The lowdown:
Simple!
The full story:
March 28, 2024 - 6:00PM
A bombshell decision has been made on the future of football and netball in Geelong, with AFL Barwon sensationally opting to merge the Geelong and Bellarine Football Netball Leagues in a tiered competition and add two extra teams to the Bellarine from 2025.
After six months of extensive consultation with clubs, the AFL Barwon Commission will adopt their contentious restructure project where relegation and non-mandatory promotion — with top-ranked clubs able to choose if they want to be elevated — will take place every two seasons.
The AFL Barwon Commission met with key stakeholders on Monday night after receiving another round of feedback from clubs on the updated proposal, which was released this month.
Under the competition overhaul, promotion and relegation will be judged through a club championship ranking — taking into account ladder finishes from senior football, reserves football, A grade netball and B grade netball — over a two-year period.
The first two-year cycle is from 2024-25, meaning results this year will shape the first movements within the tiered competition in 2026.
The top side in the Bellarine FNL under club championship will be given the opportunity to be promoted — if they decide against it, then the second-placed team will be offered the chance.
However, if both sides choose to remain in the Bellarine FNL then both competitions will stay the same.
The restructure plan means that junior club Surf Coast is in the box seat to enter the senior ranks in 2025 along with another club from the Colac & District Football Netball League or the Geelong & District Football League, as the Bellarine competition extends to a 12-team competition.
But AFL Barwon’s statement made clear that submissions for both an 11th and 12th team remain open, suggesting that Surf Coast’s entry in 2025 is not guaranteed.
The Suns are set to meet with AFL Barwon next week.
The AFL Barwon Comission also said that all criteria would be reviewed during the 2027 season to assess if any further change was required.
“The AFL Barwon Commission are very grateful for the time and effort all clubs have put in over the last six months. The consultation process has been extensive, and we have appreciated the individual thoughts, ideas and club feedback provided during this process,” AFL Barwon Chair Michelle Gerdtz said.
“The key outcomes for AFL Barwon at the commencement of this project was to create a competition landscape that promoted greater pathways, competitiveness, and opportunities for clubs to succeed, as well as providing an entry point for new clubs to be established and enter Senior Football and Netball with success.
“By expanding the Bellarine Football Netball League to include 12 teams, we now see the opportunity for Surf Coast Suns to enter Senior Football and Netball and the mechanism has now been created for movement between the Bellarine FNL and Geelong FNLs”.
AFL Barwon stripped back its initial Future of Football and Netball Project plan that was revealed to clubs in December, which had three-league structure headed by a cashed up Premier League.
It came after meeting between club presidents and AFL Barwon in February found that just seven of the 22 clubs were in support of the previous model.
The governing body’s updated proposal maintains current league titles and governance and removed complex criteria clubs had to meet in order to seek promotion.
It also features boosted salary caps for sides outside the top four as an equalisation measure, with bottom-two sides receiving the most funds to recruit top-end talent.
South Barwon and Ocean Grove have been the most vocal public supporters on the divisive issue, while many clubs in the Bellarine FNL have been against the changes.
Speaking before the decision was made, Swans coach Mark Neeld, who is also the chief executive of Geelong United, told this publication he was in support of the proposal and upward and downward movement between leagues.
He said the Geelong football and netball community couldn’t let self-interest get in the way of what he believed was the best path forward for the growing population in the region.
“I think from our football and netball club and also from a personal level, if people are honest with themselves and do the right thing for the sport, promotion-relegation gets voted in unanimously,” Neeld said.
“I think right now it is important to put the games of football and netball out the front. In my opinion that is not being disrespectful to what has gone on in the past. Clearly there is a population shift and you just have to look at the data,” Neeld said.
“There are coastal areas in Geelong that have enormous populations, enormous populations of young children, enormous population of youth and early 20-aged people.
“They are the type of people that are playing sport and we need to make sure that those people continue playing football and continue playing netball and they do so over a really competitive environment.
“Have we got the most competition environment right now? Well clearly not, and I think it is important that that is the focus. Then it is incumbent upon all leagues and all players and all clubs within those leagues, if you want to play in the higher division it is not simply a matter of putting your hand up, you actually have to get club structures and junior development.”
“In some cases it is impossible because of the population shift in Geelong, so I’m all for promotion and relegation if it is the best thing for the sport.”
- Two-division football and netball competition
- Geelong league to be top division, with Bellarine league to be second division
- Bellarine league to be expanded to 12 clubs for 2025. Clubs to apply for two spots. Surf Coast Suns as a new senior club thought likely to be one, though not confirmed
- Promotion / relegation will be possible every TWO years, with the first cycle finishing at the end of 2025
- Clubs will accumulate points based on their ladder position after the H&A season (pre finals). The top team will get 12 points, the bottom team 1 point, etc.
