League Statement | The Riddell District Football Netball League (RDFNL) is publicly addressing the ongoing situation playing out in the media relating to the Kyneton Women’s Football Club (KWFC). 

To ensure that the facts are captured in totality, it is important to address the timeline of events.

In October 2022, the Kyneton Football Netball Club (KFNC) transferred their junior football and netball teams and their Senior Women’s team from AFL Central Victoria to the Riddell District Football Netball League. The KFNC fielded a Senior Women’s team in the inaugural season of the RDFNL Senior Women’s competition in 2023 and went on to win the premiership. In September 2023, the KFNC Senior Men’s and netball teams also transferred into the RDFNL ahead of the 2024 season. In 2024, the KFNC fielded a Senior Women’s team again and they again enjoyed a successful season making the Grand Final and suffering a loss to Macedon.

In the week of the Grand Final, in August 2024, tensions between the Senior Women’s team and the Club’s committee escalated. The dispute at the time was around the Club’s annual major fundraiser falling on the same day at the Women’s Grand Final. The annual major fundraiser was a raffle and a significant raffle at that which needed VCGLR approval and was locked in, in January 2024. The Senior Women’s Grand Final date was not confirmed until the season dates were finalised in late February / early March 2024.

The Women’s team at the Club was justifiably disappointed that they wouldn’t have the full support of the Club at the Grand Final. Once the Women’s team were aware that the fundraiser was going ahead and they wouldn’t have the full support of the Club at their Grand Final, the Kyneton Football Netball Club sponsors were contacted and suggested that they remove their financial support of the Club because the Club was not one that supported women. This justifiably upset the committee of the KFNC who had worked hard for a long period of time. From this point onwards, the Women’s team and the Club further drifted apart.

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