VAFA Annual Report 2024

133 rd ANNUAL REPORT SEASON2024

Presented to the Members at the Annual General Meeting

Victorian Amateur Football Association

VAFA 2024

President

Mr Paul Newton

Vice-Presidents

Mr Ivan Delac

Ms Sarah Delbosc

Treasurer

Mr Frank Dunell

Board

Mr Anthony Amad, Mr Ivan Delac, Ms Sarah Delbosc, Ms Vicki Durston, Mr Tim Habel (resigned May 2024),

Ms Nicole Hall, Mr Paul Newton, Mr Martin Kelliher, Ms Joan Eddy (appointed March 2024), Mr Matt Scholten* (appointed March 2024), Mr Frank Dunell* (appointed April 2024) *Board appointees

VAFA Board

Ivan Delac VicePresident

Paul Newton President

Sarah Delbosc VicePresident

Vicki Durston

Martin Kelliher

Joan Eddy Matt Scholten

Nicole Hall

Frank Dunell Treasurer

Anthony Amad

Voss

Marketing&Events Manager

ChiefExecutiveO fficer

Mr Jason Reddick

GeneralManager,Football&Umpiring

Mr Dale Christie

FootballOperationsManager

Miss Gabriella Martin

FootballOperationsCoordinator

Mr Blair Fraser (resigned June)

Mr Mark Stevens (appointed July)

UmpireOperationsManager

Mr Stephen Privitera

ChiefCommercialO fficer

Mr Glen Towers

HeadofMedia&Digital

Mr Cameron Voss

Broadcast&ContentManager

Mr Jason Bennett

Marketing&EventsManager

Miss Susan Miller

GeneralManager,Community&Club Support

Mr Sean Walker (resigned November)

ClubSupportManager

Mr Pranav Menon (appointed January)

WellbeingProjectManager

Miss Claire Castle (appointed August)

Finance&AdministrationO fficer

Ms Karen Bennett

Accountants

The Kartel Solution

William Buck

VAFA 2024

VAFAUAPresident

Mr Ben McWiggan

Mr Jim Marinis (elected at AGM in May)

TribunalandInvestigationsCoordinator

Miss Gabriella Martin

IndependentTribunal

Chairs: Molina Asthana, Sally Buckley, Joe Connolly, Dermot Dann, Nick De Young, Mark Gibson, Kent Hannam, John Leung, Justin Marcus, Diana Olsson, James Penny, Rohan Phelps, Philip Teo, Greg Thomas

Members: Loren Alderruccio, Stuart Allen, Denise Bourke, Ron Cahill, Wayne Carey, Paul Edwards, Steven Finocchiaro, Sarah Gall, Leah Gallagher, Lachlan Howe, Paul La Vale, Vinay Lakshman, Martin Legge, Daniel Oliver, Joh Ollquist, James Penny, Julia Pritchard, Hayden Quinn, Alexa Sakkal, Tom Sapountsis, Amy Silver, Fred Stafford, Cameron Topfer, Henrietta Wridgway

InvestigationPanel

Members: Stuart Allen, Sally Buckley, Simon Clark, Kent Hannam, David Hindle, Daniel Ireland, Vinay Lakshman, Greg McLeod

LifeMembers

V.J. Deane*, L.A. Adamson*, H.J. Stewart*, J.S. McCann*, E.F. Atkins*, F.H. Coldrey*, O.J. Meehan*, P.A. Matthews*, G.T. Moore*, L.S. Zachariah*, J. Fullerton*, N. Fullerton*, Messrs. A.G. Perrin*, I.A. Brown*, G.W. McTaggart*, R.A. Sinclair*, M. G. Russel*, T.A. Johnson OAM*, N.C. Rundle OAM*, J.F.X. Dillon, A.J. Keam*, J. A. Miles*, J. A. Fisher, J.F. Hawkins*, P. J. Harris*, Dr B.W. Costello*, D.H. Scott, A.H. Stephens*, C.C. Bastow, T.M. Lyon*, I.H. Munro*, A.J. O’Callaghan*, D.R. Burnes, N.W. Nugent, A.L. Langford-Jones, N.M. McTaggart*, Messrs. J.F. Nelson, P. O’ Donohue*, K.W. Sharkie, D.R. Booth*, D.J. Cook, J. A. Wilson*, R.L. Evans, M.L. Bastow, P.W. Hutchinson*, J.C. Wilson*, B.R. McTaggart, P.B. Stevens, J. W. Bell*, B.J. Ivey, P.G. Rhoden*, N.M. Bourke, Dr. G. Janko, D.J. Hughes, Dr. S. Costello, G. Reilley, T. Brain, S.J. Anderson, K. Petrucco*, B. Conti, M. Hazell, P. Nash, J. Kanis, J. Robinson, M. Crooks, G. Scarborough, K. da Fonte

*deceased

Susan Miller

Cameron

Headof Media&Digital Glen Towers ChiefCommercialO ffi cer

Jason Reddick ChiefExecutiveO ffi cer

Stephen Privitera UmpireOperations Manager

Mark Stevens FootballOperations Coordinator

Prenav Menon ClubSupport Manager

Gabriella Martin FootballOperations Manager

Jason Bennett Broadcast&Content Manager

Claire Castle WellbeingProject Manager

Dale Christie GeneralManager Football&Umpiring

Karen Bennett Finance& AdministrationO

President’s Report

The 2024 season got underway characteristically early with many clubs commencing their preseason mid November 2023. By the time we got to round one, April 6th for the early starting sections we had competitions represented by:

• 67 clubs

• 323 teams

• 32 sections

• comprising 12,000 players

Season 2024 has been run and won, premierships have been decided and congratulations to all clubs and teams who tasted victory. It was another season to remember, full of highlights, challenges and of course, for some, disappointments. For the record, the season ran for 175 days, concluding on Friday 27 September and in that time, we completed a combined 2,763 games including the finals across 23 of Melbourne’s LGA’s.

Given the sheer size and logistics of the season and the commitment by clubs, players, coaches, officials and the broader VAFA community, season 2024 was certainly going to be eagerly anticipated.

On the back of season 2023’s reintroduction of the in-person VAFA Club Conference, we scheduled a similar event again at Holmesglen Chadstone in February. The Conference enabled clubs to prepare for the upcoming season and in particular, understand the importance managing concussions. A lot of work had been done in the off season on the reporting protocols to ensure concussion was registered and was treated with utmost care and conservatism. Clubs would now be required to lodge weekly a concussion report, ensuring any player that sustained a concussion would need to sit out the mandatory 21 days period. The data is equally important enable us to provide invaluable information for research.

Season 2024 has been run and won, premierships have been decided and congratulations to all clubs and teams who tasted victory.

”

The VAFA remains the largest senior community football competition in the country with 67 senior clubs, many with junior affiliations and/or school feeders as well as our university clubs. As reported above, we provide circa 12,000 budding footballers, not to forget our wonderful umpires, all 500+ of them with a great outlet and connection. Of course, the focus is on football, however our unique amateur status ensures we are about the “Love of The Game” where our clubs offer more than just a game of football: camaraderie, friendships and a safe haven for all.

Umpiring is a key strategic focus with the need to recruit and retain umpires across men’s and women’s. We are very keen to promote women’s participation in umpiring and as such, the VAFA continues to pursue opportunities to build a state-of-theart complex at Elsternwick Park. We grew on our satellite training initiatives and in 2024 we secured Carlton College of Sport, Richmond Institute and Melbourne University as well as a new Umpire Academy Program at Ivanhoe Grammar.

We continue to retain close ties with both the Yarra and South Metro Junior Leagues for providing greater VAFA umpiring pathways.

A lot is asked of our Umpires, and I take this opportunity to thank them for their commitment and service, as stated we play games across metropolitan Melbourne and like the clubs this represents a lot of travel for the umpires. They do a great, job often in trying circumstances, our unique game is recognized as difficult to officiate, despite this the Umpires have managed that and we are indebted to them

Women’s participation is a key platform of our strategic plan, and it is the aim for the competition for further growth, to that end we welcomed the re-emergence of Westbourne in 2024 registering two Women’s teams, coached by Western Bulldogs Legend Chris Grant. To support the growth strategy and supported by continuing feedback, we will in 2025 become the first competition to introduce a Women’s Under 19 competition. Feedback received throughout 2024 validates this decision. Clubs have been informed and we now eagerly await the registration of U19 teams and players.

To our selfless presidents, club committees, volunteers and supporters at every club, on behalf of the Board we say thank you for your tireless work, commitment and contribution.

Paul Newton VAFAPresident

Congratulations to our 2024 premiers, in particular the players, coaches and support staff, the season has been long and has presented challenges, however that’s what makes winning a premiership all the more special. Whilst football is a team sport and we marvel at the skill of the players, it was fitting that we recognized and reward competition best & fairest winners, notable achievements and our umpires at the season ending Awards Night.

The Board is indebted to the VAFA administration, capably led by our CEO Jason Reddick. I have witnessed first-hand the many hours Jason, and his team put in to ensure the competition meets the club’s expectations, in line with our rules and integrity. I am proud of this team and take this opportunity to acknowledge their professionalism, commitment and exceptional work ethic.

I refer to the CEO’s Report in referencing the performance of our organization and its achievements in light of our Strategic Plan.

The Association took the punt and scheduled this year’s William Buck Premier Men’s Grand Final at EP on the AFL GF Friday public holiday. It was a gamble and whilst it may not have suited everyone, we had over 4,000 attend in glorious weather to witness stunning competitive football. The crowds came to all the other finals venues in great numbers making the finals series another very special and memorable occasion.

Whilst I don’t intend to acknowledge the achievements of all clubs, it would be remiss if I didn’t congratulate Old Scotch, their Senior Women and Senior Men’s teams for their outstanding season culminating in senior premierships. For the men it has been a long time coming and I know the win will be celebrated, whereas for the women it’s been a structured progression and achievement of the ultimate goal.

Other notable 2024 on field achievements included:

• Prahran and Parkside FC promotion to Premier C Men’s

• Elsternwick AFC on its back-to-back premierships

• Successful return of two of our clubs in Mentone Panthers and Westbourne Grammar

Representative football was a key part of the 2024 season. We took senior teams to Perth, hosted the Bendigo FNL at Elsternwick Park as well as showing our best U19 talent. Rep football is part of the VAFA culture and history, enabling lifelong friends to be made. It will be played again in 2025 with the pride of the Big V again on display.

