General Updates
Key Updates
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
Any queries regarding these articles can be directed to:
Tim Secombe
AFL Barwon Club Development Lead
0417 665 173
