The flagship national event for footballers with an intellectual impairment and wheelchair players will be held in Bundoora.
The AFL announced that the 2025 AFL Open will be held at La Trobe University Sports Precinct in Bundoora from October 27-30.
The sports precinct boasts world-class facilities, including an elite AFL oval and six multi-purpose indoor courts which will be transformed for wheelchair footy.
The flagship national event for footballers with an intellectual impairment and wheelchair players will see each state and territory represented, going head-to-head and battling it out to be crowned champions in, wheelchair and inclusion events.
This year marks the second instalment of the AFL Open after the inaugural event was hosted in Queensland last year, with Tasmania taking home the Inclusion title and Vic Metro claiming the silverware for the Wheelchair division.
Previously held across two events known as the AFL National Inclusion Carnival and the Wheelchair AFL National Championships, the AFL Open was designed to elevate and strengthen the competitions by combining both into one major tournament.
Building on the success of last year by increasing accessibility and participation for people with disability from grassroots to elite, a full timetable of matches for both divisions will run concurrently over the course of the four-day Open.
Around Australia in 2024, there were more than 18,000 disability inclusion participants across NAB AFL Auskick, NAB AFL Superkick, AFL Nines, junior, youth and senior divisions.
The national number for AFL Auskick was up nearly seven per cent from 2022, along with a 15 per cent boost in players within the modified football competitions over the same time period.
As participation continues to rise and more people connect with the game, the AFL Open will also have a focus on building inclusion pathways for women and girls, as well as introducing a blind/low vision exhibition match to showcase and highlight modified versions of footy.
AFL game development executive general manager Rob Auld said this year’s event aimed to build on the success of the inaugural 2024 AFL Open.
“On behalf of the AFL, I’m delighted to lock in the dates and venue for the 2025 Toyota AFL Open, which is our flagship national event for inclusion and wheelchair players,” he said.
“This year we are pleased to host the event at La Trobe University Sports Precinct in Victoria at the end of October, with the venue and surrounding locations providing exceptional facilities and exceeding our accessibility requirements for participants, their families and spectators.
“Having recently been redeveloped over the last few years the venue is world-class, and our team is looking forward to working with La Trobe to ensure the second Toyota AFL Open builds on the success of 2024.
“After last year’s event we received clear feedback that all states and territories valued the opportunity to bring both inclusion and wheelchair divisions together, with strong connections forming among players and teams.
“As the Toyota AFL Open looks to improve and grow our game, this year’s event will also have a focus on inclusion pathways for women and girls, as well as showcasing opportunities for blind and low vision footballers through an exhibition match.