President’s Report

Football is a contact sport, and injuries are unfortunately inevitable. We were reminded of this with the very serious injury to St Kevin’s senior player Michael Pisker mid-season. Our thoughts are with Michael and his family, I am amazed by the generous support of the extended VAFA community in coming to Michael’s immediate aid. It speaks volumes of what the VAFA is all about, not to mention the immediate care exhibited by SKOB’s President Patrick Mount and the SKOB’s community.

On top of a much-improved playing surface at Elsternwick Park, we welcomed the upgrade of the oval lighting, a vast improvement that will be even better in 2025 when all lights are correctly aligned. This will enhance training and allow VAFA Football operations to consider the fixturing of night games.

The 2024 VAFA Board worked diligently throughout the year having welcomed a mix of returning Directors, newly member elected Directors as well as Board Appointees:

• Paul Newton: President

• Sarah Delbosc: Vice President and Chair Community SC

• Ivan Delac: Vice President and Chair Football SC

• Nicole Hall: Chair Governance SC

• Vicki Durston: Director and member Governance and Finance SC’s

• Anthony Amad: Director and member Football SC

• Marty Keliher: Chair Commercial SC

• Joan Eddy: Casual vacancy Director (A Ewart) and member Governance and Community SC

• Frank Dunell: Director Appointee and Treasurer

• Matt Scholten: Director Appointment and member Commercial SC

We had 10 Board members for the greater part of the year following the resignation of Director Tim Habel. I take this opportunity to thank Tim for his service, we were able to achieve some notable initiatives in Tim’s time.

With 6 past VAFA club presidents as Directors and a breadth of added Director experience we believe we are a Board that is in touch with member clubs and their challenges. Front of mind: cost escalation, revenue challenges and engaging volunteers, all very real and threatening.

The 2024 AGM brings to an end the Director term for the “ever-green” Anthony Amad, this will be Anthony’s final year on the Board, and I take this opportunity to thank Anthony for his unrelenting 19-year commitment to the Association. Better known as MUSH, I think all that know Mush will certainly have experienced his passion and forthrightness and I have no doubt Mush will continue to follow the fortunes of the Association and the many clubs he has embraced.

There is one great initiative we will look forward to deploying in 2025. Under Jason’s vison, the VAFA in partnership with the Adelaide and Perth FL’s have been successful in enticing the Department of Social Services to obtain $2m to fund a GAMBLING HARM REDUCTION program. There will be more about this at the February club conference and throughout season 2025. It’s an exciting initiative synonymous with the VAFA’s participants wellbeing ethos.

In tough economic times, all our Corporate Partners have been great supporters of the VAFA in 2024. We extend our thanks and gratitude to Premium Partner William Buck, Major Partner Holmesglen, and all our valued commercial partners. In 2024, we were thrilled to welcome on board several new partners including AltX and Greg Wallace, OSVi, Ascot Vale Sports Trophies, A Grade Club Supplies, SEN and First Aid Management Solutions.

I take this opportunity to thank retiring William Buck Senior Partner, Lindsay Hollaway for his engagement and loyalty to the VAFA. We greatly value the relationship, we wish you all the very best and are excited to have the partnership continue under the leadership of another great VAFA person, Adam Kirkwood-Scott.

In closing, on behalf of my fellow Directors, I thank you all for your commitment to the VAFA, I hope 2024 has delivered memories that you will treasure and has provided a source of enjoyment throughout Melbourne’s winter. I trust you will get some time away before the inevitable happens, 2025 pre-season and beyond.

Finance Report

I have pleasure in providing this Treasurer’s Report for the financial year ending 31 October 2024.

VAFA is reporting a profit of $19,018 for the 12 month period to 31 October 2024, as compared to a loss of $62,790 for the 13 month 2023 financial year period.

The following notes are provided to clarify the annual financial statements by summarising the major items responsible for variations to FY23 results and highlighting key items :

1.REVENUEGROWTH

The VAFA realised a $327,397 (9.1%) rise in total revenue earned for the year, taking turnover to $3,918,526 (2023 - $3,591,129).

The major factors for this increase in growth were:

a.Clubpaymentsforumpires– The growth in the recruitment of umpires in 2024 lead to a greater cover of registered umpires officiating matches and an increase in Club payments of $144,267 for this service. This rise in Club payments coincides with the increase of $146,798 in the VAFA’s Umpire and associated expenses (shown in the Statement of Profit and Loss).

b.AffiliationFees– Whilst Affiliation Fees per team remained frozen at the 2023 price level, the once off discount totalling $47,320 that was provided to those Clubs who adopted the Direct Debit payment service in 2023 was not repeated. The number of teams participating in the VAFA again grew from 295 to 305, and together with the mix of teams entered, accounted for the total increase in Affiliation Fees of $78,349.

c.Grants– An additional $50k in grants were secured in 2024, taking the total receipts to $218,697 (2023 - $168,620). This came from $67k of Federal Government SARC grant money received in 2024 for establishing a new Gambling Harm Reduction Program that VAFA, Perth FL and Adelaide FL have partnered together to launch for 2025. A one-off AFL grant of $14,750 was provided to all Metropolitan Leagues in 2023 as part of the transfer of operating systems from Game Day to Play HQ.

d.SponsorshipFees– In a tough economic market, it is pleasing to see that revenue from corporate partners rose again by $33,374 to $531,947 (2023 - $498,573). Since 2022, Sponsorship has risen by $213K (67%).

e.FunctionsIncome– The increase in attendances at our VAFA events is testament to the quality and widen appeal of these functions, particularly the Big V lunch which has doubled in numbers in the last two years. Accordingly, Functions Income increased by $32,169 (23%) to $169,141 (2023 - $136,972). Since 2022, Functions Income has nearly doubled from $85,615.

On the other hand, there were some downturns in some Revenue items:

a.FinalsProceeds– Due to the limited access to available venues suitable for hosting finals matches, some finals matches were played at non-gated venues, resulting in $28,503 less gate takings ($4555,396) than the 2023 total of $483,899. The Premier Men’s Grand Final played on the public holiday Friday attracted a larger crowd than last year and helped offset some of the shortfall from earlier finals. Importantly, VAFA management recognise the importance of this revenue stream and are currently working with Leagues, Schools, Clubs and Councils, to try and secure a range of alternative venues for 2025.

b.Fines– Pleasingly the amount of fines needed to be issued to Clubs in 2024 reduced by $25,090 (31%) to $56,170 (2023$81,260). We hope that continual education of, and compliance with, rules by Clubs, coaches, players and spectators, will continue to see this figure decline in future years.

2.INVESTMENTINPLAYERS

The VAFA has made a concerted effort to deliver support to our Amateur players by investing the annual $11 registration fee into services that support all players.

$114,489 was raised from Player Registration Fees in 2024, and for the first time, the majority of these funds were invested into Player services as follows:

a.Insurance– The VAFA invested $86,364 in securing Gold level Player Injury Insurance at no cost to Clubs or players, to provide players with significantly increased returns (eg. 90% reimbursement previously 50%) on injury claims for nonmedicare covered services.

There was a slight saving in Bronze insurance cover (down by $13k in 2024), that led to an overall increase in insurance of $73k.

Frank Dunell VAFATreasurer

b. The VAFA invested a further $18,200 into the Player Assistance Program delivered through Converge International. This provides all registered players in the competition with access to three free counselling service sessions on any manner of mental health needs. This cost is grouped into ‘Other Costs’ in the Profit and Loss Statement.

After providing for the above services, a balance of $9,925 remained for unused Player Registration Fee income raised in 2024 (ie. $114,489 less $86,364 and $18,200). This amount has been transferred to the Player Registration Reserve, preserved for use in future years. This is shown in the Statement of Changes in Equity in the Financial Statements.

c.RepresentativeFootball- the other significant increase in Player investment came in the expansion of the Representative Football program. The Men’s and Women’s Big V teams travelled to Perth for our return leg against the Sandgropers (whom we hosted in 2023); we re-established our Men’s Representative team comprising players from B to D3 who hosted the Bendigo Football League; and we established a showcase of the best U19 VAFA players in a North vs South match at Elsternwick Park. This all resulted in a $64,845 increase in investment into the program.

Finance Report

3.SIGNIFICANTCOSTSAVINGS

a.Audit,legalandconsultancyexpenses– Pleasingly the funds invested in this area reduced by $88,851 to $159,507 (2023 - $248,358). The major savings resulted from reduced legal costs of $32,328 as a result of less legal matters to address, and $31,467 in savings gained from efficiencies in re-structuring Accounting and Audit services.

b.BadandDoubtfulDebts– Doubtful debts expense is again a negative amount as the provision for Doubtful Debts has been reduced by a further $21,472 in 2024 to $19,730. Through managements concerted recovery efforts, it is a great result that since 2022, the provision for Doubtful Debts has been reduced by $72k (79%) with no debt written off in that period.

c.EmployeeBenefitsExpense– The addition of full time staff members in the Community and Club Support department program are the major components of the $40,706 increase in costs for 2024. Pleasingly the salary and all associated on costs of our July 2024 appointment to manage the new Gambling Harm Reduction Program are fully covered by the grant received for this program. We have also negotiated a contribution from a key Community stakeholder to enable a previous part year role to be funded full time.

4.BALANCESHEETSTRENGTH

a.CashandCashEquivalents– The VAFA maintains a healthy balance of $836,936 in cash and cash equivalents. That balance includes a separate Player Registration Reserve bank account set aside with $358,104 for future player benefits.

b.TradeReceivables- The outstanding balance at year end has been reduced by $88,778 to $122,992. Since 2022, the Trade Debtors balance of $845k has been reduced by $722k (85%), without incurring a bad debt write

c.Inventories– the value of $60k has remained consistent with the 2023 value, represented by footballs on hand and team equipment housed in an offsite warehouse from which Clubs order directly. Management is reviewing operations to reduce stock holdings.

d.TradeandOtherPayables– Trade Payables balance at year end has been reduced by $223,019 to a balance of $37,041. Other Payables includes GST and PAYG due to be paid in November BAS Activity Statement lodgement.

e.Borrowings– VAFA took out an interest free loan with Bayside City Council to fund the Elsternwick Park office/club room development. The loan was paid down by a further $56,437 in 2024 in accordance with the scheduled payments.

5.AUDITORS

a.Unquali fi edopinion– It is great to receive an unqualified opinion on the status of the 2024 Financial Statements from our Auditors, Saward Dawson.

b.RecommendationstoManagement– The Auditors have reported that items raised in prior year have either been actioned or are in progress. 2024 matters identified are at low or moderate risk.

c.Services– We thank Audit Partner Matt Crouch, Manager Calvin Ho, and the team from Saward Dawson for the professional and efficient work in finalising the audit to meet our deadlines for presenting accounts to our Members.

