It’s an ordinary Wednesday night at the Kyneton Hotel when the women’s football team run into a local superfan. She greets the players by name, proudly wearing her club vest and a tiger mascot bracelet.
But there’s confusion on her face. She’s heard the news about the women’s team forming their own independent club. How will she be able to watch both teams play? What will this mean for the future of the town?
The Kyneton Women’s Football team have formed an independent club.Credit: Penny Stephens
After all, football is the lifeblood of Kyneton and many towns like it. Women’s player Charlie Bracey calls it “a real focal point for a large proportion of the community”.
“It has great qualities. It brings really great things to a town, and it’s an important lifeline for lots of people … it’s what you do on the weekend, it’s where you go after work,” she says.
So when Bracey and her teammates decided to leave the Kyneton Football and Netball Club after safety, conduct and governance concerns, it caused a stir within the tight-knit community.
There were some particular incidents that contributed to their decision. The women say the club’s change rooms were left for them in a dirty condition, and that they were harshly criticised by email and text. Once, the women’s team say they put a rainbow sticker in the clubrooms to celebrate Pride Round, only to find it gone a week later.
The Kyneton Showgrounds, where the football and netball club is based. Credit: Penny Stephens
The final straw came in August last year, when a pre-scheduled club fundraiser coincided with the women’s grand final. Despite attempts to negotiate a time change, there was an overlap between the game and the event.
But more generally, after 10 years with the Tigers, the women’s players grew tired of being part of a club which they feel didn’t have their back, says Natalie Korinfsky, president of the newly minted club.
“In the end, there just was no way forward,” she says. “And we had to make a choice to lead ourselves into hopefully what is a better future for women in sports.”
They’ve named their breakaway team the Wedge-Tailed Eagles, and are seeking a spot in one of their local competitions. But with AFL registration deadlines already passed, it’s been hard. They’ve been rejected by three competitions – including the Riddell District Football League, where they played as part of the Tigers in 2024.
“We might not get to play footy this year, but we’re leading this cause … we want it better for everyone else, even if that means we lose something out of this,” Korinfsky says.
Five-hundred metres away, Kyneton’s football and netball grounds are adjacent to the local main street. The brick grandstand sits proudly at the head of the main oval. A large yellow and black sign welcomes you to “Tigerland”.
Founded in 1868, the Kyneton ranks among the oldest Australian rules clubs in existence, but the club isn’t headline news throughout the entire town. One fish and chip shop worker says they don’t have much to do with the club, aside from sometimes cooking their orders. Another lady sitting on a bench admits she hasn’t heard anything. “That’s not really my scene,” she says.
But for those in the football circles, the decision means a great deal. “There’s a lot of angry people,” one long-term sponsor says, not willing to be named because of their connection with the club. “A lot of people don’t really want to say anything because it’s so controversial.”
Mollison Street in Kyneton. Credit: Penny Stephens
“It’s terrible, this committee has really helped the club … I really don’t know how it’s spiralled out of control as badly as it has. It’s disgusting,” the sponsor says.
Marnie Love, who has been playing football for a decade, says that these attitudes are what make her nervous to walk around her home town.
She’s taking a drink break during her team’s regular Wednesday training, which is temporarily being held at the local high school. The oval is dry and poorly maintained, but the women are still practising diligently.
“The things that they’re saying, it just makes it quite scary. Not necessarily from a physical standpoint, but I don’t know what kind of treatment I’m going to get,” Love says.
Mairead Murphy, Courtney Johns and Belinda Hateley from the Kyneton Women’s Football team. Credit: Penny Stephens
“It’s a boys’ club… they’re buying into that old patriarchal narrative where women must fight for the scraps of what men leave us… it goes to the bedrock.”
The Kyneton Football Netball Club committee was not willing to speak directly to this masthead about the split, instead pointing to a statement published on social media on Wednesday.
“We are horrified at the idea that women, gender diverse people, or anyone else feels unsafe and unwelcome within our club,” the statement says.
“We have always tried to foster a safe and inclusive environment for everyone, including our players, members, supporters and volunteers … we’re not perfect, but we’re on the way.”
A team train at the Kyneton football ground. Credit: Penny Stephens
Kyneton’s experience isn’t an isolated experience, says former female football development manager at AFL Victoria Chyloe Kurdas. Women in traditionally male dominated sports have long had a difficult hill to climb.
“Everyone thinks what you need is all of the tangible things. Jumpers, a ground to train on, equipment to use,” Kurdas says. “But actually the most important thing is the stuff that holds everything together when things get hard, which is the culture.”
“If you think about the genesis of leagues and clubs, they’ve been built by men to the needs of men, and now they need to evolve and become much more gender balanced,” she says. “They don’t have the personnel, the knowledge, the skill set or the experience to do that.”
This is where governing bodies such as AFL Victoria should offer guidance to community clubs and leagues, Kurdas says. With organisational support, there is more chance that a cultural shift will take place.
But in reality, Korinfsky has grown frustrated with the lack of support from these bodies. While the Kyneton Women’s FC have sought mediation within the Riddell District Football Netball League (RDFNL) and lodged an appeal with AFL Victoria, neither of these requests have brought a resolution to their dispute.
A spokesperson from the RDFNL says that they engaged in constant communications with the women’s club, but were ultimately unable to attend a final meeting.
“[We have] in excess of 250 teams, it is not feasible for us to attend a meeting every time there is a dispute internally at one of our 27 member clubs,” the spokesperson said. AFL Victoria was also contacted for comment.
The team is growing impatient with the bureaucracy. They just want to play football at a club where they feel welcome. For many members, the team is an important outlet.
The breakaway team is looking to enter one of the leagues in the Kyneton area. Credit: Penny Stephens
Peta Turnbull wasn’t encouraged to play sport growing up. As a teenager, she used the wages from her part-time job to pay club registration fees.
“It’s been a lifesaver … to have this supportive [football] family. There are no words for it. It’s just a feeling,” Turnbull says. Open about her struggles with mental health, she believes that team sport has played a big part in overcoming them.
“My life in my brain is scheduled as the off-season and the on-season … I find myself so lost in the off-season because I don’t have my people,” she says.
It’s been a similar experience for Courtney Johns: “I’ve got my old life back. I’ve got the old me back … I’m a better mum and better for myself [because of football],” she says.“I’m standing up for my happiness, my love for the sport. I just want to play football.”
These women are hopeful about their future on the field. As they sit together at the local pub after training, there’s excited chatter about the upcoming season. They enjoy spending time together.
“It’s easy to support people to play sport, but it’s not just about sport. It’s about creating really good people and a really great community that embraces everybody for who they are,” Korinfsky says.
Now their goal is within reach. More than 2000 people have signed an online petition for the women’s club to gain entry to the Riddell District league. They’ve raised more than $7000 to go towards the establishment of their new club.
“There’s a strong 150 years of men’s football in this town, and it has been such a driver for the community for so long,” says Korinfsky. “So you’re always going to have a bit of push and pull when things change.”
And while they’re waiting for that moment of change, the Kyneton women will keep training on their makeshift ground. They’ll keep running after the ball and look forward to the day when they can lace up their boots for real.
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