AFL Barwon Female Football
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AFL Barwon Female Football 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 multiple divisions incorporating 19 teams. A further eight underage girls divisions are also competed for in the 2023 season.
Background
AFL 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:
Barwon Heads; Drysdale; Geelong Amateur; Ocean Grove
Grovedale; Lara; St Joseph's; St Mary's
Bell Post Hill; Geelong West Giants; North Geelong
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 AFL Barwon announced that the competition would transition from playing mostly on Sundays to scheduling Saturday matches from 2025.
Current clubs
Division 1
| 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– | 3 | 2025 | |
| Grovedale | Tigers | Burdoo Reserve, Grovedale | — | 1947 | 2018– | 1 | 2024 | |
| Geelong West Giants | Giants | West Oval, North Geelong | — | 2017 | 2018– | 1 | 2022 | |
| Portarlington | Demons | Portarlington Recreation Reserve, Portarlington | — | 1874 | 2026– | 0 | — | |
| South Barwon | Swans | McDonald Reserve, Belmont | — | 1990 | 2021– | 1 | 2025 | |
| St Joseph's | Joeys | Herne Hill Reserve, Herne Hill | — | 1973 | 2018– | 1 | 2022 | |
| St Mary's | Saints | Kardinia Park West, South Geelong | — | 1953 | 2018– | 1 | 2019 |
Division 2
| 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 | |
| Barwon Heads reserves/Ocean Grove | Seagulls/Grubbers | Howard Harmer Reserve, Barwon Heads and Shell Road Reserve, Ocean Grove | — | 2026 | 2026– | 0 | — | |
| Bell Park | Dragons | Hamlyn Park, Bell Park | — | 1958 | 2026– | 0 | — | |
| Belmont Lions | Lions | Winter Reserve, Belmont | — | 1965 | 2024– | 1 | 2024 | |
| Drysdale | Hawks | Drysdale Recreational Reserve, Drysdale | — | 1879 | 2018– | 0 | — | |
| Grovedale reserves | Tigers | Burdoo Reserve, Grovedale | — | 1947 | 2018– | 1 | 2024 | |
| Lara | Cats | Lara Recreation Reserve, Lara | — | 1880 | 2018– | 0 | — | |
| Modewarre | Warriors | Mt Moriac Recreation Reserve, Mount Moriac | — | 1879 | 2023– | 1 | 2023 | |
| St Albans/Thomson | Supersaints, Tigers | St Albans Reserve, Thomson and Thomson Recreation Reserve, Thomson | — | 2026 | 2026– | 0 | — | |
| St Joseph's reserves | Joeys | Herne Hill Reserve, Herne Hill | — | 1973 | 2018– | 1 | 2022 | |
| St Mary's reserves/Geelong Amateur reserves | Saints, Ammos, Pegasus | Kardinia Park West, South Geelong and Queens Park, Highton | — | 1953 | 2018– | 1 | 2019 | |
| Torquay | Tigers | Spring Creek Reserve, Torquay | — | 1952 | 2019– | 0 | — |
Former clubs
| 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 | |
| Newtown & Chilwell | Eagles | Elderslie Reserve, Newtown | — | 1933 | 2021–2025 | 0 | — | In recess | |
| North Geelong | Magpies | Osborne Park, North Geelong | VWFL | 1876 | 2018–2025 | 2 | 2019 | In recess |
Premiers
Division 1
| † | 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 | —N/a | |
| 2019 | St Mary's | Geelong Amateur | 6.4 (40) d. 4.5 (29) | Bisinella Oval | —N/a | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. | |||||
| 2021 | Not awarded | |||||
| 2022 | Geelong Amateur† | St Mary's | 4.5 (29) d. 0.3 (3) | Herne Hill Reserve | Cheryl de Groot (Geelong Amateur) | |
| 2023 | Geelong Amateur† | Grovedale | 4.10 (34) d. 2.1 (13) | Herne Hill Reserve | Danielle Sgarbi (Geelong Amateur) | |
