Bendigo FL discussion 2026

[Trent from barwon Heads]

Gisborne have appointed a reserves and under 18s coach, theyll play all 3 grades of footy

 

[rkjc22]

What's going on at Kyneton? The women were allowed to come back but the men cracked it?

The RDFL President seems to have put his foot in his mouth. Anyone know more?

 

[Mad Jack]

Gisborne have appointed a reserves and under 18s coach, theyll play all 3 grades of footy

I’m not so sure about that. Appointing a 2’s coach doesn’t guarantee a team every week. The 18’s coach was re-appointed a while back, he’s a ripper from what I’m told, but getting numbers is still a challenge - they relied on permit players from the under 17’s most weeks last year to fill the side.

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

What's going on at Kyneton? The women were allowed to come back but the men cracked it?

The RDFL President seems to have put his foot in his mouth. Anyone know more?

RDFL rejected Kyneton woman’s Bendigo league ( central Victorian football league ) accepted them . AFL Vic overruled after RDFL complained about CVFL accepting Kyneton .
Very high probability of heading to court which is predicted to be going to cost over $100k per party .
There’ll end up being an unaffiliated girls / woman’s comp .

 

[Quarry Hill]

RDFL rejected Kyneton woman’s . BFL accepted them . AFL Vic overruled after RDFL complained about BFL accepting Kyneton .
Very high probability of heading to court which is predicted to be going to cost over $100k per party .
There’ll end up being an unaffiliated girls / woman’s comp .

Roar are you saying RDFL complained about BFL accepting Kyneton's women's team after they rejected them?

This seems a bit odd!

 

[Jack Doolan]

Gisborne have appointed a reserves and under 18s coach, theyll play all 3 grades of footy

That’s the easy bit you still have to find 50 players and it’s hard when they didn’t know where they would be until a month ago or so

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

Roar are you saying RDFL complained about BFL accepting Kyneton's women's team after they rejected them?

This seems a bit odd!

That is what I’m told . Allegedly part of the finalising process for them to be accepted by AFL Vic into Bendigo league ( central Victorian football league ) was consultation with RDFL , who objected .
An extremely weird situation ,

‘We don’t want you , but you can’t play anywhere else ‘ !

 

[rkjc22]

Just a correction. Women's league isnt BFL I'm told? Run by a different body?

Seems pointless.

 

[rkjc22]

That’s the easy bit you still have to find 50 players and it’s hard when they didn’t know where they would be until a month ago or so

A month? They were told in September.

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

Just a correction. Women's league isnt BFL I'm told? Run by a different body?

Seems pointless.

My mistake , Bendigo based comp appears to be called central victorian football league .

 

[rkjc22]

My mistake , Bendigo based comp appears to be called central victorian football league .

Am I crazy or is that a money saving exercise right there? Having them under one umbrella?

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

Am I crazy or is that a money saving exercise right there? Having them under one umbrella?

IMO setting up of the woman’s teams and comps has been a complete Failure , particularity given they started with a blank canvas .
Teams should have been geographically set-up without alignment to mens clubs .
In many cases the women teams are needed to be filled by woman who have connection/ netball with opposition clubs .

 

[Mad Jack]

That is what I’m told . Allegedly part of the finalising process for them to be accepted by AFL Vic into Bendigo league ( central Victorian football league ) was consultation with RDFL , who objected .
An extremely weird situation ,

‘We don’t want you , but you can’t play anywhere else ‘ !

RDFL appealed which they were entitled to do. As I understand it, the basis of the appeal was that it would be potentially detrimental to one of their constituents, that being Kyneton FNC. So in essence, they did the right thing in appealing. It wasn’t their choice to uphold the appeal, they simply lodged it. They obviously made valid reasons in their objection to have the arbitrator decide to uphold.
From the outside, there seems a trend. Knocked back twice by RDFL, once by Ballarat, once (for 2025 season) by CVFL. So it’s not just RDFL that should be pigeonholed as the roadblock, there’s been others as well.

 

[Lastmanstanding]

IMO setting up of the woman’s teams and comps has been a complete Failure , particularity given they started with a blank canvas .
Teams should have been geographically set-up without alignment to mens clubs .
In many cases the women teams are needed to be filled by woman who have connection/ netball with opposition clubs .

If you are a men’s club looking for a grant, as soon as you mention you have a woman’s team you’re more likely than not to get the grant.

