A regional division of the Victorian Women’s Football League will be in place next season.
The joint venture is being set up by AFL Victoria, AFL Goldfields and the VWFL.
This latest comes on the back of extraordinary growth in the women’s game at both senior women’s and youth girls’ levels.
Six teams are targeted for the inaugural year of the regional competition. The sides will be a collection of newly formed teams and existing sides from the lower grades of established clubs.
The competition will remain under the management and control of the VWFL in the first year, but then transfer to AFL Goldfields for its second year and onwards. AFL Goldfields region general manager Rod Ward said the move was an exciting development, and a reflection of the level of interest female football has created in the region.
“To think that in 2011, we started with four youth girls’ teams in the Ballarat FNL, and now we have 13 youth and four junior girls’ teams, is just extraordinary,” he said.
“Combine that with the growth of female football in junior competitions, our region has had the most significant increase in participation in female football in Australia over the past five years.
“The creation of a regional senior women’s competition is the natural progression, and we are extremely excited to be one of the first in Victoria for this to occur.”
The newly formed league adds to the exciting off-season women’s football is experiencing.
AFL Victoria also plans to establish a women’s state league competition in 2016. The new competition will be aligned with the Victorian Football League and will have 10 clubs in its inaugural year. The western suburbs will be represented by VU Western Spurs.
The official name of the competition, as well as the season’s length and the finals format, will be decided in the coming months. AFL Goldfields is holding an information session next on December 9, at Saxon House from 6.30pm. The session will provide clubs and members with information on the league’s blueprint to grow female football in the region.
Any club interested in fielding open-aged teams in the new competition is asked to contact AFL Victoria’s Darren Flanigan on 8341 6000.
For inquiries about the development of female football in the AFL Goldfields Region, contact operations manager Aaron Nunn on 0417 530 586.
