Chris Febvre • December 16, 2022
FERNWOOD FITNESS COMMITS AS NAMING RIGHTS SPONSOR
FERNWOOD FITNESS COMMITS AS NAMING RIGHTS SPONSOR
AFL North East Border Female Football League are excited to announce Fernwood Fitness as the major naming rights sponsor for the next three seasons. Moving forward the league will be known as the ‘Fernwood Fitness AFL North East Border Female Football League’. Fernwood Fitness will play a key role in supporting the sustained growth of female football in our region as the league will look to add more teams to the competition in the coming seasons.
Fernwood Fitness and AFL North East Border Female Football League are similar in the fact that they both strive to provide an opportunity for females to participate in sports and physical activity to help connect with new people and improve their mental and physical well-being.
League Manager Jack Penny was ecstatic to have a business such as Fernwood become the major sponsor. “To have Fernwood commit for the next three years is a great result for our league. I’m really excited to partner with Fernwood as we share similar values and we can work together to continue to encourage females to partake in sport and live a healthy lifestyle”.
Fernwood Fitness also aims to help the league become one of the more professional and recognised country female football leagues throughout Victoria in which there is a genuine pathway to play AFLW.
“We saw with the success of our girls at the V-Line Carnival in September that we have many aspiring young footballers in our league, so by teaming up with Fernwood we can continue to grow the league to give girls and women the best possible opportunity to be recognised and take the next step in their football”.
Fernwood Fitness Albury club owner Julie Nixon and club manager Emily Dowlan, are thrilled to partner with the AFL North East Border Female Football League
“We are very proud to be able to support local females incorporating sport and movement into their busy lifestyles. The opportunity to do this alongside such a well-established female football league in our region brings us great joy and we are so excited to see where the next three seasons take us.”
The AFL North East Border (AFLNEB) LaTrobe University Junior Carnival celebrated its 18th year in 2025, continuing its proud tradition of showcasing emerging talent from across the region. The carnival provides junior footballers with a valuable opportunity to represent their league against strong opposition from neighbouring competitions. This year saw significant changes to the carnivals structure, with the Tallangatta and District Football Netball League and Hume Football League withdrawing from the Junior Carnival this year with both leagues facing off in an Interleague Match later this season. As such in 2025, we held four full matches between the Albury Wodonga Junior Football League (AWJFL) and Wangaratta & District Junior Football League (WDJFL) across 4 age groups – U13’s, U14’s, U15’s and U16’s. Held once again at the picturesque Lavington Sportsground, the event made full use of both ovals. With the sun shining and perfect playing conditions, the stage was set for an outstanding day of football. Match Results & Highlights U13s – Oval 2, 10:00 AM A thrilling opener saw the WDJFL control much of the play early, led by Tom Sealy and Jack Hart, and holding a narrow lead into the final term. However, a resilient AWJFL side, inspired by Best on Ground Ryder Pearce (Wodonga Raiders JFC), surged late to claim victory. Final Score: AWJFL 7.9 (51) def WDJFL 5.8 (38) U15s – Oval 1, 10:00 AM The AWJFL made the most of a first-quarter breeze to take an early lead, and despite a determined fightback from the WDJFL, they held on for a hard-fought win. Will Packer (Albury JFC) was instrumental and awarded Best on Ground honours. Final Score: AWJFL 7.8 (50) def WDJFL 5.5 (35) U14s – Oval 2, Midday This closely contested match saw multiple lead changes in the second half. Archie Knobel and Harris Bruneau were instrumental for the WDJFL. With pressure mounting in the final minutes, the AWJFL edged ahead with a goal after the siren, sealing a memorable 8-point win. Tom Toepfer (Albury JFC) was pivotal and named Best on Ground. Final Score: AWJFL 6.7 (43) def WDJFL 5.5 (35) U16s – Oval 1, Midday Featuring some of the region’s top junior talent, this match showcased high-level football. WDJFL started strongly, but AWJFL steadily worked their way back and dominated the second half. Blake Morgan (Albury JFC) delivered a standout performance to earn Best on Ground. Final Score: AWJFL 12.14 (86) def WDJFL 7.4 (46) Overall it was a fantastic day of football, with all but the U16’s match up for grabs until the final 5 to 10 minutes keeping everyone in attendance highly engaged. Zac Hedin, AFLNEB Region Manager, shared his thanks and reflections on the day: "On behalf of AFLNEB, I’d like to thank everyone involved in the 2025 AFLNEB LaTrobe University Junior Carnival. A special thank you goes to all the volunteers – coaches, team managers, trainers, runners, and first aiders – who make this event possible each year." "It was fantastic to see all games played in such great spirit. The conduct of players, coaches, and spectators was exemplary, and a credit to all involved. We look forward to seeing how these young players continue to develop through the 2025 season, and we hope to welcome many of you back in 2026." A big thanks to our AFLNEB Partners, in particular LaTrobe University, Hume Bank, the Commercial Club, Loco Apparel and APCO.
A huge congratulations to ALL 7 clubs from the AFLNEB region who’ve scored funding through Round 2 of the AFL’s Telstra Footy Country Grants! Across the first two rounds, 9 local clubs have shared over $18,000 to support their incredible initiatives and projects! This is a massive win for our community, and we’re proud to have played a small part in making it happen. We can’t wait to keep the momentum going and support even more clubs in the remaining two rounds this year! If your club is looking to make an application in the coming rounds please reach out to AFLNEB Club Development Lead, Chandan Kulkarni - chandan.kulkarni@aflneb.com.au More info - Telstra Footy Country Grants
The ultimate footy fundraiser is back for the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season and it’s your time to Raise Like A Legend! Toyota has been supporting grassroots clubs every step of the way since 2015. Last year, we helped raise $1,242,865 across 913 clubs. This year we want your footy club to be part of it. It’s free and easy, and Toyota provide the promotional tools so that anyone at your club can get involved, you’ll be smashing fundraising records in no time. For more info and to register your club, please follow the link here - Toyota Good For Footy Raffle
