A new-look underage football pathway competition will kick off in late March.
AFL Victoria announced on Monday that the NAB League competitions would now be known as the Coates Talent League from this year.
The boys and girls competition’s will continue to feature 12 boys and girls programs from Victoria and one from Tasmania for the full season, while academy programs from New South Wales (GWS Giants and Sydney Swans), Queensland (Gold Coast Suns and Brisbane Lions) and Northern Territory (NT State Academy) will continue to compete for part of the season.
The girls season starts on March 18, a later start date than in recent years to closely align to the AFLW season. It had started in January in recent years,
The boys season will start the following weekend.
Grand finals for both competitions will be played on the weekend of September 23 and 24.
The Western Jets won the girls competition last year, their first title of any form, while the Sandringham Dragons won the boys premiership.
Full season fixtures will be released soon and will include competition recess periods to allow boys and girls to play community, school and representative football throughout the season, something previously not in place.
All regional pathway programs in Victoria and Tasmania, now have dedicated full-time girls coaches and boys coaches, providing more resources for both programs.
The AFL has also invested in increased youth wellbeing programming and resources for all regions, as well as additional administrative, high performance and medical resources.
AFL head of talent pathways Grant Williams said the rich history of the competition would continue this year.
“For three decades, what is now the Coates Talent League has been an integral part of the Australian football pathway system and has produced more than 1500 AFL and more than 130 AFLW players,” he said.
“To have Coates on board as major partner helps to ensure the ongoing success of the competition and programs within it, while players, coaches, umpires and administrators who are part of the league will continue to receive the support their development requires in high-performance environments.
“The rich history of the Coates Talent League will continue for a 32nd year in 2023 and provide a platform for so many future stars of the AFL and AFLW to showcase their skills and develop into the best they can be, whether that’s at the elite level, state league or community football.”
