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THE BARWON BULLETIN

The official noticeboard for AFL Barwon Club Officials & Volunteers.
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EDITION 71
March 25, 2026
(LAST UPDATED - March 25, 2026)
Bulletin Archive
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General Updates

2026 AFL Barwon Season Launch RSVP's

To officially launch the 2026 season, we’re bringing our clubs together for a special event, highlighted by a captains photo across our competitions.

We invite each GFNL and BFNL club to nominate up to five representatives to attend, ideally including senior men’s and female football captains, A Grade netball captains, and club presidents (or nominated delegates). Captains are asked to attend in full match uniform for the on-field photo, which will take place at the start of proceedings.

Event Details
Date: Sunday 29 March 2026
Venue: St Mary’s Sporting Club Social Rooms, Latrobe Terrace, Newtown
Time: Captains Photo – please arrive by 3:45pm. The function will commence at 4:00pm and conclude at 6:00pm.

Please submit your RSVP by completing this simple form. 

Clubs will be asked to submit the name and position of up to five club representatives, including your captains. 

Player Recruitment Advertisements

AFL Barwon is pleased to support clubs in promoting recruitment opportunities for players and volunteers ahead of the upcoming season. To assist us in sharing your content effectively, please follow the preferred process outlined below:

Social Media (Stories)
Please tag AFL Barwon in your post, and we will share it to our Facebook and Instagram stories.

Website (Club Noticeboard)
For website advertisements, please provide a landscape image (16:9) along with the accompanying text to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and we will publish it on the Club Noticeboard.

2026 Bellarine FNL & Geelong FNL Number 1 Ticket Holder Nominations

The AFL Barwon Commission are seeking nominations for the 2026 BFNL and GFNL Number 1 Ticket Holder(s).

The Number 1 Ticket Holder is a prestigious honour that is bestowed upon an individual who exemplifies outstanding support, dedication, and passion for their respective league.

Nominate Here
Netball Positions Available

We are pleased to share that we have positions available within our netball team.

Competition Coordinator - We are seeking a motivated individual to join our casual competition workforce. The successful candidate would be responsible for overseeing competition venues on Tuesday and Friday evenings.

Please see the position description here for more information.

Netball Operations Intern - Work Experience Overview – AFL Barwon

We are excited to welcome work experience participants into our team and provide a valuable learning and development experience. Our program is designed to give students or recent graduates real-world exposure to the operations of a dynamic organisation, hands-on opportunities to contribute, and the ability to explore different areas of our business.

What We Offer

As part of your time with us, you’ll gain hands-on experience working alongside a passionate and experienced team, allowing you to contribute meaningfully to our day-to-day operations. You’ll also gain insight into all areas of the business, including (but not limited to)

  • Operations and Administration
  • Events and Competitions
  • Community Engagement
  • Governance and Compliance

Please see the position description here for more information.

Commercial Partnerships

Round 3 Geelong Cats Offer | 2 for 1 Tickets!

Don't miss the Cats blockbuster against the Crows on Thursday night!

Get 2 for 1 General Admission tickets with this exclusive offer.

Use code: 241CATS

Get Tickets Here
Sherrin Footy Fundraiser – a fun, simple way for clubs to raise money

The Sherrin Footy Fundraiser is a fun, simple way to raise money for your club and cause. Earn $120 per box for your cause.

Each Sherrin Footy Fundraiser box, comes with 24 Football-shaped high-bounce balls. Shaped like an AFL football, this 11cm high bounce ball not only helps to raise funds but adds fun to your training sessions. Useful for improving hand-eye coordination and reflexes and ideal for both indoor and outdoor play.

Find out more
AFL Barwon Member Offer: 50% OFF / $200 subsidy on PROTEQT™ head impact tracking.
Claim Here

Grants

Telstra Footy Grants -closing 02/04/2026

2nd round opened 02/02/2026 and closes 02/04/2026.

  Local football clubs across Australia have the opportunity to share in an $8 million funding boost over 2024 – 2028 through Telstra Footy Grants. $4 million was granted by the AFL and Telstra in the first two years of the program to deserving clubs Australia-wide. With another pool of $2 million to be distributed in 2026, eligible regional and metro community football clubs can apply for grants up to $20,000 – helping strengthen, sustain and grow local footy.

As the foundation of our great game and the heartbeat of communities, investment in local clubs is vital to ensuring everyone has access to play Aussie Rules and experience the health, social and wellbeing benefits that come with belonging to a club.

More Information
The Get Active Kids Voucher Program is open!

Get in quick as applications for a voucher will close at 10am on 2nd of April or earlier if the budget allocation is fully exhausted.

Victorian families with a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card can apply for up to $200 to support their child’s sport and active recreation activities. 

Apply now
SRV – Sporting Club Grants Program - Closing 07/04/2026

Access to this funding helps grassroots clubs and organisations address barriers in participation, develop safe and sustainable practices and build social and active local communities. 

More information

Coaching

Football

Are you Coaching in 2026?