The Finance Sub-Committee worked with Management to develop and circulate a new template for Clubs to submit their annual Financial Information.

6.OTHERINITIATIVES

a.ClubFinancialTemplate– The Finance Sub-Committee worked with Management to develop and circulate a new template for Clubs to submit their annual Financial Information. This template is designed to be able to compare results across the Clubs and highlight best practice performance. Once all results are received, the information will be fed back to the Clubs (without identifying opposition Club’s names) so the Clubs can see where they rank in all profit and cost centres against Clubs of similar standing, thus helping direct their focus to opportunities for improvement. Whilst this new format does require some additional work from Club Treasurers, we trust that the information is valuable enough to do so.

7.FINANCESUB-COMMITTEE

a.Thankyou– To my fellow sub committee members, namely Director Vicki Durston, Bryan Gibbs, Lizzie Wardlaw, CEO Jason Reddick and Finance & Admin O fficer Karen Bennett, for your important contributions throughout the year.

Chief Executive Of ficer’s Report

2024 represented the second year of our four-year Strategic Plan. I am pleased to say that we have again made great progress in delivering on the objectives outlined in the plan.

Football & Umpiring:

· Protect the integrity, ideals, values and cultures of the VAFA. We continue to reference the core values of Respect, Integrity, Community and Inclusive adopted by the VAFA based on overwhelming stakeholder feedback, as the principles behind all our decision making and operations.

· Provide highly valued football competitions and positive playing and spectator experiences.

We were able to structure an even number of teams in 90% of our sections (up from 80% in 2023). Planning and tremendous work by our Clubs saw the average number of weekly forfeits were reduced by 15%, from 3.4 in 2023 to 2.9 in 2024.

We worked tirelessly with multiple Councils, Leagues and Clubs to secure appropriate neutral venues for all our finals. Pleasingly our work with Bayside City Council continued to deliver a pristine surface for all our showcase finals played at Elsternwick Park.

Our Men’s and Women’s Big V premier teams travelled to Perth for matches against the Perth FL. Men’s Representative Football was further enhanced with our B-D3 team hosting and defeating Bendigo Football Netball League. A showcase Holmesglen U19 game was introduced, featuring our best young male talent from across the competition.

· Collaboratively stabilise and grow the women’s and men’s football competitions.

Understanding that many of our Clubs are still facing challenges post COVID, we established a dedicated Club Support service to provide best practice information to assist Clubs in achieving long term sustainability.

After extensive consultation, we issued the Women’s Football Strategy.

· Invest significantly in umpiring, recruitment, retention, resources, technology and experiences.

We established a new training venue at Parkville to complement our Bulleen venue partnership with YJFL, and our traditional Elsternwick training venue where we partner with SMJFL.

We initiated new umpire academies at Ivanhoe, Sacred Heart Girls College, Xavier College and Carlton College, along with activations at Richmond Institute and Melbourne University, to drive recruitment. These initiatives helped us in recruiting over 200 new umpires, which grew our total to 559, a 5.7% increase in umpire coverage compared to last season.

· Review the financial engagement with VAFA clubs.

The Affiliation Fees for Clubs were kept at 2023 levels (albeit without the 2023 one-off discount for Clubs that adopted the direct debit option). The umpire match fees were again oncharged on a user pays basis in line with the appointment of umpires to games.

Commercial & Brand:

· Grow the VAFA Commercial return to minimise servicing costs to clubs.

In a tough economic climate, we again increased our revenue from our Commercial Partnership program. Since 2022, our Commercial Team has achieved a 67% increase ($213k) in Corporate Partnership revenue to a total of $531k, reflecting the value that organisations place on being associated with the VAFA.

· Increase the awareness of the VAFA competition through Media.

Our brand exposure grew again this year. The new VAFA website received over 4 million page views, KommunityTV livestreamed 50 matches throughout the season, and new radio partner SEN broadcast 25 games.

· Increase the engagement of the VAFA community through appealing VAFA events.

The Big V Lunch has continued to grow since it was expanded to include a guernsey presentation to our current day Big V players which this year resulted in sold-out event.

The William Buck Finals Lunch is proving to be another entertaining and attractive VAFA event that is building an audience year on year.

The men’s William Buck Premier Grand Final was scheduled for the public holiday Friday in September and was a great success in achieving a large crowd and broad media exposure for the VAFA.

Jason Reddick ChiefExecutive O

cer

We

continue to reference the core values of Respect, Integrity, Community and Inclusive adopted by the VAFA based on overwhelming stakeholder feedback

Chief Executive Of ficer’s Report

Community:

· Invest in training and resources to ensure we are truly inclusive community.

Partnered with and promoted Sports4All to provide resources for Clubs to create inclusive environments.

Facilitated workshops for VAFA Clubs to adopt the AFL Vic Women’s and Girls Charter.

Facilitated a pre-season Women & Girls specific coach induction workshop.

Specifically targeted U19 and Women & Girls coaches to participate in a Level 2 coaching workshop, to upskill their awareness and management of inclusive practices.

· Increase our capacity to support clubs through innovation, service and training.

All VAFA Clubs were surveyed and their feedback analysed and shared amongst all Clubs. VAFA produced and issued tailored individual Club Support documents highlighting resources available to address the Club’s specific concerns. Club Support Manager followed up with in person and online meetings with Clubs to discuss the Club’s opportunities to access support and plan accordingly for 2025.

VAFA issued a new financial reporting template in order to secure data for comparing Club operations. We will use this information to identify and share best practice with Clubs.

· Invest in the provision of welfare support and training programs.

VAFA again invested in the Tackle Your Feelings program to run workshops for 24 VAFA Clubs and around 900 Club participants, to support those who may be facing mental health challenges. This was supplemented by the investment in a new initiative: ‘Player Assistance Program’, launched in May 2024 featuring free mental health counselling services delivered by Converge International.

Provided an upgrade to Gold level player injury insurance coverage at no cost to Clubs or players. This provides players with significantly higher reimbursement of non-Medicare costs.

· Develop strong partnerships with Community Partners that benefit the VAFA.

VAFA continues to drive strong partnerships with Community Partners such as Tackle Your Feelings, TAC, Sports4All, Breast Cancer Network Australia, Relationships Sports Australia, Good Friday Appeal, Love the Game (VRGF), First Aid Management & Training Centre P/L, that all serve to address needs in the community.

· Implement practices to support Facility and Infrastructure development for clubs and the association.

VAFA continued to assist our Clubs in gaining a record level of grant money. In 2024, 103 successful VAFA Club applications secured a total of $206,499 in grant income across three programs: TAC Club Rewards; Country Footy Grant; Good for Footy Raffle.

Governance:

· Establish strong Governance structures and practices. Board Charter to govern the Director’s roles and responsibilities.

· Govern the VAFA with clear policies that support all members and stakeholders.

Produced a new series of operational policies to reduce risk, as recommended by new Auditors. Undertook a review of all HR policies and updated those as required.

Adopted the revised AFL National Community Football Handbook policies aligned with VAFA requirements, thereby minimising risk and delivering best practice in areas such as concussion and vilification.

· Provide an environment that maximises the skills and contribution of the VAFA Board and Administration. Provided budgets for professional development that can be accessed for all staff and Board members needing to upskill for their role at the VAFA.

· Identify top priority projects for the VAFA over the next 4 years.

Risk Management continues to be a focus to address as a priority for the Governance subcommittee.

8 I wish to take this opportunity to thank all the Club volunteer committee members who work tirelessly with us in aiming to achieve sensible outcomes from the many challenging issues that arise during the season.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank all the Club volunteer committee members who work tirelessly with us in aiming to achieve sensible outcomes from the many challenging issues that arise during the season. We value your experience, efforts, passion, and understanding on those occasions when we are unable to satisfy everyone’s confl icting requests.

None of the above could have been possible without the continued dedication and expertise of our valued VAFA staff I particularly wish to acknowledge the work of our GM Community & Club Support, Sean Walker, who recently secured a national focused role with Rugby Australia. We thank Sean for the significant contribution he has made to the VAFA and our Clubs.

Also, thanks for the support from VAFA President Paul Newton and all the Directors who give their time, effort and expertise voluntarily. It’s clear that all Directors are aligned with Management in the aim of ensuring the VAFA is the best Community football competition in the nation.

On behalf of the VAFA staff, we trust everyone enjoys a safe and well-earned break over the Christmas period, and we look forward to returning to work with all our Clubs and stakeholders on delivering a successful 2025 season.

Football Operations

Overview

With the departure of Matt Collister (GM Football & Umpiring) in December 2023, we had a new look Football Operations team assembled for 2024 with both Dale Christie and Gabriella Martin entering new roles, and Mark Stevens joining the team in July. While we had our fair share of challenges, we had valuable learnings and attempted to ensure all outcomes were just and fair. Thank you to our VAFA staff and Board for their hard work this season, and to our incredible Club Presidents, Committee, Operations staff, and Volunteers for your support and patience.

With 67 Clubs, with 302 teams, in 32 sections, including 5 Representative Teams with 2 travelling to Perth, and with a seven-week Finals Series starting on August 10 and finishing on September 27, it was a long and rewarding season, and we would like to congratulate all section Premiers, and winners of Awards.

Fixturing, Structure, and Re-grading

With an increase in teams and divisions in competitions requiring re-grading with no automatic promotion or relegation, the process for regrading and restructuring was exhaustive in time and data collection. With 56 teams and 6 divisions of Men’s Thirds, 37 teams and 4 divisions of Women’s Divisional, and 37 teams in 4 divisions of Under 19 Men’s, regrading after Round 4 had its challenges looking at results, registered players, age demographics, ability to hit the scoreboard, and players on the field.

We trialled regionalising lower division Men’s Thirds to assist Club’s to fill match day support roles and fill in players with less travel.

We also introduced no boundary throw ins in all Men’s Thirds Competitions to again assist Clubs in not having to find boundary umpires.

Match day support roles in all Competitions were also able to be filled by the Home team providing both Club’s agreed, to further reduce the burden of Away team volunteers.

Club movement saw Old Paradians and Ivanhoe depart, while the Mentone Panthers and Westbourne Grammarians rejoined the VAFA. Chadstone rejoined Men’s Divisional ranks, while Masala looked to rebuild in Men’s Thirds, and Old Camberwell and AJAX joined forces to compete as one team in the Women’s Divisional Competition.

Representative Football

Representative football grew in 2024 with 5 teams being selected to represent the best VAFA have to offer.

