Sport
V/Line Cup shifted from Shepparton for the first time since 2019 with Ballarat to host junior football carnival
One of the state’s foremost junior football carnivals has been ripped from Shepparton’s grasp.
The V/Line Cup — Victoria’s elite under-15 football tournament — will not be held in the Goulburn Valley in 2024, instead being shifted to Ballarat for this year’s installment.
Shepparton has hosted the past four editions of the V/Line Cup.
It’s undoubtedly a big blow to the region economically, with the 2024 edition of the carnival, to be held in September, involving more than 600 players, officials and umpires.
In 2018, it was announced that Shepparton would gain hosting rights for the event for the first time the following year after being held in Gippsland from 2015-2018.
Three years later, in what is considered an anomaly, locals got a double dose of carnival action.
COVID-19 interrupted the V/Line Cup’s scheduling in 2021, with the three-day tournament held twice the next year.
It was followed by another successful edition in 2023.
The competition’s rich history dates back 75 years and the Goulburn Valley is steeped in the annals as the tournament’s first winner in 1949.
V/Line signed on as the carnival’s naming rights sponsor in 2004, while a girls’ division was eventually introduced in 2010.
And though it’s Shepparton’s loss in terms of hosting privileges, the region’s rising stars will still fly the banner in a high-quality under-15 football environment.
Goulburn Murray teams will head to the Central Highlands during AFL grand final week (September 23-25) to compete in two boys' divisions and a girls' division.
The tournament serves as a key arm of the state’s talent pathway system, affording players the opportunity to showcase skills in hopes of future Coates Talent League squad selection.
In light of V/Line’s recent partnership renewal with AFL Victoria spanning three years, organisation head Greg Madigan was rapt to see the relationship continue.
“V/Line’s support of country football in Victoria has reached 20 years and I thank V/Line for its ongoing commitment to our great game through the extension of this partnership,” Madigan said.
“The V/Line Cup has provided thousands of young Victorian boys and girls from regional areas, with the opportunity to compete in a high-level representative junior competition and helped them develop into the best footballers they can be.
“Only with V/Line’s backing has this been possible.
“I look forward to seeing the historic V/Line Cup continue in 2024 and well into the future, while ensuring the partnership between AFL Victoria and V/Line remains strong.”
V/Line acting chief executive Josef Brennan also noted the significance of keeping the carnival alive for its benefits as a talent identification pathway.
“We’re proud of our ongoing support for the V/Line Cup and the 2024 event marks the 20th year of our partnership with AFL Victoria,” he said.
“The V/Line Cup has been a fantastic launching pad for regional Victoria’s best young footballers to go on to bigger things in their football careers. More than 100 players have been drafted into the AFL and AFLW since our partnership began.
“At V/Line, we’re committed to being involved in the communities we serve and sponsoring the V/Line Cup is another extension of that. We look forward to supporting the future of this fantastic carnival and seeing the next generation of the state’s rising stars showcase their skills to a wider audience.”