AFL Barwon Female Football[1] is a women's Australian rules football competition based in the greater Geelong region. The first season of senior football held for women in the area was 2018. The senior competition has since swelled to three divisions incorporating 20 teams. A further eight underage girls divisions are also competed for in the 2023 season.
 | |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2018 |
| No. of teams | 20 |
| Country |  Australia |
| Confederation | AFL Barwon |
| Most recent champion(s) | Grovedale (Div 1) Anglesea (Div 2) Belmont (Div 3) (2024) |
| Most titles | Geelong Amateur (2× Div 1) |
| Sponsor(s) | Epworth Health |
| Related competitions | GFL, GDFL, BFL, CDFL |
| Official website | AFL Barwon |
Background
editAFL Barwon is the governing body overseeing Australian rules football in the Geelong and greater district. After many years in which only junior girl's competitions were organised, a senior women's football competition commenced in 2018 under the banner of AFL Barwon Women's Football. Rather than being organised by the GFL, GDFL, or the BFL, the competition is managed under the AFL Barwon banner. The competition was renamed to AFL Barwon Female Football ahead of the 2019 season.
2018 inaugural season competing teams:[2]
The competition has held grading games at the start of the seasons in 2018, 2021–2024 in order to compose divisions to try to make matches as competitive as possible.
In March 2024, following extensive consultation[3] AFL Barwon announced that the competition would transition from playing mostly on Sundays to scheduling Saturday matches from 2025.[4]
Current Clubs
editDivision 1
edit| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | AFL Barwon Seasons | AFL Barwon Senior Premierships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Most recent | |||||||
| Barwon Heads |  |
Seagulls | Howard Harmer Reserve, Barwon Heads | — | 1922 | 2018- | 1 | 2018 |
| Geelong Amateur |  |
Ammos, Pegasus | Queens Park, Highton | — | 1926 | 2018- | 2 | 2023 |
| Grovedale |  |
Tigers | Burdoo Reserve, Grovedale | — | 1947 | 2018- | 1 | 2024 |
| Lara |  |
Cats | Lara Recreation Reserve, Lara | — | 1880 | 2018- | 0 | - |
| St Mary's |  |
Saints | Kardinia Park West, South Geelong | — | 1953 | 2018- | 1 | 2019 |
| Thomson |  |
Tigers | Thomson Recreation Reserve, Thomson | — | 1953 | 2023- | 0 | - |
| Torquay | |
Tigers | Spring Creek Reserve, Torquay | — | 1952 | 2019- | 0 | - |
Division 2
edit| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | AFL Barwon Seasons | AFL Barwon Senior Premierships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Most recent | |||||||
| Anglesea |  |
Roos | Ellimatta Reserve, Anglesea | — | 1963 | 2021- | 2 | 2024 |
| Drysdale |  |
Hawks | Drysdale Recreational Reserve, Drysdale | — | 1879 | 2018- | 0 | - |
| Geelong West Giants |  |
Giants | West Oval, Geelong West | — | 2017 | 2018- | 1 | 2022 |
| Newtown & Chilwell |  |
Eagles | Elderslie Reserve, Newtown | — | 1933 | 2021- | 0 | - |
| South Barwon |  |
Swans | McDonald Reserve, Belmont | — | 1990 | 2021- | 0 | - |
| St Joseph's |  |
Joeys | Herne Hill Reserve, Herne Hill | — | 1973 | 2018- | 1 | 2022 |
Division 3
edit| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | AFL Barwon Seasons | AFL Barwon Senior Premierships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Most recent | |||||||
| Barwon Heads | |
Seagulls | Howard Harmer Reserve, Barwon Heads | — | 1922 | 2018- | 1 | 2018 |
| Belmont Lions |  |
Lions | Winter Reserve, Belmont | — | 1965 | 2024- | 1 | 2024 |
| Geelong Amateur | |
Ammos, Pegasus | Queens Park, Highton | — | 1926 | 2018- | 0 | - |
| Grovedale | |
Tigers | Burdoo Reserve, Grovedale | — | 1947 | 2018- | 0 | - |
| Modewarre |  |
Warriors | Mt Moriac Recreation Reserve, Mount Moriac | — | 1879 | 2023- | 1 | 2023 |
| North Geelong |  |
Magpies | Osborne Park, North Geelong | VWFL | 1876 | 2018- | 2 | 2019 |
| St Albans |  |
Supersaints | St Albans Reserve, Thomson | — | 1880 | 2021- | 0 | - |
Former Clubs
edit| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | AFL Barwon Seasons | AFL Barwon Senior Premierships | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Most recent | ||||||||
| Bell Post Hill |  |