The Big V Men and Women flew across to Perth to play against the Perth Football League with the Women holding on by 1-point, and the Men going down by 23-points at Steel Blue Oval. Congratulations to all players for being selected, and to the staff and support crew for their work in the lead up to the match and the logistics of the trip, and special mention to Paul Groves (Women) and Greg Hutchison (Men) who both put in a power of work as Head Coaches of each side.

Back in Melbourne, our Big V Men’s (Premier B – Division 3) team had a gutsy win against the Bendigo Football Netball League, eventually holding on by 13-points. Superbly lead by Coach Luke Mahoney and his Assistants, all players loved the opportunity to wear the Big V and did us proud.

We trialled an Under 19 Showcase as a curtain raiser to the Big V vs BFNL match with teams representing the North and South. Arguably one the best standard games all season with the best of our young talent on display with many players on VFL and Coates League lists. The game was played in great spirt and high quality and congratulations to all players that were selected, and thank you to Paul Carrigan (South) and Paul Gilmore (North) for Coaching and preparing their teams for the match.

With an increase in teams and divisions in competitions requiring re-grading with no automatic promotion or relegation, the process for regrading and restructuring was exhaustive in time and data collection.

Gabriella Martin FootballOperations Manager

Mark Stevens FootballOperations Coordinator

Dale Christie GeneralManagerFootball&Umpire

We had the opportunity to effectively showcase the best of our Men’s and Women’s Competition by having each Premier Grand Final on their own day with massive media coverage and Grand Final Lunches

Finals

Staggering the start of the season and the Finals, meant our 2024 Finals Series began on August 9 with the Semi Finals of the Men’s Thirds Competition, and finishing on September 27 with the Premier Men’s Grand Final.

134 matches, using 11 neutral venues, across 8 weeks, with over 45,000 spectators, eventually saw 32 Premierships awarded. Thank you to our VAFA Clubs that’s hosted finals in Whitefriars, De La Salle, Old Brighton, and La Trobe University.

We had the opportunity to effectively showcase the best of our Men’s and Women’s Competition by having each Premier Grand Final on their own day with massive media coverage and Grand Final Lunches, with the Premier Women’s Grand Final played on Sunday September 22, and the Premier Men’s Grand Final played on the public holiday Friday September 27. Congratulations to Old Scotch for taking out both Premierships.

Policy / Concussion

Football Operations

After reviewing the 2023 data, and in line with the AFL and in consultation with Monash University’s Neurological Department, VAFA implemented an updated Concussion Reporting Policy to align with increased warnings around brain injuries and the risks associated in not receiving treatment and not effectively recovering from them. The AFL also updated their minimum return to play protocols from 12-days to 21-days.

In 2023, 33 Club’s reported 205 Concussions, whereas in 2024, 60 Club’s reported 487 Concussions.

We had 26 Concussions on average per round, with at least 3 players not returning to play or retiring, with 9 players suffering multiple Concussions.

It was pleasing that most Club’s took Concussion more seriously in 2024 and enforced the return to play protocols, and VAFA will release more Concussion data from the 2024 Season at a later date.

Policy / Vili fi cation

VAFA released a Match Day Vilification Action Plan at the start of the season in response to and in liaison with AJAX, due to growing instances in society around antisemitism, we thank all VAFA Club’s, players and supporters for their work in educating their communities around this issue and while zero would have been amazing, we did have one reported instance of an antisemitic incident.

Racial and religious vilification incidents were very low in comparison to 2023 and other leagues in 2024, however we did see a dramatic rise in the reported instances of homophobic slurs. While we are pleased that players and other participants are calling out this sort of behaviour, and not responding physically, we do see this as an issue we need to immediately act against.

We had 42 prohibited conduct complaints in 2024, with 23 of these being homophobic slurs requiring action under the AFL’s Vilification and Discrimination Policy, with a guilty verdict starting at a 5-match suspension, after a process often taking longer than 20 days.

More information will be communicated at the Club Conference in 2025.

Tribunal, VRO, Melees, and Investigations

While continuing to look at ways to reduce the burden on volunteers, VAFA trialled online Tribunal Hearings for Category 1 cases in 2024. This meant that players and their witness and advocates did not need to make the trip to Elsternwick Park.

In 2024, there were 115 Match Day Reports, 59 Video Reports, and 29 Club Investigations resulting in 82 Tribunal Hearings.

Melees were identified as a concern after the 2023 Season with 62 Melees with 12 teams being involved in 3 or more Melees, with the most being 8. With the added risk of team Coaches being suspended in 2024, we still had 62 Melees with 12 teams in 3 or more Melees, but with the most being only 5.

More information from the data collected from 2024 will be communicated on Tribunal and Investigations at a later date.

Permit Committee and Integrity Division

26 players fronted the Permit Committee in 2024, with more requiring a Statutory Declaration to allow them to play in the VAFA.

The Permit Committee meets all new VAFA players coming in from either the AFL or VFL to discuss, educate and remind them of their obligations to the Amateur Status.

Statutory Declarations were required by players breaching Rule 46 in that they played in the VAFA, transferred out to a professional league, and then returned in the same season. The Stat Dec was to declare that while they were playing in the other league, they were not remunerated or rewarded in any way, thereby not breaching their Amateur Status in 2024.

All players that met with the Permit Committee or had to submit a Stat Dec were permitted to play in the VAFA in 2024.

Umpire Operations

Recruitment

Recruitment of new umpires was a key strategic objective for the Umpires Department throughout the 2024 season. The VAFA worked closely with AFL Victoria to identify key target markets for umpire recruitment. New marketing material was developed to target recruits, this included a professionally produced recruitment video for the website and updated flyers. Several school and university umpire academies were formed to educate students on the skills they required to start their umpire journey in the VAFA competition. These umpire academies took place at Ivanhoe Grammar, Sacred Heart Girls College and Xavier College. Successful umpire activations and recruitment activities were also conducted at Richmond Institute, Carlton College of Sport and Melbourne University. These new recruitment activities achieved outstanding results with 200 new umpires joining and overall registrations surging past 550 in 2024.

Many first season umpires commenced their journey as boundary or goal umpires. These umpires will have the option to transition to field umpiring in future seasons as they gain valuable experience. The onboarding process and integration into the competition was made easier with all new umpires receiving a complimentary uniform as part of a VAFA investment into developing umpires. Importantly, clubs received higher coverage levels reducing some of the burden on finding volunteer umpires each weekend.

The entire umpiring group moved across to the new Officials HQ registration and appointments system in 2024. This was a significant undertaking given the size of the group and the requirement to train all umpires on how to use the new system. New umpires were also required to complete learning modules on O fficials HQ before being appointed to their first game as part of an updated onboarding process.

The entire umpiring group moved across to the new Officials HQ registration and appointments system in 2024.

Coaching

Our coaching panel was headed by Owen Hinson (Field), Shaun Bourke (Boundary), and Cooper Macdonald (Goal). The VAFA was thrilled to secure the services of Shaun Bourke to lead the boundary umpiring group. Shaun returned home to the VAFA where he commenced his umpire journey after a successful time at VFL level. Cooper Macdonald stepped up to lead the Goal umpiring group after the mid-season retirement of Bernie Jephson. Bernie commenced his umpiring with the VAFA in 1978 and is a VAFAUA life member. Many umpires progressed through to the VFL and AFL due to his coaching. We wish Bernie all the best for the future and life outside of VAFA umpiring.

Lionel Katz (Senior), Campbell Hymans and Ben Lefebvre (Development) led their field squads throughout the year ensuring a focus on development and progression. Field umpire coverage was maximised across the competition with some umpires completing two games per weekend. Corey Malcolm and Sam Beer strengthened the boundary group space through VFL level training and observations. The goal umpires were very well supported by assistant coach Adrian Keane.

The coaching group worked together to deliver innovative and engaging training sessions. Group coaching was a feature to allow interaction between the different squads. The Umpiring Department also invested in the coaching and video platform Hudl. This allowed umpires to view clips from their games to review their strengths and areas for improvement.

Stephen Privitera UmpireOperations Manager

The Umpiring Department also launched a new training venue in the inner northern suburbs with VAFA club UHS-VU at Brens Oval.

Umpire Operations

Training Venues and Junior Partnerships

Umpire training was held at Elsternwick Park every Monday and Wednesday night from pre-season in February through to the finals in September. Tom O’Connor (Fitness Coach) was joined by VAFA alumni Jackson Gillespie (Strength and Conditioning) throughout the season. Tom a qualified physiotherapist, worked closely with osteopath Gabriela Pecherskiy in providing expert injury and rehabilitation advice. Jackson led the running component of the program to ensure umpires were fit and ready to perform from round one.

Training sessions were well attended with numbers peaking at 110 umpires. The Umpires Association ensured that strong networks could develop throughout the season by organising engaging social events including a successful awards night.

The VAFA extended its junior league partnerships with the SMJFL and YJFL. A key component of the partnerships was the establishment of training venues on Monday nights at Bulleen with the YJFL and shared training at Elsternwick Park with the SMJFL. Hugo Burstin (Recruitment O fficer) did an outstanding job at onboarding and integrating junior umpires into the VAFA competition.

The Umpiring Department also launched a new training venue in the inner northern suburbs with VAFA club UHS-VU at Brens Oval. Former VAFA and current VFL boundary umpire Aidan McDonald and Joshua Colman assisted with coaching at the venue. This new umpire venue ensured all umpires could access training regardless of their geographic location.

VAFA Female Umpire Academy

The VAFA Female Umpire Academy was established to support and advance women in umpiring. A comprehensive program was designed to equip aspiring female umpires with the skills and knowledge needed to umpire in the VAFA and beyond.

The Academy Program was a success throughout the 2024 season. A season launch took place on the 17th of April with AFLW umpire Maddy Lum attending to discuss pathways and her umpire career.

An all-female umpire panel was appointed to William Buck Premier Women’s game between Collegians and Caulfield

Grammarians on the 20th of July. This game showcased the high standards and professionalism of female umpires in the VAFA. The following Female Umpire Academy members took part in this initiative: Gina Mondschein, Amy Lister, Fikriye Sukru, Julia Stokes, Jeanine McDonald and Kayla O’Brien.

The VAFA in conjunction with AFL Victoria hosted the third Umpire Experience Hub for Women & Girls on the 7th of August. Ali Miles ran a “Fuelling for Performance” workshop for 25 participants, educating the female umpires in attendance on proper nutrition ahead of games.

Amy Lister (Female Umpire Mentor) and Julia Stokes (Female Umpire Liaison O fficer) were a tremendous support to female umpires through regular communication and feedback opportunities.

