The chance of a lifetime for local footballer's courtesy of the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust All-Abilities football showcase.

By Ben Andonoudis

For many participants, the AFL Barwon All-abilities football showcase will mark their first experience of organised sport, played on the same ground where their idols competed just days earlier at GMHBA Stadium.

The exhilaration of tracing the footsteps of names like Bailey Smith, Jeremy Cameron and Tom Stewart is one that players and families have been eagerly anticipating.

Five years ago, opportunities were limited.

Now, the All-Abilities competition is firmly established in Geelong and players can run out at an AFL venue.

Having been a part of the league since its inception in 2023, St Joseph’s has seen the league’s showcase event provide a rare and meaningful opportunity for players.

For St Joseph’s All-Abilities football coordinator Nigel Brown, the chance for his players to be out on the hallowed turf of GMHBA Stadium is difficult to overstate.

Brown said the opportunity has left some players in, “total disbelief that they’ll get the chance to be able to play on their childhood hero’s ground.”

“They just talk about it all year round, he continued. "Parents get really excited about it."

This year sees the league introduce an exciting step forward with a non-contact division for the first time, providing more opportunities for a broader range of participants. 

Newcomb coach Graeme Boyd is a keen supporter of the non-contact division and felt it was much needed.

"We only noticed in the last two years that we have more and more players that needed to wear the (non-contact) vest," Boyd said.

“Once the season gets underway, parents and carers will see this as a safer approach”

The growth of the competition is also reflected in its expanding club base, with Newtown & Chilwell making their debut this year.

Eagles mentor and life member Nathan Braddock said the excitement around the club is building ahead of their first match.

Braddock said the response from the club community had been overwhelmingly positive, with strong attendance at a recent intra-club highlighting the excitement around the team’s debut.

"(The club) absolutely loves watching the boys go about their business, the smiles, the celebrations," he said.

It’s not just the players who have benefited, with Braddock also highlighting the personal fulfilment he has gained from the program.

“It’s been really exciting to make that dream a reality and to have these boys and these families come into our club and not only us teach them about football, but them teach us a lot about things as well."

Above all else, for Bell Park’s All-abilities coach Brett Campigli, it’s the people involved in the program that stand out for him - praising the "terrific, incredible people."

For Campigli, being a part of a footy club is “a great part of life...regardless of your ability, if you belong to a footy club and play a game, even better.”

At its core, the All-Abilities program is about more than football, it’s about connection, confidence, and ensuring everyone has a place within a club environment.

The AFL Barwon All-abilities football showcase will be held at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday, with matches from 2:30pm.

For the full fixture, CLICK HERE.

The showcase is supported by the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust.

Surf Coast Suns’ inaugural game is sure to attract plenty of attention, an event a decade in the making.

By Ben Andonoudis

Torquay will become a two-team town on Easter Saturday.

At Banyul-Warri Fields, a new force in the Bellarine Football Netball League emerges when the Surf Coast Suns face off in their senior debut against new cross-town rivals Torquay.

The senior debut is the culmination of a decade of hard work, with the club built from the ground up into a strong community club.

The first new club in the BFNL for 30 years, the Suns have generated strong interest in the local community and created new pathways for young players in the North Torquay area to be involved in local sport.

Surf Coast Suns football president Jay Williams expects the inaugural match-up to be a great contest.

Williams, a Torquay local involved with the club since 2018, has been keen for the Suns to face off in a senior match.

Williams said it was “truly a historic moment for the community of Torquay and I look forward to seeing this be a locked in fixture for the future between the two clubs”.

Surf Coast Suns netball president Claire Sadler knows just how delighted the netball program of the club is to take the court for their first crack at senior netball.

"Everyone’s so excited, Salder said. "There’s still a lot of hard work to finish off before round one but the vibe’s really high, especially in the netball program”.

"We’ve been working hard for months now and everyone just wants to put on the dress for the first time and get at it”.

The Surf Coast Shire has also been a keen ally of the club during its formative stages, expecting “a bumper crowd, with junior and senior football and netball games from 8am and without any competing games scheduled in Geelong”.

The Suns were formed as a junior club in 2016 to provide opportunities for families to lead an active lifestyle in the rapidly growing region of North Torquay.

