Sport
8 November, 2025
NEW TIER JUNIOR LAUNCH
THE LODDON Valley league is aiming to start an under-14 football competition next season.
A meeting last week of club delegates voted unanimously to explore the idea, with Calivil already seeking an expression of interest from potential players.
It would be another major boost to junior footy in the region after Newbridge recently announced its return to the under-18 ranks in 2026.
The introduction of Macorna into the Loddon Valley competition is understood to have spurred the move.
The Tigers have a particularly strong and successful junior program and made the issue of junior pathways one of their main concerns when negotiating a transfer from the defunct Golden Rivers league.
There was also fear that Macorna juniors and parents would be forced to travel long distances every week to the Bendigo region to be able to keep playing.
“It would be good to see this come to fruition, to enable all clubs to keep families together at one ground on one day, and to enhance our junior pathways,” Loddon Valley president Richard Hicks told the Loddon Herald.
The league’s fixture, to be released at the end of November, will now mirror the senior draw at all levels, albeit with several byes for under-18s, which has eight teams, and potentially under-14s.
Marong and Maiden Gully teams below under-18 level play in the Bendigo Junior league, with games held on a Sunday, while the Loddon Valley competition for all grades is played on Saturday.
Juniors from other clubs are forced to play in different leagues, with no current pathway in the LVFNL.
Choosing under-14 as a starting point has several advantages.
Teams at that level can field both boys and girls, and children as young as eight are permitted to play in under-14 matches.
It is believed the Loddon Valley competition may also be able to use a permit system to play local juniors who now represent Bendigo clubs.
This would potentially see under-14 players running out for two clubs, playing both on Saturday and Sunday.
It is believed the Loddon Valley league is open to running the new junior competition even if not all clubs are able to field teams.
The fewer clubs that participate, the more byes would have to be scheduled.
The 2025 season saw the introduction of Auskick-style matches for under-12s at half-time of some Loddon Valley games,
A final decision on the under-14 competition will be made at the league’s AGM at the end of this month, with interim approval already being sought from AFL Victoria.