Victoria takes home School Sport footy titles

In July 2023, School Sport Victoria gathered some of our brightest young footballing stars from across the state together for the School Sport Australia 15 Years and Under Australian Football Championships in Ballarat.

Around 100 Victorian students proudly wore the Team Vic jumper competing against teams from 6 other states and territories, and School Sport Victoria proudly acknowledges all involved for their commitment and teamwork.

The championships were a double triumph for Victoria. Along with having the privilege of hosting the prestigious national championships, our Navy teams won both the boys’ and the girls’ team titles!

The Victoria Navy boys team went undefeated throughout the championship, defeating Western Australia 4.11 (35) to 5.0 (30) in the gold medal game.

The Victorian Navy girls team defeated Queensland 3.2 (20) to 1.2 (8) in the gold medal game, avenging their narrow one-point defeat to the same team in their opening match.

Reflecting the enviable talent in our ranks, Victoria also fielded second teams, the Victoria Whites, in addition to the Navy squads. The White boys team just missed out on a medal, finishing fourth, while the girls finished eighth.

Recognising their sustained excellence, 6 Victorian Navy boys were named in the All-Australian team, along with another 3 from the White outfit. Among the girls, 6 from each squad were named All-Australian for their exceptional performances.

Thanks to everyone involved

Along with our fantastic student participants, we’d also like to acknowledge the valuable contributions from the many others who helped in making the event such a great success.

Among these people, 10 student umpires also participated as members of Team Vic. Well done to all of them – as we know, there is no game without an umpire!

Victorian teachers also served as officials for the event, with Team Vic coach Craig Kelly, assistant principal, Bendigo Senior Secondary College, making a particularly significant contribution.

Speaking of the form of our various Victorian teams, an understandably thrilled Craig said that our student participants ‘demonstrated a high level of skill, tactical knowledge and sportsmanship’.

From gold medal to gold rush

The 2023 championships were held at various football grounds across the City of Ballarat from Saturday 22 to Saturday 29 July 2023.

A highlight of the championships was an education experience at Sovereign Hill open air museum, with students learning about Aboriginal culture and the impact of the Gold Rush on First Nations people.

A team experience is a key component of each School Sport Australia event, providing an opportunity for championships players to learn about the local areas as well as interact with other students, outside the competition.

Find out more 

For further information, contact School Sport Victoria(opens in a new window) by email: ssv.teamvic@education.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window)