Torquay has grown over the last decade from a population of 10,142 in the 2011 census to 18,534 in the 2021, with that figure tipped to have increased exponentially since that time.

This growth has created strong demand for a second team in the town, with the Suns having fielded an impressive 21 junior football sides last season.

In an expanding town like Torquay, the Suns have ensured that young players have a clear pathway to play football and netball in their local area.

On Easter Saturday, the result will matter, but the occasion may matter more.

A decade in the making, the Suns’ senior debut marks the beginning of a new chapter in Torquay football.

AFL Barwon is proud to release the 2026 All Abilities Football Netball League fixture, headlined by the football competition splitting into two divisions and new club entering the netball competition.

Commencing in 2023, the All Abilities FNL continues to grow, creating opportunities for all-inclusive sport in the Geelong region.

2026 sees an important step forward for the All Abilities competition with a contact division and a non-contact division for the first time in the competition’s history. The contact division will maintain the dynamic, competitive nature and rules of the current competition. The non-contact division is designed to support non-tackle participants and provides an accessible entry point for players seeking a modified football experience.

Round 1 of the football season will kick off on Saturday, April 11 with the highly popular All Abilities Football Showcase taking place at GMHBA Stadium.

The contact competition sees premiers Geelong West come up against finalists St Joseph’s while runners up Bell Park face off with finalists Newcomb.

The non-contact competition welcomes a new entrant into the All Abilities competition as Newtown & Chilwell make their debut against St Joseph’s.

There is sure to be plenty of excitement in rounds 6 and 8 with the league hosting a “Gather Round” type event at Newcomb and Geelong West respectively.

Finals fever will be in full swing on August 15 as the season comes to an exciting conclusion.

The Tuesday night netball competition kicks off on April 21 as reigning premiers Geelong West looks to make a winning start to their premiership defence against St Joseph’s. Grand finalists Newcomb begin their season with a clash against Surf Coast. We are excited to welcome Bell Park intio the netball competition for the first time.

Finals will commence on August 11 for the netball competition before the premiers are decided on August 18^th in the Grand Final.

The All Abilities competition is made possible with the proud support of the naming rights partner, Kardinia Park Stadium Trust.

The 2026 season of the All Abilities competition is set to be the league’s most expansive season to date, reinforcing AFL Barwon’s commitment to inclusive community football and netball.  

The full fixtures can be found below or the pdf here.

AFL Barwon is pleased to announce the release of the 2026 Epworth Senior Female Football Fixture, showcasing continued growth, new club entries and exciting changes across both divisions.

The 2026 season marks another significant step forward for female football in the region, with new teams entering the competition and several clubs transitioning between divisions following the 2025 season.

In Division 1, last year’s Division 2 Grand Finalists, South Barwon and Geelong West Giants, have earned promotion and will take their place among the competition’s top sides in 2026. Their elevation adds further depth and competitiveness to the division, with both clubs looking to carry strong form into the new season.

They will be joined by new entrant Portarlington, whose inclusion further strengthens the Division 1 competition and reflects the continued expansion of the female game across the Bellarine.

Established clubs including Barwon Heads, Geelong Ammos, St Joseph’s, St Mary’s and Grovedale will again feature prominently, setting up a highly competitive 16-round home and away season.

Division 2 also sees important changes in 2026, headlined by the introduction of Bell Park, adding further depth and opportunity within the competition. 

The 2026 fixture gets underway on Friday 17 April (Division 2) and Saturday 18 April (Division 1), with an exciting opening round set to launch the season. Key early match-ups include Barwon Heads hosting Portarlington, while Geelong Ammos take on St Joseph’s.

The season will also feature highly anticipated rematches involving 2025 grand finalists across both divisions, providing early benchmarks for clubs with premiership aspirations and adding to the growing rivalries within the competition.

A mix of Friday night and weekend timeslots has again been incorporated to maximise exposure and provide greater opportunities for the women’s game to take centre stage across the region.

The 2026 Epworth Senior Female Football season promises to be one of the most exciting to date.

The full fixtures can be found below.

2026 Epworth Senior Female Div 1 Fixture

2026 Epworth Senior Female Div 2 Fixture