- Each club will get four points ratings: Senior footy, Reserves footy, A netball, B netball. The four will be added to produce a single points total for each club for the season
- At the end of the cycle, the Bellarine club with the most points across two seasons (2024 and 2025 the first cycle) will be offered promotion to the GFNL. It is an offer, not mandatory
- Should they refuse, the Bellarine club with the second-most points will be offered promotion
- Only one club can be promoted
- If promotion is accepted by either either club, the GFNL club with the lowest points will be relegated to the BFNL.
- If promotion is not taken up by either Bellarine club, there will be no movement between leagues
- Salary cap and player points to be decided for both leagues. GFNL salary cap likely to be higher, reflecting “premier division” status
Simple!
The full story:
AFL Barwon decides to adopt competition restructure model from 2025 after six month consultation period
After months of consultation and rigorous debate, AFL Barwon has come to a decision on its competition restructure model for football and netball. Here are all the key details.March 28, 2024 - 6:00PM
A bombshell decision has been made on the future of football and netball in Geelong, with AFL Barwon sensationally opting to merge the Geelong and Bellarine Football Netball Leagues in a tiered competition and add two extra teams to the Bellarine from 2025.
After six months of extensive consultation with clubs, the AFL Barwon Commission will adopt their contentious restructure project where relegation and non-mandatory promotion — with top-ranked clubs able to choose if they want to be elevated — will take place every two seasons.
The AFL Barwon Commission met with key stakeholders on Monday night after receiving another round of feedback from clubs on the updated proposal, which was released this month.
Under the competition overhaul, promotion and relegation will be judged through a club championship ranking — taking into account ladder finishes from senior football, reserves football, A grade netball and B grade netball — over a two-year period.
The first two-year cycle is from 2024-25, meaning results this year will shape the first movements within the tiered competition in 2026.
The top side in the Bellarine FNL under club championship will be given the opportunity to be promoted — if they decide against it, then the second-placed team will be offered the chance.
However, if both sides choose to remain in the Bellarine FNL then both competitions will stay the same.
The restructure plan means that junior club Surf Coast is in the box seat to enter the senior ranks in 2025 along with another club from the Colac & District Football Netball League or the Geelong & District Football League, as the Bellarine competition extends to a 12-team competition.
But AFL Barwon’s statement made clear that submissions for both an 11th and 12th team remain open, suggesting that Surf Coast’s entry in 2025 is not guaranteed.
The Suns are set to meet with AFL Barwon next week.
The AFL Barwon Comission also said that all criteria would be reviewed during the 2027 season to assess if any further change was required.
“The AFL Barwon Commission are very grateful for the time and effort all clubs have put in over the last six months. The consultation process has been extensive, and we have appreciated the individual thoughts, ideas and club feedback provided during this process,” AFL Barwon Chair Michelle Gerdtz said.
“The key outcomes for AFL Barwon at the commencement of this project was to create a competition landscape that promoted greater pathways, competitiveness, and opportunities for clubs to succeed, as well as providing an entry point for new clubs to be established and enter Senior Football and Netball with success.
“By expanding the Bellarine Football Netball League to include 12 teams, we now see the opportunity for Surf Coast Suns to enter Senior Football and Netball and the mechanism has now been created for movement between the Bellarine FNL and Geelong FNLs”.
AFL Barwon stripped back its initial Future of Football and Netball Project plan that was revealed to clubs in December, which had three-league structure headed by a cashed up Premier League.
It came after meeting between club presidents and AFL Barwon in February found that just seven of the 22 clubs were in support of the previous model.
The governing body’s updated proposal maintains current league titles and governance and removed complex criteria clubs had to meet in order to seek promotion.
It also features boosted salary caps for sides outside the top four as an equalisation measure, with bottom-two sides receiving the most funds to recruit top-end talent.
South Barwon and Ocean Grove have been the most vocal public supporters on the divisive issue, while many clubs in the Bellarine FNL have been against the changes.
Speaking before the decision was made, Swans coach Mark Neeld, who is also the chief executive of Geelong United, told this publication he was in support of the proposal and upward and downward movement between leagues.
He said the Geelong football and netball community couldn’t let self-interest get in the way of what he believed was the best path forward for the growing population in the region.
“I think from our football and netball club and also from a personal level, if people are honest with themselves and do the right thing for the sport, promotion-relegation gets voted in unanimously,” Neeld said.
“I think right now it is important to put the games of football and netball out the front. In my opinion that is not being disrespectful to what has gone on in the past. Clearly there is a population shift and you just have to look at the data,” Neeld said.
“There are coastal areas in Geelong that have enormous populations, enormous populations of young children, enormous population of youth and early 20-aged people.
“They are the type of people that are playing sport and we need to make sure that those people continue playing football and continue playing netball and they do so over a really competitive environment.
“Have we got the most competition environment right now? Well clearly not, and I think it is important that that is the focus. Then it is incumbent upon all leagues and all players and all clubs within those leagues, if you want to play in the higher division it is not simply a matter of putting your hand up, you actually have to get club structures and junior development.”
“In some cases it is impossible because of the population shift in Geelong, so I’m all for promotion and relegation if it is the best thing for the sport.”
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