Skip to main content

THE BARWON BULLETIN

The official noticeboard for AFL Barwon Club Officials & Volunteers.
To recieve email notifications of the Barwon Bulletin, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

EDITION 57
October 15, 2025
(LAST UPDATED - October 15, 2025)

Barwon Bulletin is returning 15 October

General Updates

Key Updates

McNamara and Jones honoured at AFL Victoria Community Football Awards

The annual AFL Victoria Community Football Awards were held on Friday night at IKON Park, to celebrate the end of another season of local footy across the state.

Australian Rules Football is driven by volunteers, coaches, umpires and administrators who are the heartbeat of the local game. Tens of thousands of people in Victoria dedicate significant time and effort towards ensuring the success of their clubs and communities.

Chris Jones and Luke McNamara were amongst the award winners for their contributions to Umpiring and Participation within the AFL Barwon region.

Vacancy | Netball Competition Coordinator

AFL Barwon are seeking an enthusiastic, and motivated person(s) to coordinate the AFL Barwon Junior Netball midweek 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 & GFNL Life Membership Nominations

We are seeking nominations from clubs for BFNL & GFNL Life Membership.

The criteria for nomination for Geelong FNL or Bellarine FNL Life Membership are that the nominee must have:

  • held the position of Football Club President, Secretary or Treasurer with 10 years accumulated service in any of the three roles. This would also include service for a continuous period in a combination of any of the three positions or
  • provided 15 years continuous service directly for either league or
  • held the position of chairperson of Netball section of a Club serving for 10 continuous years
  • and offered the service voluntarily

To nominate, please fill in the below form. 

Club Development

Get Active Kids Vouchers - Club registration

Registrations are now open for sporting clubs and organisations to become a Get Active Kids Activity Provider ahead of round 9 of the Get Active Kids Voucher Program, opening in October clubs and sporting organisations can register as a provider, which allows families to sign up their kids by used the voucher up front and reducing out-of-pocket expenses.

Important Dates

  • Round 9 applications open: 10am 15th October 2025
  • Round 9 applications close: 13 November 2025 (or earlier if the budget allocation is fully exhausted)
  • Voucher expiry date: 31 December 2025
Volunteer/Parents Engagement

The Volunteer Connect was sent to registered volunteers on the 8th of October. Click here to see some of the stories added, including eSafety Commissioner webinars and much more.

A recent study investigated the way parents are engaged in youth sport (including junior footy) and how this relates to the experience of new families at sporting clubs. Three key themes were identified: (1) Personalising the onboarding experience, (2) Thanks and recognition, and (3) Chats, Check-ins, and Consultation. Click here to read more.

Coaching

AFL Barwon/AFL Victoria are excited to present an opportunity for existing (Female) Women & Girls coaches who are eager to enhance their skills and advance in their coaching careers. Introducing the Female Coaching Academy which focuses on creating quality coaching environments, coaching at training/game and an opportunity to attend an open training session with local talent league coaches.

 Details are found below.

AFL Barwon - Women & Girls Coaching Academy

Elevate Coaching Course (Level 2)

Venue: AFLB HQ at Highton Reserve

Date: Sunday, 9 November 2025

Time: 9:30am - 4:00pm – Three workshops combined in the one day.

Cost: FREE

Grants

SRV Regional All Abilities Participation Grants

Supports grassroots sport and active recreation clubs and community-based not-for-profit organisations, to enable ongoing, sustainable, and meaningful participation for people with disability in regional Victoria.

Grant amount: up to $25,000 / category. Open: October 1 2025 / Close: 19 November 2025.

For more information - All Abilities funding

 

Local Sports infrastructure Fund

The Victorian State Government has recently announced the opening of their Local Sports Infrastructure Fund for 2025/26.

This program has 3 funding streams available for funding each with a different maximum grant amounts available.

  • Community Facilities
  • Lighting
  • Planning

    As per any Sport and Recreation Victoria Facilities grant, only LGA's are eligible to apply, with applications closing at 5pm, 2 December, 2025.

    Can I encourage you to reach out to their Local council contact to discuss any projects that fit the criteria.

    Our recommendation is that these discussions should occur sooner rather than later, as most LGA's will formalise a list to present to Sport and Recreation Victoria prior to starting any applications.

     

    SRV 2026-27 Country Football Netball Program

    The current round of SRV Country Football Netball Program is open and will close at 5pm Thursday February 26, 2026

    See the Link for more information on this State Government program (up to $250k per LGA).

