The Bendigo Football Netball League made the call not to field an open side in the 2025 Netball Victoria Association Championships to be played at Parkville.
The league said in a statement that the difficult decision follows a recently enforced Netball Victoria rule that restricts the involvement of individuals aligned with a Victorian Netball League club.
“Given the number of BFNL players connected with VNL programs, the rule has significantly impacted the league’s ability to form a competitive Open team for the 2025 Association Championships,” the league said.
“Despite holding the association championships in high regard as a netball tournament, having the quantity and quality of players ineligible for selection has unfortunately resulted in the difficult decision to withdraw from the tournament.
“The BFNL prides itself on having high caliber netballers, and we love seeing them compete on the big stage of VNL. We wish our players competing at VNL level, the best of luck for the remainder of the 2025 season.”
The Bendigo team last won the open competition in 2022.
The league thanked head coach, Gisborne’s Tarryn Rymer and assistant coach Steph Freemantle, for their leadership and commitment during the preparation phase.
“Both coaches played a significant role in engaging potential players in the early stages and despite this decision, their dedication to the program has not gone unrecognised.”
The league’s 17 and under representative team was in action on Sunday in the Northern Netball Victoria Association Championships in Bendigo, with the winning side gaining a spot in the Netball Victoria Association Championships finals.
