Sport
16 November, 2025
AFL hands league management back to local hands
THE LODDON Valley Football Netball League has been blindsided by a major change to the structure of Central Victorian football which will see all competitions move to self-management.
The league was told only last Friday that an announcement was imminent about providing autonomy to local competitions, and there was no consultation before the decision.
AFL Victoria said on Monday that it would abandon the Regional Administrative Centre system of centralised football administration after AFL Barwon decided to leave the scheme.
That left just four RAC bodies still in operation, including AFL Central Victoria, with six regional bodies having previously left the system citing financial and functional challenges.
Loddon Valley chairman Richard Hicks said he was given warning of the change only late last week and had “yet to get my head around it.
“I’ll withhold my judgement until I can dive into it.”
He said the league executive would discuss the change at its AGM later this month.
“I’ve only just found out, so I don’t know the nuts and bolts yet or the ramifications for the league.”
RACs were introduced following the 2011 Jackson report into country football, as a way of centralising administration.
AFL Victoria said the introduction of the system had broad support at the time, but in recent years RACs in Sunraysia, Gippsland, Goldfields, Western District, Central Murray and Wimmera Mallee had returned to self-management.
“These changes in direction are an acknowledgement by AFL Victoria that the concept of RACs as initially proposed in 2011 has not been fully realised based on an inability to consolidate football management, finances and governance in some regions.”
Hicks said he could see positives for the Loddon Valley in both the central and decentralised systems but was concerned that funding was maintained or boosted under the new structure.
In a statement, AFL Victoria said “funding to regions is not being withdrawn and will continue to be invested – driven by the Region Manager whose primary focus going forward will be region growth, strategy and support for community football, rather than administration.”
Cameron Tomlins was appointed as AFL Central Victoria region manager in 2024.
The North Central League provides a template of sorts for the Loddon Valley as it has been effectively managing its own competition for several years.
Rules and events manager Lance Standfield said that North Central appointed its own personnel such as financial and football operations managers.
He said the league was well set up to deal with the new arrangements.
“It will go back to where it was, with the leagues employing people and not the central body.”
Standfield said that would give local competitions greater familiarity with the employees they took on, describing the change as “more regional-friendly”.
AFL Victoria has put no timeline on the transition for the leagues affected by the change, but it is expected to act quickly on the decision.
- GARY WALSH