Umpire Coaching and Support Team

Field

Owen Hinson (Field Discipline Lead and Premier Coach)

Lionel Katz (Senior Coach)

Campbell Hymans and Ben Lefebvre (Development Coaches)

Boundary

Shaun Bourke (Boundary Discipline Lead)

Corey Malcolm (Assistant Coach)

Sam Beer (Assistant Coach)

Goal

Cooper Macdonald (Goal Discipline Lead)

Adrian Keane (Assistant Coach)

FemaleUmpireAcademy

Amy Lister (Female Umpire Mentor)

Julia Stokes (Female Umpire Liaison O fficer)

Fitness

Tom O’Connor (Fitness Coach)

Jackson Gillespie (Strength and Conditioning)

Gabriela Pecherskiy (Osteopath)

RecruitmentandJuniorPathways

Hugo Burstin (Recruitment O fficer and Junior Umpire Liaison)

2024VAFAUmpireAwards

Umpire of the Year – Daniel Silfo

Most Promising Umpire – Angus Bunker-Smith

Commercial Partners

The year commenced with the annual VAFA Club Conference, once again hosted at the conference facility of our Major Partner, Holmesglen, in Chadstone. It was fantastic to witness the active participation of VAFA commercial partners at the dedicated VAFA Partner Trade Show, where discussions focused on the needs of the clubs throughout the day.

We were pleased to announce that several key commercial partners continued their support in 2024, including renewed agreements with Anytime Fitness, Club Connect, Mecwacare, and Australian Venue Co.

We also welcomed new partners into the VAFA commercial partner program: AltX, OSVi, Ascot Vale Sports Trophies, A Grade Club Supplies, and First Aid Management Solutions. New partners provided clubs and players with access to a great range of benefits in 2024.

The mid-season Big V representative games once again provided our commercial partners with enhanced visibility. William Buck, Holmesglen, Grill’d, and Belgravia Apparel (through the New Balance brand) prominently displaying their brands on the game day uniforms across men’s and women’s teams.

During the William Buck VAFA Finals luncheon, we recognized the contributions of outgoing William Buck Victorian Managing Partner Lindsay Hollway, who has been instrumental in fostering the partnership between the VAFA and William Buck. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for his unwavering support over the years and look forward to collaborating with new Managing Partner Adam KirkwoodScott to further enhance the VAFA-William Buck partnership in 2025.

“ ”

It

was fantastic to witness the active participation of VAFA commercial partners at the dedicated VAFA Partner Trade Show

It was great to see several VAFA partners activate at the 2024 VAFA Finals Series at Elsternwick Park. William Buck once again provided spectators in attendance with complimentary hot beverages during the men’s and women’s William Buck Premier Grand Finals. Heaps Normal contributed to the finals atmosphere by offering sampling of ice-cold non-alcoholic beers and merchandise giveaways throughout both Grand Finals days. Sherrin mascot, T.W. Sherrin was also popular amongst the crowd on William Buck Premier Women’s Grand Final Day.

The 2024 VAFA Awards night provided a platform for several partners to present prestigious accolades to members of the VAFA Community, including The Pass Volunteer of the Year, Carruthers Executive Coaches of the Year, Anytime Fitness Rising Stars, and the Victor Sports Trainer of the Year Awards.

We express our gratitude to the members of the Commercial and Brand Sub-Committee, led by VAFA Board Members Martin Kelliher (Chair), Anthony Amad, Nicole Hall, Matt Scholten, CEO Jason Reddick, Marketing and Events Manager Susan Miller, and Head of Media and Digital Cameron Voss, for their exceptional support throughout the year.

Looking ahead, we anticipate continued growth within the VAFA commercial program in 2025 as we celebrate William Buck’s 10th year of support for the Association and prepare for a commemoration of 100 years of representative football in July 2025.

Finally, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation for the outstanding support from all VAFA Commercial, Media, and Broadcast partners throughout 2024.

Glen Towers ChiefCommercial O

cer

Media and Broadcast

VAFA Media’s overarching objective in 2024 was to continue building upon the strong foundation of seasons past by further expanding the overall footprint of our coverage.

Jason Bennett’s appointment as Broadcast & Content Manager in March was followed shortly after by a new radio partnership with SportsEntertainmentNetwork(SEN) to deliver the weekly Match of the Day broadcast on the SEN App, alongside our weekly live streamed double-header on KommunityTV(News Corp).

VAFA content continued to be published on the popular Footy LiveApp with 95 articles attracting more than 93,000 views, representing an 18% increase on last year, while there were 10,000 article views on the SENApp and website. The social mediachannels of the VAFA continued to see an uplift in content, engagement and followers this year, and we look forward to stepping this up another gear in 2025 with a dedicated resource.

Website&Newsletter

The VAFA was excited to unveil its brand-newwebsite over the Kings Birthday long weekend. A long time in the making, the new site was built from the ground up and represents a significant step forward in providing a superior online experience for the VAFA community. Features include enhanced club pages branded in club colours and section pages with direct links to PlayHQ match info, a superior news and video experience, newlook VAFATV enabling the filtering of on-demand match vision, improved commercial integration and a whole lot more, on a platform optimised for mobile devices. Stage two of the project is underway to directly integrate PlayHQ match data onto the website, providing visitors to the site direct access to fixtures, results, ladders and live scores. Traffic to VAFA.com.au continued to trend upwards in 2024, with a 2.5% increase in pageviews to 4.2 million from almost 590,000 users. Pleasingly, the average duration spent on the site increased by more than 1 minute to 2:52 per visit and the number of pages per visit increased to 2.24.

The VAFANewsletter continues to be an important communication tool and commercial asset for the VAFA, with the weekly email hitting the inboxes of more than 25,000 recipients, with an impressive open rate of 35% and 8.8% click through rate, both well above the industry standard.

The VAFA was excited to unveil its brand-new website over the Kings Birthday long weekend. “ ”

Cameron Voss Headof Media&Digital

AmateurFootballer

The traditional VAFA Footy Record continued in a digital format throughout the 2024 season, with 23 editions published and available via the VAFA website, newsletter and social channels. The total number of downloads across the season was 31,328, with a further 26,513 views of older archive editions.

The quality of VAFA reporters stepped up in 2024, with a loyal band of volunteers and staff providing coverage across 11 senior men’s and women’s and under 19 sections, with weekly reviews, previews, feature articles and teams of the year – published in the Record and on the website. Thanks to: Lauren Atkinson, Paddy Grindlay, Kylie Lynch, Raj Johnston, Liam Cole, Annie Ireland, Jainarayan Tiwari, Callum Farquhar, Joel Kennedy, Susan Miller and Jason Bennett for your contribution.

Radio&Podcasts

Our VAFA William Buck SEN Match of the Day broadcasts ran weekly throughout the home & away season and finals, with over 60,000 minutes listened to via more than 5,000 streams across more than 2,500 users. Both Big V matches against Perth Football League and the Premier B Men’s Grand Final also appeared on SEN, taking the total number of matches in 2024 to 25. Broadcasts were also available on-demand via our podcast platforms for clubs and players to enjoy at their convenience.

Jason Bennett

Broadcast&Content Manager

Media and Broadcast

2024 saw the VAFA become the first community league in Australia (and just the second league after the AFL) to utilise SEN Stadium technology, delivering real-time commentary at venue, allowing VAFA fans to listen to our Match of the Day radio coverage with no delay while watching the game over the fence. Our SEN partnership also lifted our overall mainstream media exposure with a suite of advertisements running across the season on SEN 1116 and SEN Track, promoting our VAFA coverage and the League more generally. The VAFA has recently signed a two-year extension with SEN, taking the partnership through to 2026.

Paddy Grindlay joined VAFA Media as our lead caller on SEN matches alongside long-time VAFA commentators Joey Pignataro, Simon Petch and Josh Heriot. We also welcomed a collection of other new voices to our coverage, with Matthew Donald, Cal Cummins, Adam Palombi, Brent Sternberg, Tim Barbakos, Tristan Foenander, Raj Johnston, Brayden May, Max Hatzoglou, Paul Jepson, Marnee Silver, Joel Kennedy & Damian Tardio all joining our 2024 broadcast team. They gelled quickly to become a fantastic team of talented young broadcasters, fully committed and dedicated to improving their craft and delivering top-quality coverage that set a new standard for community footy. Cal Cummins also served as a VAFA Media intern, assisting in the office during the week, then calling matches on the weekend. He arrived at the VAFA via his association with Holmesglen. We look forward to deepening that relationship to provide more Holmesglen students with the opportunity to get hands-on experience in sports media.

The VAFA’s Podcast offerings generated more than 10,000 downloads in 2024, with a combination of different content series available for VAFA fans to enjoy. The official weekly VAFA podcast – FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME – returned in 2024 with Joey Pignataro alongside Jason Bennett and Paddy Grindlay. The trio delved into weekly results and key issues across the competition, chatting with special guests and previewing marquee events, with more than 6300 listens across 22 episodes. The official VAFA women’s podcast – INSIDE THE BOUNDARY – reverted to a semi-regular schedule in 2024, with 12 episodes featuring Lucy Watkin, Sophie Welsh, Jason Bennett, Joey Pignataro, Paddy Grindlay and Kate McCarthy generating over 1350 listens. The BIG V podcast ran as a limited series building up to Rep Footy weekend in 2024 and will return on a larger scale in 2025 as we count down to the Big V Centenary. The VAFA AWARDS SHOW

2024 saw the VAFA become the first community league in Australia (and just the second league after the AFL) to utilise SEN Stadium technology “ ”

continued in 2024, featuring interviews with 15 League Best & Fairest winners, providing excellent coverage up and down the competitions in a slick and entertaining 2.5 hour production.

LiveStreaming&VAFATV

As per 2023, every match of William Buck Premier Men’s & Women’s, Premier B & Premier C Men’s, and all Grand Finals were filmed & available on-demand at VAFA TV on the VAFA website in season 2024, with the new website allowing fans to easily find matches with the new filter and club pages.

50 matches were live-streamed on Kommunity TV on the Herald Sun website, with a 34% increase in total watch time and a 54% increase in the total number of video plays. Plus, an additional 16 matches were live-streamed directly to VAFA TV & the VAFA Facebook page, including the Premier C Semi Final, Preliminary Final & Grand Final, along with the Division 1 Men’s Grand Final. This meant that in 2024, all of the William Buck Premier Men’s, Premier B, Premier C, Division 1 Men’s & Holmesglen Under 19 Premier Grand Finals were live-streamed. Several clubs also took the opportunity to celebrate a significant player milestone or club event by commissioning a live-stream broadcast to commemorate the occasion and allow interstate or overseas members of their community to enjoy live. We will continue to promote and build this direct broadcast relationship with clubs in 2025.

