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Our Story |
The History of Female Football in Gippsland
Female football in Gippsland has grown from a grassroots youth concept into a fully established regional pathway for girls and women, now firmly embedded within the fabric of community football. What began as a small participation initiative has evolved into a sustainable competition structure spanning Youth Girls and Women’s football, producing players, coaches, umpires and volunteers who continue to shape the game across the region.
The story began in 2012 with the official formation of the Gippsland Youth Girls League, initially operating as a round-robin style tournament for girls aged 13–18 from communities right across Gippsland. At that time, opportunities for young female footballers were limited, and many players were required to travel long distances outside the region to continue playing the game. The creation of the Youth Girls League marked the first real commitment to building a dedicated female pathway in Gippsland.
By the mid-2010s, the competition had transitioned into a fully structured league governed by AFL Gippsland, with Morwell, Warragul, Maffra and Bairnsdale emerging as foundation clubs. The 2015 season represented a major step forward, featuring a full 12-week fixture with six home games per team. That year was further elevated by the success of the inaugural Gippsland Power Youth Girls squad, which reached the AFL Victoria V/Line Cup Grand Final in a breakthrough campaign. Many of those representative players returned to strengthen their local Youth Girls teams, further lifting the standard of the competition.
In 2016, AFL Victoria undertook a statewide review of women’s football, reshaping the structure of female competitions across Victoria. As part of this reform, AFL Gippsland was formally charged with managing the McDonald’s Gippsland Youth Girls League, and the competition was divided into East and West divisions to reduce travel and support continued expansion. Clubs including Warragul Colts, Leongatha, Poowong-Loch, Dalyston, Phillip Island, Morwell, Stratford, Maffra and the Southern Suns became part of this growing framework, with matches traditionally played on Sundays between April and August. This period cemented the Youth Girls League as the primary participation and talent-development pathway for female footballers in the region.
As Youth Girls football continued to grow, momentum also built for the introduction of a locally based open-age Women’s competition. That next major step arrived in 2018 with the launch of the AFL Gippsland Women’s competition, delivering a full senior women’s season played entirely within the region. The inaugural season featured clubs including Garfield, Nyora, Boisdale-Briagolong, Morwell East, Bunyip and Bairnsdale, running across 12 rounds before culminating in the first Gippsland Women’s Grand Final in July 2018. For the first time, female players could now progress from Youth Girls football directly into a senior Gippsland-based women’s competition, representing their local clubs and communities without leaving the region. It also allowed clubs to build genuine whole-of-club participation models, with boys and girls, men and women all wearing the same colours on the same weekends.
Through the late 2010s and into the 2020s, both Youth Girls and Women’s football continued to stabilise and expand. This evolution ultimately led to the formation of Female Football Gippsland (FFG) as the dedicated governing identity responsible for Youth Girls and Women’s competitions across the region. Under the FFG banner, competitions became centrally administered, aligned with AFL Victoria frameworks, and strengthened through representative programs, talent pathways and community development initiatives.
The next significant chapter in Gippsland’s female football story will begin in 2026, with the Female Football Gippsland Youth Girls and Women’s competitions transitioning under the Gippsland League administration framework. This move follows extensive planning and consultation led by the Female Football Gippsland Board to establish a long-term model that delivers stability, stronger governance and increased organisational capacity. As part of the new structure, Gippsland League Pathways Programs Coordinator Elli Linney will oversee the Youth Girls and Women’s competitions, leading competition organisation, fixturing and operational processes while supporting full integration within the League’s administration framework. The decision reflects priorities identified through the July 2025 Female Football Forum, including strengthened organisational support, consistent and centralised governance, and flexible, player-focused fixturing.
Transitioning the competitions under the Gippsland League will provide the structural support, resourcing and administrative consistency required for continued growth, while allowing clubs and volunteers to focus on participation, culture and player development.
Female football in Gippsland has grown from a grassroots youth concept into a fully established regional pathway for girls and women, now firmly embedded within the fabric of community football. What began as a small participation initiative has evolved into a sustainable competition structure spanning Youth Girls and Women’s football, producing players, coaches, umpires and volunteers who continue to shape the game across the region.
The story began in 2012 with the official formation of the Gippsland Youth Girls League, initially operating as a round-robin style tournament for girls aged 13–18 from communities right across Gippsland. At that time, opportunities for young female footballers were limited, and many players were required to travel long distances outside the region to continue playing the game. The creation of the Youth Girls League marked the first real commitment to building a dedicated female pathway in Gippsland.
By the mid-2010s, the competition had transitioned into a fully structured league governed by AFL Gippsland, with Morwell, Warragul, Maffra and Bairnsdale emerging as foundation clubs. The 2015 season represented a major step forward, featuring a full 12-week fixture with six home games per team. That year was further elevated by the success of the inaugural Gippsland Power Youth Girls squad, which reached the AFL Victoria V/Line Cup Grand Final in a breakthrough campaign. Many of those representative players returned to strengthen their local Youth Girls teams, further lifting the standard of the competition.
In 2016, AFL Victoria undertook a statewide review of women’s football, reshaping the structure of female competitions across Victoria. As part of this reform, AFL Gippsland was formally charged with managing the McDonald’s Gippsland Youth Girls League, and the competition was divided into East and West divisions to reduce travel and support continued expansion. Clubs including Warragul Colts, Leongatha, Poowong-Loch, Dalyston, Phillip Island, Morwell, Stratford, Maffra and the Southern Suns became part of this growing framework, with matches traditionally played on Sundays between April and August. This period cemented the Youth Girls League as the primary participation and talent-development pathway for female footballers in the region.
As Youth Girls football continued to grow, momentum also built for the introduction of a locally based open-age Women’s competition. That next major step arrived in 2018 with the launch of the AFL Gippsland Women’s competition, delivering a full senior women’s season played entirely within the region. The inaugural season featured clubs including Garfield, Nyora, Boisdale-Briagolong, Morwell East, Bunyip and Bairnsdale, running across 12 rounds before culminating in the first Gippsland Women’s Grand Final in July 2018. For the first time, female players could now progress from Youth Girls football directly into a senior Gippsland-based women’s competition, representing their local clubs and communities without leaving the region. It also allowed clubs to build genuine whole-of-club participation models, with boys and girls, men and women all wearing the same colours on the same weekends.
Through the late 2010s and into the 2020s, both Youth Girls and Women’s football continued to stabilise and expand. This evolution ultimately led to the formation of Female Football Gippsland (FFG) as the dedicated governing identity responsible for Youth Girls and Women’s competitions across the region. Under the FFG banner, competitions became centrally administered, aligned with AFL Victoria frameworks, and strengthened through representative programs, talent pathways and community development initiatives.
The next significant chapter in Gippsland’s female football story will begin in 2026, with the Female Football Gippsland Youth Girls and Women’s competitions transitioning under the Gippsland League administration framework. This move follows extensive planning and consultation led by the Female Football Gippsland Board to establish a long-term model that delivers stability, stronger governance and increased organisational capacity. As part of the new structure, Gippsland League Pathways Programs Coordinator Elli Linney will oversee the Youth Girls and Women’s competitions, leading competition organisation, fixturing and operational processes while supporting full integration within the League’s administration framework. The decision reflects priorities identified through the July 2025 Female Football Forum, including strengthened organisational support, consistent and centralised governance, and flexible, player-focused fixturing.
Transitioning the competitions under the Gippsland League will provide the structural support, resourcing and administrative consistency required for continued growth, while allowing clubs and volunteers to focus on participation, culture and player development.