In the lead up to the 2026 season, we’d like to remind all new and returning coaches of the following key requirements:

✔ All coaches must be registered in CoachAFL for the 2026 season.
✔ Mandatory online modules must be completed before coaching begins (minimum accreditation requirements will be shown upon login).
Further information on registering, accessing modules, or updating accreditation can be found HERE  we encourage you to ensure your CoachAFL profile is active and up to date.

Football

Football Umpiring

Umpire Registration – 2026 Season

All individuals officiating matches at any level are required to register or re-register via OfficialsHQ (OHQ). Please refer to the links below to complete the appropriate process:

Anyone umpiring two or more games across the season must be formally registered, either as a club-appointed umpire or as a volunteer umpire.

This process ensures compliance with Working With Children (WWC) requirements—meaning all participants must hold a current volunteer WWC or a recognised exemption—and enables AFL Barwon to maintain an accurate record of who is officiating matches across our competitions.

All new umpires are required to complete the AFL Umpire Foundation Course (online). Returning umpires who completed the course prior to the 2026 season are not required to complete it again this year.

Umpire Education Module User Guide

Resource Links

On-Field Vests & Apparel (loco)
Football Order Form

Netball

General Netball

Monday Senior Women's Competition – Team entries closing soon!

Please indicate your interest to enter a team to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so we are able to adequately plan for the season.

Continuing on from the term 4 and term 1 competitions, the partnership between AFL Barwon and Geelong United Basketball will continue, with a brand-new 15 rounds WINTER season commencing.

This competition is set up under the "Geelong Barwon Netball" banner. 

Please feel free to reach out if you have any queries or interest in this competition. 

Netball and Paperwork Collection

BFNL and GFNL Netballs are now available for collection from the AFL Barwon Office (204 Roslyn Road).

Midweek netballs will be available next week.

Paperwork is due for delivery to Highton on Wednesday, so we will email you when this arrives. A reminder that votes will be digital this year – please ensure you action the correspondence from Maddie in this space.

Junior / Midweek Netball

Midweek Netball Update

Midweek Netball Update

We are excited to announce the introduction of a 9&U competition for the 2026 Mid-Week Season!

The 9 & Under competition is designed to prioritise participation, enjoyment, and the development of fundamental skills. Our goal is to create a positive, low-pressure environment where young athletes can build confidence, learn the basics of the game, and foster a genuine love for playing. By emphasizing growth and fun over competition, we aim to support each participants development while ensuring an engaging and enjoyable experience for all.  

Please find below the Season Dates:

Team entry link: DUE MARCH 25

https://forms.gle/v9QAzbJxrpgXTSvW6

Please reach out if you have any questions.

2026 Winter Season Dates

Please see below the season dates for the 2026 Midweek Winter Competition

**Please note 9U is only the first 10 weeks of competition.

Representative Netball

Congratulations to our representative teams who competed in the Barwon Junior Netball Championships

Congratulations to the following teams who have made it to the grand final:

  • 17&U BFNL
  • 13&U BFNL
  • 15&U GFNL

Grand Finals will be played at Oberon High School. Please see below game details- we would love to see as much support as possible!

13&U BFNL V 13&U GCNA @ 5:10 Court 1 @ 5:10

17&U BFNL V 17&U CDFNL @ 7:50 Court 1 @7:50

15&U GFNL V 15&U GCNA @ 6:35 Court 1  @6:35

Netball Umpiring

Club Umpire Coordinators Actions Required

There was a series of Actions email to clubs on the back of the Netball Club Umpire Coordinators meeting last week. Please check your inboxes for more information on each of the below and ensure all tasks are completed by the Monday 30 March deadline.

  • ACTION #1 - All umpires to register into OfficialsHQ
  • ACTION #2 - Send through list of your umpires
  • ACTION #3 - Rostering Weekly requirement
  • ACTION #4 NEW ELECTRONIC LEAGUE VOTES PROCESS
  • ACTION #5 - ELECTRONIC VOTES CONTINUED

Umpires at the conclusion of the game will enter votes electronically. See below screen recording. You should be able to copy this link and share within your own umpire groups. This recording has been done on a phone; the process is the same on a desktop/iPad just that the screen size changes.

OfficialsHQ Vote Entry Screen Recording.MP4

Steps for entering votes

  • Scroll to find the match and grade details
  • Click on the shaking bell
  • Choose the team from the drop-down box
  • Select the player for three votes (3 stars = 3 votes)
  • Scroll and complete the 2 and 1
  • Click SEND
    • If a player isn’t in the drop down
      • Choose 'add manual line'
      • Type the players name
      • Type the position/s that player played.

Please note the position is only required when manually adding a player.

A Grade and B Grade games will be appointed directly to the panel umpire through their personal OfficialsHQ profiles - This hasn’t changes from the previous season.

Netball Umpiring Training Session

These training sessions are to provide individuals with the opportunity to take part in an education component discussing the basic netball rules then getting out on court to have a go at umpiring in a non-competitive environment with court side support from our mentors in the program. 