The new season will also see the commencement of a new three-year video production partnership, with the VAFA going to market to secure a preferred partner to continue driving production quality advancements via emerging technologies such as AI.

Events

The VAFA was thrilled to deliver a vibrant calendar of events in 2024, with each marquee occasion showcasing the spirit of our Association. Inclusion and Connection were the common themes underlying VAFA events this year, with the intent to bring the broader VAFA Community together to celebrate individual, club, and league success. With strong attendance, VAFA events are a platform to foster unity amongst the VAFA’s 68 clubs with a chance for networking and connectivity. Building on past successes, the VAFA aimed to bring a high-quality experience to every function, celebrating the dedication of our athletes, the passion of our fans, and the legacy of our Association.

Bookending the VAFA Football season is the William Buck VAFA Season Launch and the VAFA Awards Night; celebrations of what is to come and what was achieved. A new initiative in 2024 was the presentation of Premiership Flags at the Awards Night as a more fitting platform for players and coaches to be acknowledged for their team success on a grand stage in front of the entire VAFA community just weeks after their Grand Final victories.

One of the highlights on the events calendar was the annual Big V Luncheon, held at the prestigious RACV City Club. The three 2024 Big Representative Teams were presented with their playing guernseys in front of a full room of 350 guests: a 40% increase in attendance year on year. The Big V Luncheon is a hallmark of the VAFA legacy as an invaluable platform for players, clubs, and supporters to honour the history of the Big V, celebrate our ‘Hall of Famers’, and recognise the achievements of emerging representative players, fostering a sense of connectivity between the past, present, and future.

As an event that continues to grow both in scale and significance, this promises to be even more remarkable in 2025 as the VAFA prepares to celebrate a major milestone in its history: the centenary year of the Big V. This historic event will be marked by a gala celebration honouring 100 years of the VAFA’s representative football legacy. The centenary celebration will pay tribute to generations of players who have worn the iconic Big V guernsey, bringing together past and present representatives to celebrate the tradition, achievements, and lasting impact of Representative Football within the VAFA.

Susan Miller Marketing&Events Manager

The strength and enthusiasm of our community are what make these occasions so special, and we look forward to continued celebration and even greater participation in the years to come. “ ”

Other events throughout the season include the annual William Buck Finals Lunch at ZINC, with this year’s special guests, Matthew Lloyd and Campbell Brown bringing a fl avour of finals football to the day. Moreover, the VAFA held official match day functions at Elsternwick Park for both the William Buck Premier Women’s and William Buck Premier Men’s Grand Final days.

A key focus continues to be working with affordable venues and implementing cost saving strategies wherever possible to keep ticket prices manageable, whilst still executing and delivering high calibre events. As always, we encourage feedback from clubs and attendees to ensure our events evolve to best meet the needs of our diverse community.

We extend our gratitude to all attendees, clubs, and supporters for their continued engagement with the VAFA events in 2024. The strength and enthusiasm of our community are what make these occasions so special, and we look forward to continued celebration and even greater participation in the years to come.

Clubs & Community

Community & Club Support

Staff GM – Community & Club Support, Sean Walker (resigned November 2024); Club Support Manager, Pranav Menon; Wellbeing Program Manager, Claire Castle.

2024

In January the VAFA strengthened its staff resources to support its clubs by appointing Pranav Menon to the role of Club Support Coordinator. Pranav’s extended role makes the VAFA the only Metropolitan league with two full-time staff working in Club Support.

The VAFA also appointed Claire Castle to the role of Wellbeing Project Manager in August, with the responsibility of delivering an upcoming association wide project focusing on reducing gambling related harm.

Both Pranav and Claire have made immediate impacts across the association and have been valuable assets within the VAFA team.

VAFA Club Conference

The year commenced with the annual VAFA Club Conference welcoming over 100 administrators from VAFA clubs to Holmesglen Chadstone in the first week of February. The conference provided an opportunity for committee members to hear from Club Support, Football Operations and Commercial partners on the services, products and support available to VAFA Clubs in 2024. The VAFA would like to thank Tackle Your Feelings, Love the Game, AFL Victoria, Australian Sports Foundation, PlayHQ, Marsh Insurance and all VAFA commercial partners in attendance for their contribution to the Conference.

The Player Assistance Program allows all VAFA players the opportunity to access Mental Health Services

”

Player Assistance Program

In May the VAFA introduced the Player Assistance Program, a first of its kind initiative in community sport. The Player Assistance Program allows all VAFA players the opportunity to access Mental Health Services, such as counselling, at no cost via the association’s bespoke partnership with Converge International. The Player Assistance Program is funded by a percentage of the annual $11 player registration fee. The remaining funds captured through registration fees have allowed the VAFA to increase the coverage of personal injury insurance from Bronze to Gold level cover for all players through the AFL Insurance partner, Marsh Insurance.

Community Partnerships

In 2024 the VAFA continued partnerships with long term community partners Tackle Your Feelings, BCNA, Love the Game and Relationships Australia Victoria. In 2024 the VAFA welcomed new partnerships with Community organisations Sport4all and the Good Friday Appeal. Sport4all are a disability and inclusion organisation and have a variety of resources and toolkits that can support clubs to be more welcoming of people in their community that have a disability. The Good Friday Appeal is a fundraising organisation that is familiar to the VAFA Community, raising funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital to support ill children and their families.

2024 saw the delivery of the 5th year of the Tackle Your Feelings partnership with a record 838 VAFA players undertaking the Mental Health Education workshop throughout the season. The highlight of the Tackle Your Feelings program for 2024 was the creation of a TYF jumper for St Mary’s Salesian Football club, worn by the u19’s men’s during Tackle Your Feelings Round in May. St Mary’s also received a visit from TYF Ambassador, Dylan Buckley, at their Thursday night training session.

Club Support

With the previously mentioned appointment of Pranav Menon to the role of Club Support Coordinator, the VAFA signalled a clear intention to prioritise the health and sustainability of its clubs in 2024. This was done through a variety of avenues in 2024 including coach development, grant & fundraising support, Operational support, Committee and Governance support and the availability of online resources and digital support tools. Additionally, Clubs were invited to participate in the 2024 VAFA Club Health Check & Engagement Survey with club support documents created following completion.

Sean Walker Club&Community Manager Prenav Menon ClubSupport Manager

Claire Castle Wellbeing ProjectManager

Coach Development

In 2024, the VAFA, in partnership with AFL Victoria, delivered two Coach induction workshops and a specialised women’s induction workshop at the start of the season. Over 30 male and female coaches attended, engaging in curriculum that covered essential coaching concepts such as developing coaching philosophies, creating effective training and match-day plans, mastering communication skills, and upholding key coaching values.

Additionally, the VAFA, alongside AFL Victoria, delivered a bespoke Level 2 Accreditation course for VAFA coaches at no cost. This course provided an opportunity for coaches to advance their skills and deepen their understanding of coaching techniques and methodologies. Tailored specifically for coaches working with U19 teams, women coaching within the VAFA, and men coaching women’s teams, the session attracted 23 participants from 16 VAFA clubs, including head and assistant coaches. The workshop fostered a collaborative atmosphere, encouraging the exchange of ideas, sharing of best practices, and participation in enriching discussions. Through a blend of interactive sessions and practical exercises, coaches gained hands-on experience and were able to apply their newfound knowledge to their teams.

Grants & Fundraising

In 2024, VAFA clubs pursued various revenue-generating opportunities to support their programs. Key initiatives included the TAC Club Rewards Program, Country Footy Grant, and Good for Footy Raffle.

The Country Footy Grant aimed to enhance club safety and reduce volunteer workload, awarding $36,184 to 22 clubs. Funds supported projects such as goal netting, inclusive guernseys, defibrillators, and volunteer training. This year, changes in funding allocation prioritized smaller projects to assist more clubs across Victoria.

The Good for Footy Raffle was a significant fundraising avenue, with 52 clubs raising a combined $87,815. All proceeds directly benefited the participating clubs. Mazenod OCFC and UHS-VU stood out, raising $21,760 and $10,030, respectively. This year marked the highest participation rate, showcasing increased club engagement.

Clubs & Community

Through the TAC Club Rewards Program, 29 clubs collectively earned $82,500 by promoting road safety during the TAC Road Safety Round. Clubs engaged in media outreach, wore blue TAC armbands, and emphasized a culture of road safety. Monash University FC, La Trobe University FC, and Power House FC led with $7,000, $6,000, and $6,000, respectively.

Overall, these initiatives enabled VAFA clubs to raise a total of $206,499 in 2024.

Recognition Awards

In 2024, the VAFA continued the recognition of volunteers, coaches, trainers and clubs through the Carruthers Executive Coach of the Month & Year Award, The PASS Volunteer of the Month & Year award, the Club Connect Club of the Month and the Victor Sports Trainer of the Year award.

The Good for Footy Raffle was a significant fundraising avenue, with 52 clubs raising a combined $87,815.

Throughout the year, the VAFA received an impressive 90 nominations across coaching, volunteer, and trainer categories. The winners of the 2024 awards are highlighted below.

April/May2024 Jim Bonwick (Old Haileybury)Warde Elliott (Power House)

June2024 Kevin O’Sullivan (Oakleigh)Lawrence Henry (Williamstown)

July2024 Alysia Regan (Mentone Panthers)Ellen Buckley (Old Yarra Cobras)

August2024 Kate Robinson (Preston Bullants)Rick Frost (Parkside)

ClubConnectCluboftheMonth

AprilMentone Panthers FC

MayWhitefriars FC

JuneAquinas FC

JulyPower House AFC

AugustDe La Salle FC

2024AnnualCommunityAwards

Carruthers Executive Coach of the Year Women’s Teams Megan Corser (Kew)

Carruthers Executive Coach of the Year Men’s Teams Jarrod Gieschen (Old Ivanhoe Grammarians)

The PASS Volunteer of the YearMichael Learmonth (St Mary’s Salesian)

Victor Sports Trainer for the YearElizabeth Ravalli (North Brunswick)

2024 has been an exciting year in the Community & Club Support department, with a holistic goal of reducing volunteer burden and creating sustainable and thriving clubs within the VAFA. We hope to continue the fantastic relationship the Community & Club Support team have with our clubs into 2025 and look forward to continuing to provide high levels of service and support.

2024 Award Winners

Men’s

Best & Fairest Winners

WilliamBuckPremierMen’s(J.N.WoodrowMedal):

Samuel Fisher (Old Xaverians) - 16

PremierBMen’s(G.TMooreMedal):

William Murphy (Old Ivanhoe) - 26

PremierCMen’s(L.S.ZachariahMedal):

Matthew Fewings (Mazenod) - 28

Division1Men’s(L.S.PepperMedal):

Shaun Chapman (Prahran) - 20

Division2Men’s(J.FullertonMedal):

Justin Raiti (Hawthorn) - 20

Division3Men’s(P.HutchinsonMedal):

Fletcher Banfi eld (North Brunswick) - 29

MecwacareMasters:

Steve Crapper (Marcellin) - 8

Women’s

Best & Fairest Winners

WilliamBuckPremierWomen’s(ShonaMacInnesMedal):

Dakota Villiva (Kew) - 31

PremierBWomen’s:

Brooke McKay (Old Geelong) - 28

Division1Women’s(KyliedaFonteMedal):

Alana Pane (Marcellin) - 27

Division2Women’s:

Clare Fernandes (Whitefriars) - 36

Division3Women’s:

Eliza German (Therry Penola) - 43

Division4Women’s(JulieRossiterMedal):

Johannah Gri ffi n (Albert Park) – 24

Holmesglen U19s Best & Fairest Winners

U19sPremierMen’s(C.R.NewburyMedal):

Luca Di Lallo (University Blues) & Sacha Dimachki (St Bedes/Mentone Tigers) - 17

U19sDivision1Men’s(HarryThomasMedal):

Charles Kilburn (Hampton Rovers) - 24

U19sDivision2Men’s(G.W.McTaggartMedal):

Samuel Woods (Old Camberwell) - 28

U19sDivision3Men’s:

Joshua Hine (Ormond) - 20

U19sDivision4Men’s(JohnRobinsonMedal):

Daniel Di Qual (Therry Penola) - 11

Rising Stars

AnytimeFitnessMen’sRisingStar:

Jonah Campigli (Old Brighton)

AnytimeFitnessWomen’sRisingStar:

Charlie Anderson (Caul fi eld Grammarians)

Umpire Awards

UmpireoftheYear:

Daniel Silfo

MostPromisingUmpire:

Angus Bunker-Smith

William Buck Premier Men’s

OldBrighton

GOALS: J Campigli 2, S Collins 2, J Hope 2, N Pavlou 2, T Fisher 1, J Segar 1

BEST: Max Lohan, S Collins, S Flockart, E Avis, A Jarnestrom, J Hope OldScotch

GOALS: J Tarrant 4, R Valentine 4, W Clark 3, O Badr 1, C Lean 1, J Polkinghorne 1 BEST: R Valentine, A Jelbart, B Hays, J Tarrant, S Grant, C Cormack

FBCharlie Cormack (OS)Nicholas Conway (BLU)Nathan Ligris (FITZ) HBCampbell Moor fi eld (BLA)Scott Beilby (COL)Martin Gleeson (BLU)

CNathan Boucher (COL)Harry Hill (Capt) (OB)Al fi e Jarnestrom (OB)

HFNick Pavlou (OB)James Stewart (BLU)Charlie Vague (STB)

FFSam Laube (OM)Patrick Kerr (STK)James Tarrant (OS)

FOLL.William Coates (STK)Luke Winter (STK)Sam Fisher (OX) I/CMarcus Stavrou (OX)Alex Spralja (OX) Campbell Tweedie (OB) Sam Grimley (BLU)

COACHMark Gnatt (OS)

OldXaverians GOALS: E Kennedy 3, H MacIsaac 3, H Bell 2, M Mahommed 2, S Hansen 1, B Kennedy 1, C Westcott 1 BEST: H Basset, B Moyle, C Westcott, M Mahommed, H MacIsaac, W Egan

OldScotch GOALS: H Byrne-Jones 1, C Goodison 1, H Japp 1, F Morrisby 1

BEST: Old Scotch:R Beckworth, C Goodison, A Halse, T Clarke, C Schilling, M Muller

Premier B Men’s

Williamstown CYMS 1851210128916422278.5 Caul

3, L. Treverton 1, B. Steele 1, B. Seccull 1, H. Nosiara 1 BEST: C. Sinclair, J. Gasparini, C. Harrop, D. Seccull, C. Riley, h. jones, DeLaSalle

De La Salle GOALS: R. O’Meara 2, C. Algeri 1, A. Indovino 1, F. Cameron 1, BEST: De La Salle: J. Williams, C. Aitken, L. Gawel, H. Nicholson, T. Shannon, F. Cameron,

William MurphyOld Ivanhoe26

Christian AlgeriDe La Salle23

James AllenOld Camberwell22

Jordan BusuttilWilliamstown CYMS20

Jack SheridanOld Geelong15

Team of the Year

FBZac Calvez (SBMT)Callum Linehan (BEAU)Luke Healy (DLS)

HBBrodie Steele (OH)Nick Riddle (OI)Will Horsfall (OG)

CJosh Gasparini (OH)Brede Seccull (Capt) (OH)Hugo McGlashan (OT)

HFBilly Murphy (OI)Nathan Scollo (DLS)Andreas Stefanakis (OH)

FFHarry Laukins (OC)Dominic Payman (OT)Adrian Indovino (DLS)

FOLL.Jack Sheridan (OG)Christian Algeri (DLS)Jordan Busuttil (WILL) I/CJames Allen (OC)Callum Heath (BEAU)Alex Emery (OT)Durras Seccull (OH)

COACHDonald McDonald (OT)

De La Salle 1814400155472356214.94

Old Ivanhoe 1813500133479652167.59

Old Geelong 1813500121581152149.82

Williamstown CYMS 1899001133110936102.16

Old Camberwell 1899001128111036101.62

St Bedes/Mentone Tigers 1871100111612202891.48

Beaumaris 185120092014022065.62

Old Haileybury 18215007661580848.48

Caul fi

OldTrinity GOALS: N. Adgemis 2, W. Macafee 1, T. de Graa ff 1, M. Scott 1, E. Chard 1, L. Scobie 1, B. Smith 1, BEST: N. Adgemis, W. Macafee, L. Chiaramonte, H. Taylor, F. Robertson, F. Hall, DeLaSalle GOALS: P. Russell 1, T. Fogarty 1, H. Gustin 1, E. MacBeth 1, S. McNidder 1, B. Ahearn 1, BEST: De La Salle: Not provided

Rovers18

Mitch BrownParkdale Vultures17

Will GreenGlen Eira / Old McKinnon15

FBTom Horton (OC)Nixon Hall (MB)James Prosser (HR)

HBJoel Melnjak (HR)Alex Bennett (MB)Luca Anderson (OC)

CJesse Max fi eld (GI)Christian Carnovale (C.) (HR)Isaac Elwood (OC)

HFMax Coughlin (HR)Jordan Cohen (AJ)Luke Ashen (OAK)

FFRichie Simon (AJ)Mitch Brown (PV)Riley Thompson (OC)

FOLL.Lachlan Mirams (GI)Matthew Fewings (MAZ)Will Green (GI)

I/CMitch Wooffi ndin (OC)Adam Tomaro (MAR)Clinton Young (HR)Jack Fenner (PEG)

COACHAaron Bailey (OC)

PrahranFC

GOALS: s. chapman 2, E. Plaza 1, M. Mayne 1, M. Cli fford 1 BEST: Prahran FC: s. chapman, M. Mayne, J. Musster, J. Bell, J. Hume, R. Brodie Parkside

GOALS: B. Douglas 1, M. Lawson 1, BEST: D. Douglas, M. Lawson, M. Romano, Y. Stecki, L. Daniels, L. Caldwell

llan (UHS)Rhys Kennedy (OR)

CMatt Holden (PAR)Hugh Peacock (PEN)Harrison Burt (OR)

HFBailey Payze (PEN)Matt Cli fford (PRA)James Tsakonas (OR)

FFNed Waters (KEW)Brandon Jackson (UHS)Shaun Chapman (PRA) FOLL.Rory Brodie (PRA)Benedict Douglas (PAR)Mackenzie Mayne (PRA) I/CJake Lovett (PEN) Elliot Brandon-Jones (OY) Jackson Hille (OR)Hugo Byron (PB)

COACHCraige Milward (PRA)

Grand Final Result

Parkside1.41.71.93.10

Parkside GOALS: M. Doyle 1, O. Benson 1, J. Manthorpe 1, BEST: F. Adcock, S. Logozzo, O. Benson, D. Vickers, A. McEvoy, L. Grist

WestBrunswick GOALS: T. Cottrell 2, D. McMahon 1, S. Wood 1, S. Pritchard 1, BEST: M. Holmes, C. Ralph, H. McKendry, S. Wood, G. Makabory, A. Mackenzie

Result

GOALS: D. Marchese 3, J. Howard 1 BEST: M. Harvey, D. Marchese, P. Sanderson, J. Hill, B. Pantas, D. Roberts BrunswickFC

GOALS: O. Watt 1, H. Parker 1, W. McKenzie 1, BEST: L. White, T. Haddock, J. Hedley, B. Wilson, T. Hedley, W. McKenzie

COACHPeter Higginbotham (ELS) Grand Final

Armenia (SM)Matt Harvey (Capt) (ELS)Joden Crothers (WP)

HBCharlie Boots (HAW)Tom Foley (STM)Harry Vogler (BT)

CTom Jacotine (WHI)Max Warrick (WHI)Rowan Hogenbirk (BRU)

HFGabe Banova (BRU)Spencer Hankin (ELS)Sam Kieseker (WHI)

FFJustin Raiti (HAW)Hayden Parker (BRU)Nick Garratt (WHI)

FOLL.Marlon Simbolon (WHI)Paul Sanderson (ELS)Ben Wilson (BRU) I/CBen Tricarico (STM)Garrison Asciak (AQ)Nick McKinnon (MHS)Jamie Brooker (SM)

A.

A.