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

RDFL appealed which they were entitled to do. As I understand it, the basis of the appeal was that it would be potentially detrimental to one of their constituents, that being Kyneton FNC. So in essence, they did the right thing in appealing. It wasn’t their choice to uphold the appeal, they simply lodged it. They obviously made valid reasons in their objection to have the arbitrator decide to uphold.
From the outside, there seems a trend. Knocked back twice by RDFL, once by Ballarat, once (for 2025 season) by CVFL. So it’s not just RDFL that should be pigeonholed as the roadblock, there’s been others as well.

RDFL shouldn’t have had the right to appeal . Particularly after they’d rejected them. Seemingly an effort to control the amount of teams in the area / growth ??

 

[Jack Doolan]

Riddell is appealing in the interests of its club Kyneton because the women have left there and gone alone and Kyneton would like the women’s team to be in its fold

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

If you are a men’s club looking for a grant, as soon as you mention you have a woman’s team you’re more likely than not to get the grant.

Yet netball doesn’t gather the same response .

 

[Jack Doolan]

Yet netball doesn’t gather the same response .

The problem netball has is it is governed by a different body so often grants don’t align in eligibility

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

Riddell is appealing in the interests of its club Kyneton because the women have left there and gone alone and Kyneton would like the women’s team to be in its fold

Why has it got to this point ? Why didn’t Kyneton, Riddell or AFL Vic step in and sort out whatever the issue is ?
Instead the woman portion are obviously aggrieved and seemingly like Gisbourne’s attempt to move, the answer is to stamp authority .

 

[Fozz1908]

If you are a men’s club looking for a grant, as soon as you mention you have a woman’s team you’re more likely than not to get the grant.

All the grants come with caveats however on how the money needs to be spent meaning nothing filters into the actual club.

Women's footy at local level is a black hole. Stretching resources and volunteers without anything coming back in return.

Leagues won't have women's camps in a few years as interest is already waning. The girls have had there fun and the numbers are already falling (Senior). There will be a few women's only comps going forward.

 

[Jack Doolan]

Why it’s got to this point ? Why didn’t Kyneton, Riddell or AFL Vic step in and sort out whatever the issue is ?
Instead the woman portion are obviously aggrieved and seemingly like Gisbourne’s attempt to move, the answer is to stamp authority .

I’ve no idea the way I hear it there’s a group in the women’s team who are hellbent on tearing down the established club
They were agitating for women players to be paid as much as men and to be given the oval to train in the same time slots the men usually use even though they play a day later then they complained when a pride sticker was gone although no one knows what happened
They also keep trotting out this thing about the raffle draw being on their grand final day when they know full well a draw that big needs permits and a fixed draw date which was done well before anyone knew the date for the grand final

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

I’ve no idea the way I hear it there’s a group in the women’s team who are hellbent on tearing down the established club
They were agitating for women players to be paid as much as men and to be given the oval to train in the same time slots the men usually use even though they play a day later then they complained when a pride sticker was gone although no one knows what happened
They also keep trotting out this thing about the raffle draw being on their grand final day when they know full well a draw that big needs permits and a fixed draw date which was done well before anyone knew the date for the grand final

Tbh all that appears petty stuff which football , netball clubs work through regularly particularly when they aren’t amalgamated .
It doesn’t reflect well on any group involved , particularly AFL .

 

[Wooden Robot]

So, to clarify, this is the former Kyneton team that eventually merged or morphed into the Gisborne team that played in the EDDL. And now the girls - as in Kyneton - are going a separate way again?

 

[Trent from barwon Heads]

Yet netball doesn’t gather the same response .

I think they can lay claim to needing purpose fit change rooms, so clubs get massive grants to build new ones, as its cheaper than trying to retrofit the old ones, and its why you see shower cubicles now

but certainly agree roar, where do the poor netballers get changed now And for the last 100 years

 

[Mad Jack]

RDFL shouldn’t have had the right to appeal . Particularly after they’d rejected them. Seemingly an effort to control the amount of teams in the area / growth ??

Sounds like that’s exactly why they appealed. Makes sense to me to be honest - concerned that the creation of a 2nd club in town would potentially impact the pathway from KFNC juniors to KFNC seniors for females - then of course they should be doing what they can do support a club that already exists with their constituency. I’m just guessing here, but I’d think there’s nowhere near enough young female juniors in the town to support 2 senior teams long term.