Panthers | Myers Reserve, Bell Post Hill | — | 1976 | 2018 | 0 | - | In recess |
| Colac Imperials |  |
Imperials | Western Reserve, Colac | — | 1922 | 2018-2021 | 0 | - | In recess |
| Ocean Grove |  |
Grubbers | Shell Road Reserve, Ocean Grove | — | 1964 | 2018-2019 | 0 | - | In recess |
Premiers
editDivision 1
edit| † | Team also won the minor premiership for finishing on top of the ladder |
| Season | Premiers | Runners-up | Score | Venue | Best on ground | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | North Geelong† | St Mary's | 6.5 (41) d. 2.3 (15) | Burdoo Reserve | — | |
| 2019 | St Mary's | Geelong Amateur | 6.4 (40) d. 4.5 (29) | Bisinella Oval | — | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. | |||||
| 2021 | Not awarded[5] | |||||
| 2022 | Geelong Amateur† | St Mary's | 4.5 (29) d. 0.3 (3) | Herne Hill Reserve | Cheryl de Groot (Geelong Amateur) | [6][7] |
| 2023 | Geelong Amateur† | Grovedale | 4.10 (34) d. 2.1 (13) | Herne Hill Reserve | Danielle Sgarbi (Geelong Amateur) | [8][9] |
| 2024 | Grovedale† | Geelong Amateur | 2.8 (20) d. 1.6 (12) | Bisinella Oval | Taylah Hassett (Grovedale) | [10][11] |
Division 2
edit| † | Team also won the minor premiership for finishing on top of the ladder |
| Season | Premiers | Runners-up | Score | Venue | Best on ground | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Barwon Heads | Colac Imperials | 4.9 (33) d. 4.8 (32) | Burdoo Reserve | — | |
| 2019 | North Geelong† | Drysdale | 3.8 (26) d. 0.1 (1) | Bisinella Oval | — | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. | |||||
| 2021 | Not awarded[5] | |||||
| 2022 | St Joseph's† | Torquay | 5.3 (33) d. 3.2 (20) | Herne Hill Reserve | Tamika Lewis (St Joseph's) | [6][7] |
| 2023 | Geelong West Giants† | Thomson | 3.5 (23) d. 3.4 (22) | Herne Hill Reserve | Teagan Tatlock (Thomson) | [12][9] |
| 2024 | Anglesea | St Joseph's | 5.9 (39) d. 3.5 (23) | Bisinella Oval | Ella Nickolaus (Angelsea) | [13] |
Division 3
edit| † | Team also won the minor premiership for finishing on top of the ladder |
| Season | Premiers | Runners-up | Score | Venue | Best on ground | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Not awarded[5] | |||||
| 2022 | Anglesea† | South Barwon | 6.6 (42) d. 2.3 (15) | Herne Hill Reserve | Ruby Manson (Anglesea) | [6][7] |
| 2023 | Modewarre | North Geelong | 6.0 (36) d. 1.8 (14) | Herne Hill Reserve | Monique Martin (Modewarre) | [14][9] |
| 2024 | Belmont Lions† | Modewarre | 1.7 (13) d. 1.2 (8) | Bisinella Oval | Ashleigh Feehan (Belmont) | [13] |
Best and Fairest Award
edit- Division 1
- 2018 — Charlotte Thorne (North Geelong) 39 votes[15]
- 2019 — Stephanie Abfalter (Geelong Amateur) 19 votes[16]
- 2021 — Isabella Hill (Grovedale) 21 votes[17]
- 2022 — Alana Tully (Grovedale)[18]
- 2023 — Danielle Sgarbi (Geelong Amateur)[19]
- 2024 — Janessa Fitzgerald (Grovedale) 19 votes[20]
- Division 2
- 2018 — Emma Allen (Barwon Heads) 23 votes[21]
- 2019 — Charlotte Thorne (North Geelong) 27 votes[22]
- 2021 — Temikka Beeston (North Geelong) 18 votes[17]
- 2022 — Tara Smith (Drysdale)[18]
- 2023 — Daisy Wilson (South Barwon)[19]
- 2024 — Elara Dillon (South Barwon) 19 votes[20]
- Division 3
Leading Goalkickers
edit- Division 1
- 2018 — Ashleigh Bond (St Mary's) 28 goals
- 2019 — Ashleigh Bond (St Mary's) 23 goals
- 2021 — Bianca Cheever (St Mary's) & Rhianna Arnold (Geelong Amateur) 16 goals[17]
- 2022 — Allesha McLean (St Mary's) 25 goals[18]
- 2023 — Lucy Were (Geelong Amateur) 23 goals
- 2024 — Emily Kenshole (Thomson) 27 goals
- Division 2
- 2018 — Teagan Barber (Colac Imperials) 23 goals
- 2019 — Melissa Egan (Drysdale) 61 goals
- 2021 — Melissa Egan (Drysdale) 20 goals[17]
- 2022 — Bianca Deckker (Drysdale) 28 goals[18]
- 2023 — Emily Kenshole (Thomson) 31 goals
- 2024 — Bella Gilham (St Joseph's) 32 goals
- Division 3
Sponsorship
editThe divisions has had the following organisations as naming rights partner for each season:
- 2018:
- Epworth Health (Division 1)
- Corio Bay Health Group (Division 2)
- 2019, 2021–present:
- Epworth Health (Divisions 1–3)
Representative matches
editIn May 2019, an AFL Barwon Female Football representative team coached by Geelong AFLW player Melissa Hickey, and captained by Barwon Heads' Emma Allen, played the Northern Football Netball League.
