Thanks to Marathon Foods, we are proud to support clubs in reducing barriers to participation in community sport.

Four (4) clubs will each receive $2,000 to assist with junior registration relief, helping ensure young players can stay involved in the game despite financial pressures.

We know how important sport is for connection, wellbeing, and community — this initiative is designed to quietly support those who need it most.

All nominations and submitted information will remain strictly confidential, with support to be administered privately through successful clubs.

Key Information

• Funding available: 4 clubs x $2,000
• Purpose: Junior registration relief (and essential support where required)
• Applications close: 5:00pm, Friday 24th April
• One application per AFL Barwon Football Netball Club and must be completed by club official.
• The nomination link has been provided to club officials.

For further information or guidance, please contact AFL Barwon Commercial Partnerships and Communications Manager, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Dulux Colour Your Club initiative is back for 2026, giving grassroots sporting clubs across Victoria another chance to refresh their facilities and bring new life to their community spaces.

Local clubs are invited to nominate for the opportunity to win a Dulux paint makeover.

To enter, simply tell us in 100 words or less why your club deserves a makeover, and don’t forget to include photos or videos to support your submission.

The winning club will receive $4,000 worth of Dulux paint, along with up to $500 in tools and accessories to help bring the transformation to life. To make the day even more special, a Geelong Cats player and the iconic Dulux dog will be on hand to lend their support.

All it takes is a passionate group of volunteers ready to roll up their sleeves and get involved.

Supporting Grassroots Football

At the heart of the partnership, the Dulux Colour Your Club program continues to support grassroots football across Victoria. Beyond the major prize, clubs can also apply for paint donations, with Dulux providing up to 100 litres of paint to help refresh and protect club facilities.

Since launching in 2024, the initiative has already made a significant impact. Together, the Geelong Cats and Dulux have supported more than 100 grassroots sports clubs, contributing over $190,000 worth of paint to upgrade clubrooms, changerooms and shared community spaces.

Clubs already benefiting from the program include Portarlington Football Netball Club, which revitalised its facilities ahead of its 150th celebrations, Grovedale Football Netball Club and Western Eagles Football Club, who welcomed vibrant new changerooms for their players, members and volunteers.

Get Involved

Don’t miss your chance to transform your local club. Rally your community, submit your nomination and be part of the 2026 Dulux Colour Your Club program.

The chance of a lifetime for local footballer's courtesy of the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust All-Abilities football showcase.

By Ben Andonoudis

For many participants, the AFL Barwon All-abilities football showcase will mark their first experience of organised sport, played on the same ground where their idols competed just days earlier at GMHBA Stadium.

The exhilaration of tracing the footsteps of names like Bailey Smith, Jeremy Cameron and Tom Stewart is one that players and families have been eagerly anticipating.

Five years ago, opportunities were limited.

Now, the All-Abilities competition is firmly established in Geelong and players can run out at an AFL venue.

Having been a part of the league since its inception in 2023, St Joseph’s has seen the league’s showcase event provide a rare and meaningful opportunity for players.

For St Joseph’s All-Abilities football coordinator Nigel Brown, the chance for his players to be out on the hallowed turf of GMHBA Stadium is difficult to overstate.

Brown said the opportunity has left some players in, “total disbelief that they’ll get the chance to be able to play on their childhood hero’s ground.”

“They just talk about it all year round, he continued. "Parents get really excited about it."

This year sees the league introduce an exciting step forward with a non-contact division for the first time, providing more opportunities for a broader range of participants. 

Newcomb coach Graeme Boyd is a keen supporter of the non-contact division and felt it was much needed.

"We only noticed in the last two years that we have more and more players that needed to wear the (non-contact) vest," Boyd said.

“Once the season gets underway, parents and carers will see this as a safer approach”

The growth of the competition is also reflected in its expanding club base, with Newtown & Chilwell making their debut this year.

Eagles mentor and life member Nathan Braddock said the excitement around the club is building ahead of their first match.

Braddock said the response from the club community had been overwhelmingly positive, with strong attendance at a recent intra-club highlighting the excitement around the team’s debut.

"(The club) absolutely loves watching the boys go about their business, the smiles, the celebrations," he said.

It’s not just the players who have benefited, with Braddock also highlighting the personal fulfilment he has gained from the program.

“It’s been really exciting to make that dream a reality and to have these boys and these families come into our club and not only us teach them about football, but them teach us a lot about things as well."

Above all else, for Bell Park’s All-abilities coach Brett Campigli, it’s the people involved in the program that stand out for him - praising the "terrific, incredible people."

For Campigli, being a part of a footy club is “a great part of life...regardless of your ability, if you belong to a footy club and play a game, even better.”

At its core, the All-Abilities program is about more than football, it’s about connection, confidence, and ensuring everyone has a place within a club environment.

The AFL Barwon All-abilities football showcase will be held at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday, with matches from 2:30pm.

For the full fixture, CLICK HERE.

The showcase is supported by the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust.