New women's club needs a league after leaving football netball structure

A newly formed women's Australian Rules football club in central Victoria is facing difficulties in securing a venue to play, having already been rejected by two local leagues.

Approximately 30 female footballers left the Kyneton Football Netball Club at the end of the 2024 season to form the Kyneton Women's Eagles Football Club. Club President Natalie Korinfsky stated that the move aimed to create a safe, supportive environment that prioritizes gender equality.

“For us, it’s about making sure that we have a club that women players can participate in," Korinfsky said in an interview with ABC Central Victoria. "It’s a club for our whole community and supports the community.” The Kyneton Football Netball Club declined to comment.

While the new club is about to start pre-season training, Korinfsky stated that their efforts have been hampered by the inability to find a league to join. Both the Ballarat Football Netball League and the AFL Central Victoria stated that the new club missed the December deadline to join their leagues. However, the Ballarat league said in a statement that it was "happy to explore options" and would continue discussions with the Eagles and AFL Victoria.

Now, the Eagles are hoping that the Riddell District Football Netball League will accept them. The Riddell League said in a statement: "The Riddell District Football Netball League has developed five different models to explore an ideal outcome." Until a decision is made, the Eagles' female players can only train at the Woodend Racecourse Reserve.

Korinfsky stated that she knows of three other Victorian women's football teams that are considering forming their own clubs due to concerns about gender equality within their football netball clubs. She said: "There's a lot of goodwill, there's great policies, that are on paper, but when it translates into action, we're not there yet." "There are a lot of hurdles in front of us just to get the same opportunities and fair treatment as our male counterparts."

Nadia Bevan of Monash University, who has been researching gender equality in women's sports, said she was not surprised by the difficulties encountered by the Kyneton Eagles. She said: "Many sports clubs, particularly in regional areas, still have traditional gender norms."

A spokesperson for AFL Victoria stated that the state's governing body is focused on finding a solution. The spokesperson said: "AFL Victoria is assisting in finding a solution, with the priority focus on providing these players with an option to play football in 2025. We have been and will continue to work with all stakeholders until we can help achieve this outcome."