    This program is available to AFL Victoria Country affiliated clubs with only LGA's are eligible to apply. Clubs are encouraged to speak to their local council contact to discuss potential projects that may be eligible for submission in either of the two available SRV funding programs.

    Club Development Contact

    Any queries regarding these articles can be directed to:

    Tim Secombe

    AFL Barwon Club Development Lead 

    0417 665 173

    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 


    Netball

    Netball Victoria

    Netball Victoria Update

    Applications for the 2025-26 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund are now open

    The 2025-2026 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSIF) offers up to $500,000 for upgrades to sports facilities across Victoria. The fund supports councils to enhance local sports grounds, courts, lighting, and more, with a focus on increasing participation, especially in women and girls.

    The fund offers three streams:
    Community facilities: Up to $500,000
    Community sports lighting: Up to $250,000
    Planning projects: Up to $40,000

    Applications open: Tuesday 2 September 2025
    Applications close: Tuesday 2 December 2025
    Outcomes: Announced in April 2026

    As this is processed through councils, we encourage early planning and submission to ensure your project meets the timeline.

     

    Regional all abilities grants now open

    Regional all abilities participation grants assist organisations to increase participation opportunities and address barriers for people with disability in regional Victoria, helping netball remain a sport for all.

    Applications close19 November 2025.

     

    Monthly Online Education Session

    Please view the recordings from the October Session

    Session 3- Child Safe practices

     

    The next session, and final for the year, will take place on Monday 10 November. Details to come.

     

    2026 Talent Academy Umpire Program
    Become an Umpire Coach with the Talent Academy Umpire program and support talented umpires as they progress towards a higher accreditation.
    Applications close Friday 24 October.

     

    Impact of Australian Government social media age restrictions

    Following the announcement of the social media age restrictions from the Federal Government, Netball Victoria is working with the government to understand what this means for our affiliates and netball communities moving forward.

    The restrictions come into effect from the Wednesday 10 December, and we hope to be able to provide some clear direction by that time.

     

    Everyone belongs in netball video

    Netball Victoria and the Melbourne Vixens have created a video to encourage the message that ‘everyone belongs’ in our sport.

    The video is available to our affiliates to download and use across social media channels, in venue or in digital newsletters.

     

    Pride in Sport survey - have your say!

    Netball Victoria is a proudly diverse and an inclusive organisation and we're inviting the netball community to have their say.

    The survey helps to inform our commitment to initiatives that promote greater inclusion of people of diverse sexuality and gender in the netball community.

    Spending 10 minutes to complete the survey will enable Netball Victoria to understand the views and experiences from everyone in the netball community.

    Survey closes Sunday 15 December.

    Junior Netball

    Midweek Junior Netball

    Uniform Reminders

    • 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 email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if this impacts you.
    • Jewellery is NOT permitted. Taping of earrings is NOT permitted.
    • Teams listed second are responsible for providing CLASH bibs. 

    Due to the Australian Diamonds game this Friday 17 October creating a high volume of forfeits, along with several team withdrawals, unfortunately a number of fixture requests could not be accommodated. 

    Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause, but we appreciate your understanding and cooperation. 

    Please also take a moment to double check the fixture and notify your teams of any potential venue and/or time changes. 

    AFL Barwon Junior Netball Representative Coach - 2026 Program

    Coaching applications for the 2026 AFL Barwon Netball Representative program are now open.

    The Bellarine and Geelong Representative Programs are an opportunity for athletes, coaches and umpires within these competitions to compete at a higher level and provide an opportunity for skills development and talent identification.

    Download Position Description

    Application Form

    Netball Umpiring

    2025-26 Summer Season Expression of Interest (Tuesdays & Fridays)

    Season starts Friday 10 October

    Must have completed the Foundation Umpires Education Course, Rules of Theory Netball Exam and participated in an AFL Barwon Beginner Training Session. 
     
    You will receive an email with further instructions to complete prior to competition starting. 
    Midweek Mentors Expression of Interest (Tuesdays & Fridays)
    We are looking for umpire mentors to assist with the development of umpires through our midweek and Saturday competitions. If you have experience in umpiring and are keen to share your knowledge to others then it would be great to hear from you.

    You will receive an email to confirm your role as a mentor at the end of September and will be required to sign a document outlining roles and expectations if you did mentor during the winter season. 

    If this sounds like you, please complete the below expression of interest.

    Resource Links

    BACK TO TOP