Please note that the AFL Barwon Office will be closed from 1pm Friday December 19 until Monday January 12th.
The next edition of the Barwon Bulletin will be January 21st.
It will return to a weekly content cycle from February 11th.
If you would like to be added to the distribution list, please contact
AFL Barwon is seeking the 2026 Club contacts from all Bellarine FNL, Geelong FNL, Geelong & District FNL, Colac & District FNL, and Female and Junior Only clubs.
We are keen to ensure that we are correctly communicating with the right people at club’s so that any important information is getting through, including the Barwon Bulletin.
It is noted that some positions may not be filled yet however, clubs can resubmit the form multiple times for any specific position and do not have to enter all club positions each time.
We would appreciate if all information relevant to your club, was submitted by COB February 1st.
The form link can be found below.
If you have any issues with this form, please don't hesitate to contact Sean Atkinson (
In the lead up to the 2026 season, we’d like to remind all new and returning coaches of the following key requirements:
✔ All coaches must be registered in CoachAFL for the 2026 season.
✔ Mandatory online modules must be completed before coaching begins (minimum accreditation requirements will be shown upon login).
Further information on registering, accessing modules, or updating accreditation can be found HERE we encourage you to ensure your CoachAFL profile is active and up to date.
AFL Barwon are pleased to invite (Foundation - Level 1 coaches) to the AFL Victoria Elevate Coaching Practices Program (formerly the Level 2 Coaching Course), designed to support coaches at youth level and above wanting to further develop their coaching capability and deepen their understanding of modern coaching methods.
The program will be held at:
📍 AFL Barwon Headquarters
204 Roslyn Road, Highton, Geelong.
🗓 Sunday 8 February 2026
⏰ 9:30am – 4:00pm
This workshop will provide practical learning opportunities, modern coaching methodology, and development aligned to the evolving needs of community football. Whether you’re continuing your coaching journey or stepping into a new age group or role, this is a valuable professional development opportunity.
To enrol in this wonderful free coach development opportunity please click this LINK noting that only those who are registered coaches in 2025 or 2026 are able to login and enrol to this elevate coaching course.
Please refer any queries to:
Tim Secombe
AFL Barwon
Club Development Lead
Saturday 28 February and Sunday 1 March
Designed to elevate your coaching skills and knowledge. Whether you're an experienced coach or just starting out, this forum is the perfect chance to hear from some of the best in the industry.
You will hear from AFL level coaches and industry experts in coaching related fields, such as Coaching Women and Girls, Skill Acquisition, Culture and Leadership as well as Game Plan and strategy among many other great opportunities for coaches, don’t miss it.
Further Information including the forum schedule and how to register found below
The AFL Victoria Handbook stipulates that Player Transfer Requests may be lodged between 12:01am (AEST) on 1 November and 11:59pm (AEST) 30 November in the calendar year preceding the relevant season, or between 12:01am (AEST) on 1 February and 11:59pm (AEST) 30 June in the calendar year of the relevant season.
Just a reminder that football registrations opened on the 01/11/2025. Just some reminders in relation to Play HQ registrations.
Clubs are asked to ensure that their registration forms are set up on Play HQ and to remind all players to complete their Play HQ registrations when the time is right.
In addition, please ensure that you are making your registration form visible, understanding some clubs will hide their registration form if you are, for example, at capacity or offering registration initially to previous participants before making it visible.
Rego fee set >$0.
To support this dedicated competition and clubs in fielding a side, AFL Victoria are offering funding incentives to support the start up of these teams, please see attached flyer for more information.
We are seeking expressions of interest from clubs who may be interested in fielding an Under 9 Girls team in 2026.
To assist our planning, please provide complete the below form and submit accordingly.
Please submit your response by 12th December so we can finalise competition modelling and share further details with clubs.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity further, feel free to reach out to
All new Umpires League and Club aligned will be required to create an OHQ Account and an AFL ID linked, simply follow the prompts and email verifications sent to you.
(If you already have an AFL ID (player or football coach), ensure you use the same email used for AFL ID when creating a new OHQ account and if creating a new AFL ID that you use the same email as your OHQ account)
All new umpires will need to complete the AFL Umpire Foundation Course before you can be formally appointed to any match. You can complete this via OHQ and “Connected Accounts” see the resource page and video How to Access Umpire Courses
For enquiries about becoming an umpire
Here are some 2026 Umpire induction videos for you to see
These are also available on the AFL Barwon Website where you will find more information about umpiring in the AFL Barwon Region.
All person’s aged 18 or over who umpire either as a league or club aligned umpire, will need to have a current and valid WWC (VIC) – Volunteer or legislated exemption in 2026.
Please update your WWC profile adding AFL Barwon as an Organisation, if not already done so.
Please use the AFL Barwon Practice Match Umpire Booking form to request umpires for any upcoming practice matches.
