Victorian Metro Footy Season Guide

Ahead of the return of Victorian Metropolitan Football in 2022, we have gathered some of the key information needed to have you heading into the season as a suburban footy expert.

In this season preview, we look at the top competitions in both the men’s and women’s divisions—the start dates, clubs competing, key player signings and more—as we prepare for a blockbuster Round One of community football.

See below for our Victoria Metro Football Season 2022 Preview:

Essendon District Football League

League: Strathmore Community Bank Premier Men’s
2022 Season Start Date: 2 April 2022
Most recent premier: Keilor (2019)
2021 top-of-the-ladder: Strathmore
Teams 2022:

• Aberfeldie
• Avondale Heights
• East Keilor
• Essendon Doutta Stars
• Greenvale
• Glenroy
• Keilor
• Maribyrnong Park
• Pascoe Vale
• Strathmore

Favourites for Top 4: Strathmore, Keilor, Aberfeldie, Maribyrnong Park

Key player signings:

• Tim Currie (Aberfeldie)
• Ethan Abraham (Essendon Doutta)
• Darryl Anderson(Essendon Doutta)
• Paul Ahern (Pascoe Vale)
• Robbie Castello (Keilor Park)
• Damian Cavka (Keilor Park)
• Sean Hetherington (Maribyrnong Park)
• Cameron Tudor (Greenvale)

League: Airport Toyota Premier Women’s
2022 Season Start Date: 2 April 2022
Most recent premier: Aberfeldie (2019)
2021 top-of-the-ladder: Strathmore
Teams 2022:

• Aberfeldie
• Burnside Heights
• Hillside
• Keilor
• Maribyrnong Park 1
• Moonee Valley
• Oak Park 1
• Westmeadows 1

Favourites for Top 4: Keilor, Hillside, Westmeadows, Oak Park

Eastern Football Netball League

League: Eastland Premier Senior Men’s
2022 Season Start Date: 9 April 2022
Most recent premier: Vermont (2019)
2021 top-of-the-ladder: Vermont
Teams 2022:

• Balwyn
• Berwick
• Blackburn
• Doncaster
• Doncaster East
• Noble Park
• North Ringwood
• Norwood
• Park Orchards
• Rowville
• South Croydon
• Vermont

Favourites for Top 4: Vermont, Noble Park, Balwyn, Norwood

Key player signings:

• Mitch Mellis (Boronia)
• Shayne Allan (Noble Park)
• Chris Horton-Milne (Noble Park)
• Matt Arnot (Vermont)
• Chris Deluca (Doncaster East)
• Josh Deluca (Doncaster East)
• Lochie Dickson (Norwood)
• Mark Jamar (Doncaster)
• Matt Jones (South Croydon)
• Brayden Kilpatrick (South Croydon)
• Dale Walker (South Croydon)
• Steve Kapahnke (Park Orchards)

League: Deakin Uni Premier Women’s
2022 Season Start Date: 23 April 2022
Most recent premier: N/A
2021 top-of-the-ladder: Blackburn Black
Teams 2022:

• Eastern Devils
• Ferntree Gully
• Mt Evelyn
• South Croydon
• SBL Wolves
• Vermont

Favourites for Top 4: South Croydon, Eastern Devils, Mt Evelyn, Vermont

Key Players:

• Taylah Black
• Madeline Johns
• Morgan Cocks
• Isabelle Pollock
• Julia Baker
• Isabella Goetzman

A Blackburn FC player chases down the opposition from Bonbeach

Northern Football Netball League

League: Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 Senior Men’s
2022 Season Start Date: 2 April 2022
Most recent premier: West Preston Lakeside (2019)
2021 top-of-the-ladder: West Preston Lakeside
Teams 2022:

• Bundoora
• Greensborough
• Heidelberg
• Hurstbridge
• Macleod
• Montmorency
• North Heidelberg
• Northcote Park
• West Preston Lakeside
• Whittlesea

Favourites for Top 4: West Preston Lakeside, Bundoora, Greensborough, Montmorency

Key player signings:

• David Zaharakis (Bundoora)
• Jhye Baddeley-Kelly (North Heidelberg)
• Liam Buxton (Montmorency)
• Lin Jong (Montmorency)
• Danko Bzencic (Montmorency)
• Mitch Honeychurch (Montmorency)
• Daniel Gorringe (Greensborough)
• Liam Middleton (Hurstbridge)
• Jordan Schroder (Northcote Park)
• Brayden Sier (Heidelberg)
• Kellan Smith (Heidelberg)
• Jarrad Waite (Whittlesea)

League: NFNL Women’s
2022 Season Start Date: 3 April 2022 (Grading) *23 teams will be split into divisions
Most recent premier: VU Western Spurs (2019 – Division 1)
2021 top-of-the-ladder: Diamond Creek Women’s 1
Teams 2022:

• Banyule
• Darebin 1
• Darebin 2
• Diamond Creek Women’s 1
• Diamond Creek Women’s 2
• Eltham
• Fitzroy Stars
• Greensborough
• Heidelberg 1
• Heidelberg 2
• Hurstbridge
• Laurimar
• Lower Plenty
• Mernda
• Montmorency 1
• Montmorency 2
• Reservoir
• St Mary’s
• VU Western Spurs
• Wallan
• West Preston-Lakeside 1
• West Preston-Lakeside 2
• Whittlesea