| 2019 WorkSafe AFL Victoria Championships | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 18 May 2019 (9:50 am) | AFL Barwon Female Football | def. | Northern Football Netball League | Queens Park, Highton | Report[23] |
| 2.3 (15) 2.4 (16) 3.6 (24) 5.7 (37) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
0.1 (1) 0.4 (4) 1.5 (11) 2.7 (19) |
|||
| E. Allen 3, L. McClelland, T. Knox | Goals | S. Cross, T. Olcorn | |||
| E. Allen, E. Oliver, S. O'Dea, C. Thorne, M. Janssen | Best | C. O'Bryan, N. Blythe, K. Cobern, D. Bonde, S. Nyawela, D. Hallett | |||
References
edit- ^ "AFL Barwon 2022 Annual Report" (PDF). AFL Barwon. 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "SENIOR WOMEN'S COMPETITION COMING IN 2018". AFL Barwon. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ "AFL Barwon Future of Football & Netball Project Statement - Senior Male Football & Senior Netball". AFL Barwon. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ King, Tom (28 March 2024). "Non-mandatory promotion adopted by AFL Barwon". Krock Football. Geelong Broadcasters Pty Limited. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "CANCELLATION OF REMAINING 2021 WINTER COMPETITIONS". AFL Barwon. 19 September 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
- ^ a b c Forrest, Matthew (16 August 2022). "A GRAND DAY FORAMAZING AMMOS". Geelong Advertiser. Geelong, Victoria: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 30.
- ^ a b c "AFL Barwon FNL". playhq.com. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Forrest, Matthew (28 August 2023). "Wammos gun down Grovedale". Geelong Advertiser. Geelong, Victoria: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 30.
- ^ a b c "AFL Barwon FNL". playhq.com. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ Saultry, Meg (25 August 2024). "Grovedale win maiden women's flag with eight-point thriller against Geelong Amateur". Code Sports. Geelong, Victoria: News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ van Oorshot, Vinnie (29 August 2024). "Second time's the charm as Grovedale wins Division 1 GF". Geelong Times. Times News Group. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ Forrest, Matthew (28 August 2023). "Extra special". Geelong Advertiser. Geelong, Victoria: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 32.
- ^ a b Saultry, Meg (26 August 2024). "AFL Barwon 2024: Anglesea, Belmont Lions win division two and three women's deciders". Code Sports. Geelong, Victoria: News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ Forrest, Matthew (28 August 2023). "Warriors fire true on way to title". Geelong Advertiser. Geelong, Victoria: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 30.
- ^ "AFL BARWON SENIOR WOMENS DIVISION 1 B&F". AFL Barwon. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ "ABFALTER CLAIMS DIVISION ONE CROWN IN THRILLING COUNT". AFL Barwon. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f AFL Barwon 2021 Annual Report. p. 67.
- ^ a b c d e f AFL Barwon 2022 Annual Report. p. 63.
- ^ a b c "SGARBI TOPS LOCAL WOMEN'S FOOTY". Krock Football. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ a b c Johnston, Andrew (22 August 2024). "FitzGerald takes out BnF". Krock Football. Geelong, Victoria: Geelong Broadcasters Pty Limited. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "AFL BARWON SENIOR WOMEN'S DIVISION 2 B&F". AFL Barwon. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ "THORNE GOES BACK TO BACK". AFL Barwon. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ "NFNL women go down to AFL Barwon". Northern Football Netball League. Retrieved 3 June 2021.