| Darebin Falcons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Names | |
| Full name | Darebin Women's Sports Club |
| Former name(s) | Fairfield Falcons |
| Nickname(s) | Falcons |
| Motto | Join the flight |
| 2023 season | |
| After finals | VFLW: N/A NFNL Div 1: 4th NFNL Div 3: 2nd |
| Home-and-away season | VFLW: 12th NFNL Div 1: 4th NFNL Div 3: 4th |
| Club details | |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Competition | VFLW: Seniors NFNL: Division 1 NFNL: Division 2 |
| President | Jane Ryan[1] |
| Coach | Lache Walker |
| Premierships | VFLW (2) VWFL (9) |
| Ground(s) | Bill Lawry Oval[2] La Trobe Uni Preston City Oval |
| Former ground(s) | Fairfield Park (1990) McDonell Park (1991–2005) |
| Other information | |
| Official website | https://falcons.org.au/ |
The Darebin Women's Sports Club, nicknamed the Falcons, is a sports club based in the northern suburbs of Melbourne that is primarily notable for its Australian rules football team which competes in the highest-level Victorian state league – the VFL Women's (VFLW). It is the only VFLW club that is not affiliated with a side from the national AFL Women's (AFLW) competition or the Australian Football League (AFL).[3]
Founded in 1990, the club originally competed in the Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL). Darebin dominated the 2000s, appearing in every grand final from 2005 to 2015 and winning eight premierships. The inception of the AFLW in 2017 brought changes and difficulties; the club won two premierships in the newly established VFL Women's but had to rely on a council grant to raise the necessary funds to play in the increasingly professional competition and struggled against better-resourced opponents.
Guardian Australia notes Darebin's "long... reputation for developing star talent and setting the bar for the women's game", having produced AFLW players such as Katie Brennan, Daisy Pearce and Darcy Vescio.[3] The club also fields football teams in the Northern Football Netball League,[4] youth and masters sides, as well as soccer, cricket and eight-ball teams.[2] Now with twenty-nine soccer teams, the club currently has the largest number of girls and women playing soccer in Victoria. As of October 2018[update], an estimated 550 players represent the club across the sports.[3]
- ^ "2022 Board".
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
photo essaywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
schetzer guardianwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Senior Women's Football". falcons.org.au. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.