L. Pearson, Z.

StMarysSalesian GOALS: J. McElroy 1, Z. Gucciardo 1, BEST: J. Kidman, M. Baysinger, J. Salloum, M. Flora, J. Barrie, J. McElroy

Swinburne

StJohns

GOALS: C. Houghton 2, J. Rudd 1, H. Emery 1, B. Robson 1, T. Neal 1, B. Khoweiss 1, B. Ayache 1, M. Barry 1

BEST: C. Houghton, J. Mourant, C. Ely, J. D’Atri, B. Robson, M. Barry

Canterbury

GOALS: J. Nicolopoulos 4, B. Kelleher 3, J. Cutts 2, J. Boarotto 1, r. walmsley 1,

BEST: T. Lowden, B. Kelleher, J. Nicolopoulos, J. Boarotto, M. Szabo, N. Beacom

Barry (STJ)Adam Tsardakis (NB)

CJames Boarotto ( C ) (CAN)Daniel Abou-Karroum (STJ)Ben Field (EP)

HFTimothy Werner (STJ)Blake Williams (BH)Luke Stubbs (PH)

FFNick Ferguson (SU)Michael Carnelley (STJ)Ben Ogilvie (CH)

FOLL.Josh Ward (CAN)Fletcher Ban fi eld (NB)Benjamin Circosta (PH)

I/CJonty Randall (LTU)Jack Bilson (RC)Corey Ely (STJ)Henry Olive (AB)

COACHTim Edwards (STJ)

NorthBrunswick GOALS: A. Ramzy 2, M. Waterson 2, K. Thomson 1

BEST: L. Pardini, M. Skinner, B. Davison, M. Waterson, S. Widdicombe, J. Horwood

RichmondCentral GOALS: J. Jacotine 3, N. Banks 2, T. Waite 1, W. Hocking 1

BEST: J. Jacotine, T. Waite, D. Dignam, D. Pratt, N. Banks, E. Smith

Grand Final Result

StKevins

GOALS: K. Stanton 3, S. Cameron 2, BEST: K. Stanton, A. Embelton, E. Condon, S. Betts, J. Joyce, L. Suleiman OldScotch

GOALS: J. Mifsud 4, E. De fi na 2, M. Wilson 1, J. Wise 1, S. Fortunato 1, M. Kendall 1 BEST: J. Mifsud, B. Gray, M. Ca ff ry, M. Wilson, K. Hunter-Scott, E. Crump

HBBrooke Randall (MU)Alicia Myers (MB)Emily Condon (SKOB)

CBrook

(MB)Mia Ca ff ry ( C ) (OS)Zara Guss (SKOB)

HFEloise De fi na (OS)Sarah Cameron (SKOB)Kate Stanton (SKOB)

FFSarah Kenny (CG)Cecilia Baldassarre (OY)Hannah Smith (SKOB)

FOLL.Krystal Russell (COL)Dakota Villiva (KEW)Taylah Watson (WB)

I/CBree Doyle (SKOB)Sarah Jolly (COB)Angelena Roan (MU)Amelia Dawborn (KEW)

COACHDean Anderson (OS)

Collegians GOALS: J. Stolz 2, B. Tuszynski 2, B. Rees 2, A. Henderson 2, K. Dudley 2, G. Lambley 1, C. Mcdermott 1, C. Pritchard 1, A. Kamberis 1 BEST: Not provided

OldScotch GOALS: L. Morley 1, BEST: G. Johnson, I. Tuttle, G. Kerr, Z. Fodor, N. Griffiths, A. Stubbings

161150067125144267.33

16511004405382081.78

16412002428991626.92

GOALS: S. McCarthy 1, M. Arthur 1, M. Passon 1, C. Cody 1, S. Rothfi eld 1,

BEST: A. Latimer, M. Passon, C. Cody, B. Mckay, S. Roth fi eld, K. Dunn

Fitzroy

GOALS: N. Cooney Hunt 3, E. Boles 1, BEST: O. Brilliant, S. Mooney, N. Cooney Hunt, M. de Bondt, L. Atkinson, S. Lynas

16790051749728104.02

& FairestClubVotes

Brooke MckayOld Geelong28 Sarah

CYMS17

xerriSt Bedes / Mentone Tigers16 Jaime NelsonFitzroy FC14 Maddi WilsonSt Bedes / Mentone Tigers14

FBSam Davis (OG)Eliza Cooper (SBMT)Jade Desira (WB)

HBOlivia Brilliant (FITZ)Amy Benifer (OX)Sarah Lynas (FITZ)

CManaia Huta (WG)Brooke McKay (C) (OG)Kiara Palmer (WILL)

HFAlessia Acquaro (WILL)Sophia Roth fi eld (OG)Kiara Henry (WG)

FFMatilda Arthur (OG)Loren Mills (WILL)Maddi Wilson (SBMT)

FOLL.Sienna Tedde (BEAU)Georgina Bennett (FITZ)Meg Dargan (AQ) I/CChiara Chiarelli (OX) Belinda Ousley (SBMT) Cassandra Newman (BEAU) Georgia Ricardo (SBMT)

COACHJack Crameri (OG)

Larissa LewisSt Bedes / Mentone Tigers27

FarleyWestbourne23

WardWestbourne20

HutaWestbourne16

OlneyFitzroy14

Fitzroy GOALS: C. Haritopoulos 5, A. Lietz 2, C. Poole 1, T. Tonzing 1, H. Fitzgerald 1, C. Kelly 1,

BEST: C. Haritopoulos, C. Hetherington, A. Lietz, E. Bourke, M. McLachlan, T. Tonzing

Westbourne GOALS: T. Huta 1, BEST: Not provided

(OM) Serene Vudiniabola (OH) Liv Frost (MAR)

O’Halloran, E. Pullen, M. Halton LaTrobe

GOALS: J. Yew 1

BEST: J. Lowry, I. Warrillow, K. Bond, E. Lauritsen, C. Croome, T. D’Angelo

Holmesglen Under 19 Premier Men’s

Team of the Year

FBXavier Duke (STK)Oliver Iser (OS)Hamish McInerney (CG)

HBFinn Chandler (SBMT)Johnny Pring (BLU)Mason Szonyi (OB)

CCarl Ziebarth (BLU)Liam Edwards (STK)Harry Bird (OX)

HFEd Dalton (OX)Jonah Campigli (OB)Cooper Dowe (OB)

FFCallum Hankin (CG)Luca Di Lallo (BLU)Henry Long (OS)

FOLL.Tom Gorman (OX)George Delimitrou (Capt) (STK)Sacha Dimachki (SBMT)

I/CCarlos Reynolds (BEAU)Xavier Snelling (WILL)Josh Stewart (DLS)Jake Phillips (OS)

COACHMatt McLennan (OB)

Palmer, X. Duke, C. Lynch, M. O’Mahony, R. Fernandes OldBrighton

GOALS: C. Dowe 3, L. Travers 2, T. Jackett-Simpson 1, M. Szonyi 1, L. McCluskey 1

BEST: C. Dowe, L. Travers, M. Hofmann, M. Szonyi, J. Lohan, T. Howden

M. Loukomitis 2, K. Hughes 2, N. Mora-McDonald 1, S. Guida 1, W. Oconnell 1, T. Lowrie 1

St Bernards: A. Ryan, X. Purcell, J. Maddox, N. Mora-McDonald, J. Rendelmann, T. Lowrie

PugsleySt Bedes / Mentone50

GuerguesOakleigh13

DavidsonOld Camberwell12

AskewOld Camberwell 11

CarlisleOld Camberwell 11

GOALS: L. Ross 2, S. Veitch 1, W. Stamper 1, J. Spalding 1 BEST: J. Spalding, J. Davidson, B. Carlisle, S. Veitch, B. Joy, S. Woods

GOALS: F. Wright 1, J. Cheesman 1, S. Litras 1, F. Hanegraaf 1, G. Ingram 1, A. Watson 1 BEST: F. Hanegraaf, S. Ryan, S. Lindsay, C. Bowker, J. Cheesman, M. Milner

GOALS: S. Asdagi 4, T. Mantesso 2, T. Amal fi 1, O. Tehan 1 BEST: T. Mantesso, S. Asdagi, J. Kennedy, B. Whelan, G. villiers de casanove, J. Alexeyeff StKevins

GOALS: M. Canning 4, O. Doyle 1, J. Martin 1, J. Ritchie 1, J. Romanin 1, J. Arazi 1 BEST: J. Romanin, M. Canning, H. Carlin, O. Doyle, A. Butler, J. Liszukiewicz

GOALS: J. Hanger 2, W. Curtis 2, D. Nash 2, P. Cockerill 1, L. Strathdee 1 BEST: E. Ponari, W. Curtis, O. Silk, N. Nunan, J. Hanger, W. Mantesso StKevins2

GOALS: R. Caldow 4, X. Dietze 2, J. Cha ffey 2 BEST: L. Haig, Z. Close, H. Read, C. Lanyon, C. Dachs, J. Chaffey

GOALS: J. Lyon 2, C. Abrahams 1, E. Chiodo 1, S. Stanley 1, M. Perrett 1 BEST: S. Stanley, W. Veljkovic, D. O’Shannassy, T. Lyon, M. Speakman, C. Kim

OldCarey

GOALS: D. Wolters 2, J. Best 1, G. Trumbull 1 BEST: D. Maurice, J. Virgona, J. Kierce, D. Wolters, D. Bolton, T. Atkins

DeLaSalle

GOALS: G. Moutsidis 2, B. Richter 1, D. Kaminaris 1, H. Pietsch 1 BEST: D. Kaminaris, L. Thomas, D. Melissinos, B. Melissinos, J. Ingram, L. Appleton

MentonePanthers

GOALS: C. Sharp 4, L. Hull 2, B. Rossi 2, T. Wiltshire 1, F. Angus 1, G. McMullan 1, D. Mills 1, J. henderson 1, K. Smith-Cameron 1 BEST: C. Sharp, G. Snow, K. Smith-Cameron, B. Rossi, T. Wiltshire, M. Parker

1211100123640444305.94

1610600118977040154.42

1612400111561348181.89

161060083848440173.14

16106009059354096.79

1679006478582875.41

1678007478942883.56

16106008319144090.92 MHSOB 16961086171738120.08 Hawthorn 16880076269532109.64 Box

166100074310692469.5

165110064010112063.3

163130053413571239.35

16312003419551235.71

16214004591090842.11

16412006378671673.47

GOALS: F. Kenny 2, J. Shirley 1, X. McIntyre 1, T. Russell 1, N. Lyons 1, F. O’Callaghan 1 BEST: C. Cranderson, H. McKay, L. Burke, T. Curtain, E. Logan, T. Russell

GOALS: M. Volpe 4, C. McIlveen 2, N. Sivakumar 1, M. Del Monte 1, T. Owen 1 BEST: S. Price, A. Steer, J. Simpson, M. Del Monte, C. McIlveen, M. Volpe

GOALS: C. Chilcott 4, C. Hronopoulos 3, S. Davis 2, N. Klavins 2, S. Mann 1, J. Cetraro 1, J. Mazzeo 1 BEST: Not provided Parkdale GOALS: S. Chitty 2, O. Long-Remfry 1, E. Williams 1 BEST: E. Williams, D. Strom, M. Graham, C. Lalor, O. Long-Remfry, S. Chitty

VAFA Partners