an accident from happening,” Madigan said. 
 
“The Club Safety Fund is one example of WorkSafe’s long-standing support of country football, with 19 clubs and their communities set to benefit from the latest round of this important funding program. 
  
“I thank WorkSafe for their commitment to country football and I congratulate all clubs who have successfully applied to receive funding to help generate positive outcomes for their communities.” 
 
WorkSafe Victoria CEO Ash West praised each football club that had taken the opportunity to embrace the importance of safety as a team sport.

"Every club that applied for funding has shown that safety thrives when everyone plays their part and it’s engrained in the culture, just like in footy,” he said. 

“I’d like to thank each of the 19 clubs taking steps to improve their facilities through this year’s WorkSafe Club Safety Fund, and I look forward to seeing how this support will benefit each community involved."
 
To learn more about WorkSafe and AFL Victoria’s more than two-decade partnership, CLICK HERE.

ACL injuries and how to prevent them was the topic of discussion when Epworth Geelong, Corio Bay Health Group, Pre to Play, and AFL Barwon joined forces to host an educational seminar.

Aimed at female athletes, the seminar featured a panel of speakers including Epworth orthopaedic surgeons Andrew Wilkinson and Rekha Ganeshalingam, research fellow Brooke Patterson and Corio Bay Health Group physiotherapists Adam Walters and Carly Spehar.

The event was part of the long-standing partnership between Epworth Geelong and AFL Barwon and saw around 40 attendees gather in the auditorium to learn about prevention, surgery and knee injury recovery.

With ACL injuries a hot topic at both local and professional levels of sport, the panel discussion delved into variable risk factors for knee injuries, the importance of preventative warm-ups, treatment pathways and biochemical differences between male and female athletes.

Brooke’s Prep-to-Play injury prevention program aims to understand injury rates in community football and support players in training and game preparation.

Andrew and Rekha spoke about surgery pathways, managing expectations around returning to sport, secondary ruptures and lifestyle factors that contribute to increasing the risk of sports injuries, including fatigue.

Physiotherapists at Corio Bay Health Group, Adam and Carly work with athletes post-injury. They know how devastating ACL injuries are and explained the recovery timeline is different for everyone.

If your club would like to hear from one of our partner health specialists, please get in touch via the links below:

Andrew Wilkinson

Rekha Ganeshalingam

Corio Bay Health Group

Prep-to-Play

The AFL Barwon Commission is proud to announce that the Bellarine Football Netball League Senior Football leading goalkicker award will be named in honour of Steve "Chooka" Piec.

Piec was a legendary Barwon Heads forward whose remarkable feats in front of goal left a lasting mark on the competition.

He was a dominant force in the BDFL throughout the 1970s, spearheading the Seagulls during one of its greatest eras. He won the Bellarine’s leading goalkicker four times across the club’s premiership years, booting 90 goals in 1972, 77 goals in 1973, 57 goals in 1974, and 68 goals in 1976. On the biggest stage, he consistently delivered, kicking five goals in the 1972 Grand Final, six in 1973, and four in 1974 to help secure three consecutive premierships for the Seagulls.

At club level, Piec’s consistency and skill in front of goal were unmatched. He won an extraordinary 15 consecutive goalkicking awards at Barwon Heads between 1972-1986, and he also claimed the club’s best-and-fairest in 1968 at age 17, and again 1986. His name became synonymous with the Seagulls’ golden era, and his scoring power set a benchmark that has rarely been rivalled in the league’s history.

However, Piec’s legacy goes beyond the numbers. He was a match-winner, whose impact inspired teammates, lifted his club, and entertained countless supporters across the Bellarine. His ability to rise to the occasion on Grand Final day, his consistency across more than a decade, and his role in Barwon Heads’ premiership successes have ensured he remains one of the most celebrated figures in BFNL history.

AFL Barwon is proud to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contribution of "Chooka" by naming the by naming the BFNL Senior Football leading goalkicker medal in his honour, ensuring that his legacy will live on through the achievements of the competition’s leading forwards for generations to come.

AFL Barwon is proud to announce that the Best on Ground medallist in the Bellarine Football Netball League (BFNL) Senior Football Grand Final will now receive the Josh Finch Medal, honouring one of the region’s most decorated and influential figures.

Josh Finch’s contribution to Bellarine football is unparalleled. Over a career spanning more than two decades, he claimed a record-equalling four Les Ash Medals and an incredible 11 club best and fairest awards, cementing his legacy as one of the competition’s all-time greats.

The 38-year-old is also Modewarre’s all-time games record holder, having played 336 senior games - a milestone he reached earlier this season in Round 7 against Barwon Heads, surpassing the previous record held by Paul Meesen.

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Renowned for his competitive spirit, work ethic, and skill level, Finch was a regular fixture in both Team of the Year and interleague selections throughout his playing days.

His impact extended well beyond his on-field achievements. He captained Modewarre from 2008 to 2015 and famously coached the Warriors to BFNL premiership glory in 2018.

AFL Barwon is honoured to recognise Josh Finch’s enduring legacy by naming the BFNL Senior Football Grand Final’s Best on Ground award in his name.

The Josh Finch Medal will be presented for the first time at the 2025 BFNL Senior Football Grand Final, to be held on Saturday, 13 September.