| 2024 | Grovedale† | Geelong Amateur | 2.8 (20) d. 1.6 (12) | Bisinella Oval | Taylah Hassett (Grovedale) | |
| 2025 | Geelong Amateur† | Grovedale | 4.9 (33) d. 3.1 (19) | Bisinella Oval | Bella Hill (Geelong Amateur) |
Division 2
| † | 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 | —N/a | |
| 2019 | North Geelong† | Drysdale | 3.8 (26) d. 0.1 (1) | Bisinella Oval | —N/a | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. | |||||
| 2021 | Not awarded | |||||
| 2022 | St Joseph's† | Torquay | 5.3 (33) d. 3.2 (20) | Herne Hill Reserve | Tamika Lewis (St Joseph's) | |
| 2023 | Geelong West Giants† | Thomson | 3.5 (23) d. 3.4 (22) | Herne Hill Reserve | Teagan Tatlock (Thomson) | |
| 2024 | Anglesea | St Joseph's | 5.9 (39) d. 3.5 (23) | Bisinella Oval | Ella Nickolaus (Angelsea) | |
| 2025 | South Barwon | Geelong West Giants | 4.6 (30) d. 3.6 (24) | Bisinella Oval | Elara Dillon (South Barwon) |
Division 3
| † | 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 | |||||
| 2022 | Anglesea† | South Barwon | 6.6 (42) d. 2.3 (15) | Herne Hill Reserve | Ruby Manson (Anglesea) | |
| 2023 | Modewarre | North Geelong | 6.0 (36) d. 1.8 (14) | Herne Hill Reserve | Monique Martin (Modewarre) | |
| 2024 | Belmont Lions† | Modewarre | 1.7 (13) d. 1.2 (8) | Bisinella Oval | Ashleigh Feehan (Belmont) | |
| 2025 | Division not held | |||||
| 2026 | Division not held |
Best and Fairest Award
Division 1
- 2018 — Charlotte Thorne (North Geelong) 39 votes
- 2019 — Stephanie Abfalter (Geelong Amateur) 19 votes
- 2021 — Isabella Hill (Grovedale) 21 votes
- 2022 — Alana Tully (Grovedale)
- 2023 — Danielle Sgarbi (Geelong Amateur)
- 2024 — Janessa Fitzgerald (Grovedale) 19 votes
- 2025 — Phoebe Monahan (Thomson) 28 votes
Division 2
- 2018 — Emma Allen (Barwon Heads) 23 votes
- 2019 — Charlotte Thorne (North Geelong) 27 votes
- 2021 — Temikka Beeston (North Geelong) 18 votes
- 2022 — Tara Smith (Drysdale)
- 2023 — Daisy Wilson (South Barwon)
- 2024 — Elara Dillon (South Barwon) 19 votes
- 2025 — Elara Dillon (South Barwon 30 votes
Division 3
- 2021 — Charlotte Simpson (St Joseph's) 18 votes
- 2022 — Maggie Caudullo
- 2023 — Tara Smith (Drysdale)
- 2024 — Monique Martin (Modewarre) 14 votes
Leading Goalkickers
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
- 2022 — Allesha McLean (St Mary's) 25 goals
- 2023 — Lucy Were (Geelong Amateur) 23 goals
- 2024 — Emily Kenshole (Thomson) 27 goals
- 2025 — Lillee Barendsen (Geelong Amateur) 51 goals
Division 2
- 2018 — Teagan Barber (Colac Imperials) 23 goals
- 2019 — Melissa Egan (Drysdale) 61 goals
- 2021 — Melissa Egan (Drysdale) 20 goals
- 2022 — Bianca Deckker (Drysdale) 28 goals
- 2023 — Emily Kenshole (Thomson) 31 goals
- 2024 — Bella Gilham (St Joseph's) 32 goals
- 2025 — Neave Dickson (Newtown & Chilwell) 41 goals
Division 3
- 2021 — Charlotte Simpson (St Joseph's), Rebekah Lane (South Barwon) & Camille King (Anglesea) 21 goals
- 2022 — Rebekah Lane (South Barwon) 28 goals
- 2023 — Bianca Deckker (Drysdale) 24 goals
- 2024 — Dakota Harrington (St Albans) 24 goals
Sponsorship
The 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
In 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 | |
| 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 | |||