Positive News for Womens and Girls 2027 Competitions

The Riddell District Football Netball League (RDFNL) is delighted to welcome the Wallan Senior Women’s Football team and Sunbury Lions Junior Girls’ Football team(s) to the 2027 competition, further strengthening the football pathway available to girls and women across the league. The two transfers represent an exciting step forward for women and girls football and provide players with greater opportunities to progress through junior football into senior competition within the league.

For Wallan, the move of its Senior Women’s team into the RDFNL adds another senior women’s football program to a competition that continues to develop. It also allows Wallan FNC to compete as one senior club in the same league, as their women's will join their four senior men's football teams and five senior netball teams. 

The arrival of Sunbury Lions’ Junior Girls program is equally significant, providing young female footballers in the Sunbury and surrounding areas with a pathway into the RDFNL’s established junior competition structure. They will also join the large portion of their club who already participant in the junior boys and mixed football competition and the junior netball competition.

RDFNL CEO Jordan Doyle said the transfers were an exciting development for both the competition and the broader RDFNL football community.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Wallan Senior Women and Sunbury Lions Junior Girls into the RDFNL. These are two fantastic additions that further strengthen the pathway for girls and women playing football across our league.”

“Our focus has always been on creating opportunities for people to participate in football and netball at every level, and seeing clubs invest in female football is incredibly encouraging. The pathway from junior girls’ football through to senior women’s football is becoming stronger, and these two clubs are an important part of that growth.”

The RDFNL also acknowledged the significant contribution of Community Bank Gisborne, the league’s naming-rights sponsor, whose ongoing support plays an important role in making football more accessible throughout the league.

“We simply couldn’t continue to build these opportunities without the support of our partners, and Community Bank Gisborne has been an incredible supporter of the RDFNL and community football in particular the women's and girls’ programs,” Doyle said. “Their investment helps us keep participation accessible and allows us to continue developing competitions and pathways for young people. We are incredibly grateful for their support and the role they play in helping us grow the game.”

Community Bank Gisborne, part of Bendigo Bank, is the RDFNL’s major and naming-rights sponsor for 2027 and supports the league across its junior competitions, finals series, interleague programs and broader community initiatives.

The RDFNL also want to extend their thanks to both clubs’ current leagues the Essendon DFL (Sunbury Lions) and Northern FNL (Wallan) for their support and approval of the process. 

"The RDFNL believe these transfer are a real positive step for football for both their clubs and also the RDFNL and we are grateful to have the support of both leagues through this process’’.