From the Bendigo Advertiser
Reported by Luke West
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DAVID Joss will stand down as chairman of the Bendigo Football Club at the end of this month.

Joss will vacate the position at the BFC’s annual general meeting, but remain a board member of Bendigo’s VFL club.

Joss has held the chairman’s position since August 2008 when he took over from Ian Dyett and has overseen a number of key decisions at the club, but believes the time is now right for a fresh person to take the reins.

“The club is going into its third phase, having been the Bendigo Diggers, then Bombers and now the Bendigo Football Club,” Joss said yesterday.

“It seems that if I can’t commit myself fully for the next three years then it’s time for the next person to come through and take the leadership role.

From the Warnambool Standard
Reported by Megan Rooth
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WARRNAMBOOL will host a VFL match between Coburg Tigers and Geelong Cats next year.
The feline rivals are scheduled to meet at Reid Oval on July 1 in a bid to promote the VFL brand in country areas.

Coburg football manager Craig Byron told The Standard yesterday the club was excited to play its home game in the south-west. He said the club made the decision after some encouragement from its AFL affiliate Richmond.

“We were searching for areas where we could extend the VFL brand and give Coburg a bit of exposure,” Byron said.

“Richmond had a fair bit to do with it. They have a fair few members down that way.”

From ABC News
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The Bendigo council has intervened in a decision about use of the city's main football ground on Good Friday.

Both the Bendigo Football Netball League and the city's VFL team, the Bendigo Football Club, were scheduled to play games at the Queen Elizabeth Oval next year on Good Friday.

The parties were negotiating but failed to reach an agreement, so the council decided to allow the local league to keep its Good Friday date.

From The Age
Reported by
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ESSENDON is keen to snare Port Melbourne's Shane Valenti, a former Melbourne midfielder and two-time Liston Trophy winner, in Tuesday's AFL rookie draft.

Valenti, who turns 25 next month, trained with the Bombers on Friday and is one of a number of mature-age VFL players who are set to be picked up.

From AFL Website
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WILLIAMSTOWN will defend its 2011 Foxtel Cup in next season's knockout competition, which will feature 16 teams including two from Tasmania.

The VFL side won the inaugural cup from WAFL club Claremont, and both will feature again in 2012.

There will be three teams from the VFL, WAFL and SANFL, two from the TSL, two from Queensland, the NT Thunder, and one team from each of NSW and the ACT.

Greater Western Sydney, which played in the Foxtel Cup last season, will make its AFL debut in 2012, making way for a second Tasmanian team.

The 16 competing teams are Ainslie (ACT), Burnie (Tas), Claremont (WA), Launceston (Tas), Morningside (Qld), Mt Gravatt (Qld), NT Thunder (NT), Port Adelaide (SA), Port Melbourne (Vic), South Adelaide (SA), Subiaco (WA), Sydney Hills Eagles (NSW), Werribee (Vic), West Adelaide (SA), West Perth (WA), and Williamstown (Vic).

AFL general manager national and international development, Andrew Dillon, said on Tuesday the competition would be broadcast on the new FOX FOOTY channel.

From the Ballarat Courier
Reported by Melanie Whelan
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DUAL premiership player Michael Searl has arrived back to the North Ballarat Roosters.
Searl was keen to get started in his first training session on Friday night after a two-year hiatus from the Victorian Football League to work and travel overseas.

The 27-year-old said it was good to see some familiar faces about the locker room.

But there were a lot of new faces in the playing group, too.

“My first night back and I feel a bit like the new guy,” Searl said before hitting the track.

“It’s all exciting and I’m looking to get my body back into shape for another year in the VFL.

“... I’m pretty sure I’ll blow out a few cobwebs tonight.”

From The Mercury
Reported by Brett Stubbs
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THE good news is the TSL will test itself on the big stage against the might of the VFL next season.

The bad news is the state league and its broadcaster have parted company, meaning there will be no live coverage of the TSL from 2012 or beyond.

The SANFL, VFL, WAFL, NEAFL Eastern Conference, NEAFL Northern Conference and the TSL will play a series of interstate games between 2012 and 2017, with Tasmania hosting Victoria next season, on either May 26 or 27.

From www.boxhillhawks.com.au
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The Box Hill Hawks Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club have renewed their alignment agreement from 2012 to 2014, extending to 15 years the continuous relationship between the two clubs.

To further strengthen the alignment and increase the number of players drafted to AFL level from Box Hill a new Academy Program will be implemented. This will enable Box Hill Hawks players access to Hawthorn’s facilities and coaches at Waverley Park. Box Hill Hawks Senior Coach Damian Carroll believes the continued alignment will benefit Box Hill players significantly. “For Box Hill Hawks players to use the facilities at Waverley Park as well as other coaching resources is something many other VFL players will not have” said Carroll. “Five Box Hill Hawks players have made it onto AFL lists in the last two seasons. This Academy Program will show to delisted AFL players or TAC Cup players who missed being drafted that the Box Hill Hawks program creates second opportunities of getting onto an AFL list.”

Box Hill Hawks and Hawthorn first aligned in 2000 and is the only original AFL/VFL still in place. Box Hill Hawks President Mr. Tony Pinwill, who was the President in the first season of the Box Hill Hawks was excited about the agreement extension. “Box Hill Hawks and Hawthorn have built the strongest VFL/AFL alignment in the competition and both clubs were keen to see a new agreement reached” said Pinwill. “Both Box Hill Hawks and Hawthorn played in finals last season and we expect to be premiership contenders in the VFL and AFL during 2012.