Bundoora, West Preston-Lakeside and Whittlesea among new teams to take part in NFL Women’s competition
SIX clubs will field women’s teams for the first time in the inaugural season of the Northern Football League women’s competition.
Bundoora, West Preston-Lakeside, Watsonia, Epping, Laurimar and Whittlesea have flagged their intention to enter sides, while former VWFL club Montmorency will also compete in the new league.
They will be joined 12 former VWFL teams after AFL Victoria announced on Tuesday the competition would be disbanded and existing clubs divided among local leagues from 2017.
The boundaries of the NFL competition will stretch as far as Bendigo and Chirnside Park.
The other clubs that will be part of the league are: Deer Park, Diamond Creek, La Trobe Uni, Melbourne Uni, Pascoe Vale, South Morang, Whitehorse, VU Western Spurs, Darebin and Kew.
“This structure will allow females, like males, to play football with one club from Auskick right through to seniors,” NFL chief executive Peter McDougall said.
The competition will be split into divisions, with VWFL Premier Division clubs Deer Park, Melbourne Uni and Bendigo likely to be in the top tier alongside Division 1 finalists Kew, Pascoe Vale, Darebin and Whitehorse.
If the NFL chooses to create two nine-team competitions from the 18 clubs, those sides could be joined by La Trobe Uni and VU Western Spurs.
That would leave the six new teams to compete against Diamond Creek, Montmorency and South Morang in a second tier consisting of clubs with NFL men’s sides.
“Since 2015 we have experienced a growth of 100 new female teams each season which is an indication of the sheer enormity behind Australia’s fastest growing sport,” AFL Victoria chief executive Steven Reaper said.
Deer Park and Bendigo clashed in the VWFL Premier Division grand final this year, while Kew defeated Darebin in the Division 1 decider.
Ten community women’s competitions will operate next year in Victoria, including six across Melbourne.
AFL Victoria said it was keen to preserve the history of the VWFL — or Victorian Women’s Football League — which was introduced in 1981.
“The VWFL and all involved have played a major role in developing women’s football and have assisted in realising the long held dream of a national women’s competition,” Reaper said.
McDougall said the NFL hoped to have girls competitions across five age groups next year ranging from under-10 to under-18.
“The introduction of the NFL women’s competitions is a natural progression after restructuring our junior competitions in 2016,” he said.
POSSIBLE STRUCTURE
DIVISION 1 (Existing VWFL teams)
Deer Park
Bendigo
Melbourne Uni
Kew
Pascoe Vale
Darebin
Whitehorse
La Trobe Uni
VU Western Spurs
DIVISION 2
Diamond Creek
Montmorency
South Morang
Bundoora
Whittlesea
Epping
Laurimar
Watsonia
West Preston-Lakeside