Visit here and select form under Umpire Forms
Request will be pending umpire availability
The AFL Barwon Netball team will be taking a break from the 19th of December, returning on the 12th of January. We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday period, and look forward to welcoming you all back in the new year.
Geelong United Basketball and AFL Barwon have teamed up for season 2 of the Geelong Barwon Netball Summer Cup!
This senior women’s competition will showcase the skill and athleticism of netballers from across our great region.
Competition Details:
Teams will need to provide:
Register now to be part of season 2.
To ensure you can stay on top of transfers (as they will auto approve after 7 days), please ensure someone within your club is signed up to transfer notifications.
To assign an email address to transfer notifications:
Woolworths NetSetGo 2026 centre registration and expression of interest form
Woolworths NetSetGo is the official introductory netball program where a lifelong love of netball begins.
Whether you are a current or new centre, please complete the form to express your interest or register as a Woolworths NetSetGo centre for 2026.
You will receive all the tools you need to help run a centre.
Clubs are now able to set up their 2026 season Netball Connect forms for players to purchase their Netball Victoria Membership (insurance). Clubs will need to log into Netball Connect, and visit the registration module, to create their club specific link. Clubs who are commencing training should ensure players purchase their NVM to ensure coverage for any injuries should they occur.
All Clubs have also been invited to ‘Winter 2026’ on PlayHQ. You should see an invitations tab at the top of your competition management screen for you to accept.
Once this is accepted, you are welcome to set up your registration form and begin taking registrations.
Due to the change in set up, transfers will now ONLY trigger between Winter seasons, reducing some of the confusion we have previously seen. Players are able to play at different clubs across Summer without the need for transfer, but are a requirement and enforceable by-law between Winter seasons.
With registrations opening, please ensure you have email notifications on to monitor out-going clearances. Only one transfer is permitted per player, per season, as per AFL Barwon by-laws.
Turning on Transfer Notifications
To ensure you can stay on top of transfers (as they will auto approve after 7 days), please ensure someone within your club is signed up to transfer notifications.
To assign an email address to transfer notifications:
Enter the email address you wish to use, and ensure you toggle ‘transfers’ on.
AFL Barwon will be introducing a 9&Under Netball Competition for Tuesday evenings, commencing in Winter 2026. This new age group will run alongside the existing 11&U competition.
The 9&Under Competition is designed to bridge the gap between NetSetGo and 11&U, while also offering a more suitable competition for participants who may have transitioned into 11&U earlier than ideal.
An implementation plan will be developed and shared with clubs in due course. This will outline key details including ball size (Size 4), modified rules, and coaching and umpiring considerations.
Please be reminded that all clubs must be in their registered uniform. Teams not wearing their registered club uniform must seek approval from AFL Barwon for this to occur.
Please ensure your teams are in correct uniform including:
A reminder that our midweek competitions are a learning environment. With the grading period concluding, it is a timely reminder that our umpires are people, and that comments from benches and spectators are not required. Please continue to be supportive of our up and coming umpires, who are such a vital part of our game.
Jewellery is NOT permitted.
Taping of earrings is NOT permitted – please be kind to our umpires and mentors who are enforcing this.
Our Mid-week Summer Competition has now concluded for the year. Please see below for competition return dates:
Thank you to all teams, players, coaches, volunteers and officials for their efforts so far. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe New Year.
As we prepare for the 2026 season, Loco would like to provide an update on timelines for ordering new playing jumpers, dresses, playing shorts, and other garments.
In 2026, Chinese New Year falls in mid-February, an occurrence that happens only once every ten years. During this period, our manufacturing partners will close for approximately two weeks, which will place added pressure on production and delivery schedules leading into the season.
To ensure all required apparel is delivered ahead of Round 1, we kindly ask that any retail or on-field orders for 2026are submitted before the end of this year, or no later than the end of January 2026.
This will help Loco guarantee timelines and have your items ready in plenty of time for the season start.
Our Official Partner Beyond Bank are all about celebrating the community spirit of sport.
To kick off the summer, they’re giving you a chance to win a $500 Rebel Sport voucher.
To enter:
Entrants must be 18 or over. Entries close 11:59pm 28 February 2026. For full competition T&Cs, bit.ly/4oZvHZz
What is a Banking Review?
A free, no-obligation chat with Beyond Bank’s friendly Geelong team, who can help you:
Book your Banking Review
Contact Beyond Bank’s Geelong Community Development Manager Cameron Murnane.
Email:
Mobile: 0413 938 268
Meet the bank backing your club.
Beyond Bank are one of Australia’s largest, 100% member-owned mutual banks. They do all the classic bank stuff — like savings accounts, home loans, and car loans — but invest their profits in things that matter to you, like competitive rates, local customer service, and support for community groups.
When you choose Beyond Bank for your everyday banking or lending, you’re choosing a bank that genuinely cares about AFL and Netball in Geelong.