Favourites for Top 4: N/A

VU Western Spurs and Spotswood players jump for a ruck contest

Outer East ‘Community Bank’ Football League

League: Premier Data Premier Senior Men’s
2022 Season Start Date: 2 April 2022
Most recent premier: Narre Warren (2019)
2021 top-of-the-ladder: Beaconsfield
Teams 2022:

• Monbulk
• Mt Evelyn
• Narre Warren
• Officer
• Olinda Ferny Creek
• Pakenham
• Upwey Tecoma
• Wandin
• Woori Yallock

Favourites for Top 4: Narre Warren, Pakenham, Olinda Ferny Creek, Woori Yallock

League: Karcher Division 1 Women’s
2022 Season Start Date: 2 April 2022
Most recent premier: N/A
2021 top-of-the-ladder: Mt Evelyn
Teams 2022:

• Beaconsfield
• Healesville
• Monbulk
• Mt Evelyn
• Pakenham
• Upwey Tecoma

Favourites for Top 4: Mt Evelyn, Beaconsfield, Upwey Tecoma, Pakenham

Olinda Ferny Creek take on Mooroolbark in a practice match

Riddell District Football Netball League

League: Bendigo Bank Senior Men’s
2022 Season Start Date: 2 April 2022
Most recent premier: Rupertswood (2019)
2021 top-of-the-ladder: Wallan
Teams 2022:

• Diggers Rest
• Lancefield
• Macedon
• Melton Centrals
• Riddell
• Romsey
• Wallan
• Western Rams
• Woodend-Hesket

Favourites for Top 4: Wallan, Macedon, Riddell, Romsey

Key player signings:

• Tim Walsh (Riddell)

Southern Football Netball League

League: Division 1 Senior Men’s
2022 Season Start Date: 2 April 2022
Most recent premier: Dingley (2019)
2021 top-of-the-ladder: Dingley
Teams 2022:

• Bentleigh
• Cheltenham
• Cranbourne Eagles
• Dingley
• East Malvern
• Mordialloc
• Port Melbourne Colts
• Springvale Districts
• St Kilda City
• St Paul’s Mckinnon

Favourites for Top 4: Dingley, Cheltenham, St Kilda City, Port Melbourne Colts

Key player signings:

• Steve Brewer (Port Melbourne Colts)
• Tim McGenniss (Dingley)
• Jake Mullen (Dingley)
• Liam Sumner (St Paul’s Mckinnon)
• Tyrone Vickery (Springvale Districts)

A Dingley player fires off a handball

VAFA

League: William Buck Premier Men’s
2022 Season Start Date: 2 April 2022
Most recent premier: University Blues (2019)
2021 top-of-the-ladder: Old Xaverians
Teams 2022:

• Caulfield Grammarians
• Collegians
• Old Brighton
• Old Melbournians
• Old Scotch
• Old Trinity
• Old Xaverians
• St Bernard’s
• St Kevin’s OB
• University Blues

Favourites for Top 4: Old Xaverians, St Kevins OB, Old Brighton, Caulfied Grammarians

Key player signings:

• Aaron Vandenberg (Old Xaverians)
• Daniel Coffield (Old Melbournians)
• Marty Gleeson (Uni Blues)
• Josh Tynan (St Kevin’s)

League: William Buck Premier Women’s
2022 Season Start Date: 2 April 2022
Most recent premier: St Kevin’s (2019)
2021 top-of-the-ladder: Old Xaverians
Teams 2022:

• Caulfield Grammarians
• Kew FC
• Marcellin
• Melbourne University
• Old Trinity
• Old Xaverians
• St Kevin’s
• St Mary’s Salesian
• West Brunswick

Favourites for Top 4: St Kevins OB, Caulfied Grammarians, West Brunswick, Kew

West Brunswick and Darebin players fight for the ball

Western Region Football League

League: TIV Division 1 Senior Men’s
2022 Season Start Date: 2 April 2022
Most recent premier: Deer Park (2019)
2021 top-of-the-ladder: Altona
Teams 2022:

• Altona
• Caroline Springs
• Deer Park
• Hoppers Crossing
• Point Cook
• Spotswood
• St Albans
• Sunshine
• Werribee Districts
• Yarraville Seddon Eagles

Favourites for Top 4: Altona, Werribee Districts, Hoppers Crossing, Deer Park

Key player signings:

• Connor Menadue (Altona)
• Aaron Edwards (Deer Park)
• Levi Greenwood (Deer Park)
• Clay Smith (Point Cook)
• Nicholas Coulstock (Sunshine)

League: Victoria University Polytechnic 1 Senior Women’s
2022 Season Start Date: 2 April 2022
Most recent premier: Spotswood (2019)
2021 top-of-the-ladder: Manor Lakes
Teams 2022:

• Caroline Springs
• Hoppers Crossing
• Manor Lakes
• Spotswood
• Werribee Centrals
• Yarraville Seddon Eagles

Favourites for Top 4: Spotswood, Manor Lakes, Hoppers Crossing, Caroline Springs