Participating in two of these sessions is one of the pre-requisites for all umpires prior to starting their umpiring journey within AFL Barwon competitions. 

Tuesday 31 March 4:30pm-6pm, Kardinia Park Netball Complex

Tuesday 21 April 4:30pm-6pm, Kardinia Park Netball Complex

More Information
AFL Barwon Panel Umpire EOI

We are seeking qualified and experienced individuals to officiate A and B grade matches in the Geelong and Bellarine FNL competitions. Games are generally played on Saturdays between April - September.  

Reporting to the League Umpire Coordinator, you will be responsible for officiating A and B Grade matches in the Geelong Football Netball League and Bellarine Football Netball League.

Requirements: 

  • Minimum C Badge required, with experience umpiring seniors
  • Ability to umpire A and B Grade BFNL and GFNL games
  • Willingness to take on feedback from AFL Barwon Development Mentors 
  • Ability to deal with conflict and high-pressure situations 
More Information

Resource Links

Netball Resources
2026 AFL Barwon Pre-season Handbook

Netball Victoria

Grassroots Membership

Netball Victoria affiliated clubs, associations and leagues have the opportunity to align with the Melbourne Vixens for the 2026 Suncorp Super Netball season with our Grassroots membership.

We're excited to invite all Netball Victoria affiliated clubs, associations and leagues to join us as Melbourne Vixens members for the 2026 Suncorp Super Netball season with our Grassroots membership offer, thanks to Love the Game.
More Information
2025–26 Volunteer Grants Round

The 2025–26 Volunteer Grants program, delivered by the Australian Government through the Department of Social Services, supports community organisations that rely on volunteers by helping remove barriers to participation and promoting volunteering opportunities.

Grants between $1,000 and $5,000 are available to eligible not-for-profit organisations that depend on volunteers to deliver their work.

Applications are made through contacting your local Federal Members of Parliament (MPs). You may be invited to complete a formal application in May 2026.

More Information
Property Insurance Change – 1st April 2026

Following thr letter and FAQ’s from Andrea Pearman outlining proposed changes to the property insurance component of our affiliate insurance coverage that will come into effect from 1st April 2026.

The proposed changes bring us in to line with Netball Australia, includes an assessment of benefits verses cost and ensures we can keep insurance premiums down for our members. All other policies remain in place and Public Liability and Personal insurance cover remain unchanged. 

Monthly Education Sessions are back!

We know the season is underway for many of our associations and the leagues will be ramping up for season start.

To support all our netball administrators, Netball Victoria is hosting short Netball Connect drop-in sessions for clubs, associations and leagues. These sessions will run on:

  • Mon 23rdMarch:
    • Association Drop-In 6.00-6.45pm. Register and submit your questions here
    • League Drop-In 7.00-7.45pm. Register and submit your questions here
  • Tues 31stMarch
    • Club Drop-In 6.00-6.45pm. Register and submit your questions here 

We will walk through pre-season checks in Netball Connect and provide an opportunity an opportunity to ask questions or clarify anything you may be unsure about.

Netball Connect Update – rescheduled for 31st March 2026

The Netball Connect update that was scheduled for the 16th March has been delayed and will now occur on 31st March 2026. There have been no changes in Netball Connect. We will provide details of the changes closer to the date.

Endorsed Umpire Tester List - March 2026

Click the link for the current 2026 Endorsed Umpire Tester list

All umpire testers are required to attend a meeting and register as a tester on Netball Connect.

Endorsed Testers List (Mar 2026)

AFL Victoria

VicHealth’s Set the Standard campaign

The Set the Standard campaign has recently launched thanks to years of work by VicHealth to prevent racism and strengthen community sport. It gives coaches and club leaders practical, evidence-informed tools to create safer, more welcoming clubs.

Set the Standard offers free tools, templates and other resources to support clubs and FREE 1 hour in person workshops until November 2026 for clubs.

Click here for more information
Container Deposit Scheme

Local club fundraising opportunity through Container Deposit Scheme partnership 

Local football clubs across the state will be supported again in 2026 to raise funds and become more sustainable through a partnership between AFL Victoria and Victoria's Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic). CDS Vic provides the opportunity for Victorians to return eligible drink containers for a 10-cent refund. 

More information
Webinar – Volunteering in focus – Tailoring roles to suit my needs.

This webinar hosted by the Australian Sports Commission focuses on supporting clubs who may be struggling to fill roles, experiencing volunteer burnout, or simply want to work smarter, by providing practical steps. The 1-hour recording is available to anyone at any time; just click here

AFL Victoria Promotion of your club

The AFL provides a wide range of marketing assets and editable templates that you can use to promote your club.

For social media, assets are available in different sizes depending if you're posting in feed or via story on Facebook & Instagram. Include any text in your post rather than on these images for better engagement.

For Flyers, these are editable so you can tailor the image and club details to suit your audience. Only include key details such as program, location & time to make sure your message is clear and simple. Clubs yet to open/promote/ their registrations should do so as soon as possible.

Promotional Toolkits and Resources - Play AFL
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