Twenty four local netballers have sustained ACL injuries in 2025 alone
A massive spike in the number of netballers suffering season-ending knee injuries is shining the spotlight on sub-standard facilities across the region.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Twenty four ACL injuries to local netballers has renewed calls for improved facilities in the region as the sport’s local peak body is set to hold education sessions on injury prevention.
There has been a clear spike in the Bellarine in 2025 with 10 season-ending knee injuries, including two Queenscliff sisters on the same day, plus three ACLs at Drysdale, two at Modewarre and Anglesea and one at Barwon Heads.
The Roos had been playing on old asphalt courts riddled with cracks before they received an upgrade before the season began from the local council.
However, Newcomb, which had its courts resurfaced before the season began, have reported no ACL injuries in 2025.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Mortimer Oval earlier this year, pledging $5.45m to the Hawks for two compliant courts if re-elected.
Across the region, there have been five ACL injuries in the GDFNL – including Thomson’s A Grade captain during pre-season – and a further nine in the GFNL, including four at Leopold.
All up, there have been 20 ACL injuries across 13 clubs.
Bell Park was the only club not to respond to this masthead’s survey.
It comes after AFL Barwon moved Grovedale’s netball games indoors at a local school with the courts deemed non-compliant.
Meanwhile, a G21 netball report in 2020 rated the court surfaces at Burdoo and Lara reserves as very poor with “immediate intervention required”, while Myers Reserve had “considerable wear but still playable”.
While no clubs this masthead has spoken to is blaming court conditions as the solitary reason for these injuries, some say a lack of quality surfaces and adequate warm up areas was contributing to the toll.
Modewarre netball coach Sarah Gunning said the sport continued to have a comparitively huge female participation rate of any sport in Geelong but the standard of facilities “often doesn’t reflect that”.
She said the reduction of netball at the Sports Hub was also a backwards step.
One BFNL club still played on asphalt and was aware of players that had to warm up in car parks.
Grovedale A Grade coach Rachael Randall thought the high number of ACLs was due to a mixture of the nature of the sport but also a lack of warm up areas.
Tigers players had to prepare for games in cricket nets – after adjacent tennis courts were being used – earlier this year.
“I wholeheartedly agree that the warm up areas at clubs are inadequate,” Randall said.
“You get some clubs where players are warming up in car parks.
“It’s definitely something we need to look at.
“There have been more soft tissue injuries (at Grovedale) that we have experienced the last couple of seasons.”
One of their players injured an ACL at an opposing club this year, but it was due to a “freak landing experience”, Randall confirmed.
Bell Post Hill A Grade coach Daniel Black said the club had one ACL injury so far in 2025, describing their current facilities as “very poor”.
A City of Greater Geelong masterplan for the site recommended for the courts to be relocated with a need for a multipurpose half-court warm up space.
Black said the club had received council funding for fencing and coaching facilities – and Cr Eddy Kontelj had been a strong ally – but their courts needed an upgrade.
Panthers netball co-ordinator, Christina Blaskovic, said their courts were cracked and uneven, had a lack of adequate warm up spaces and poor drainage.
“We are one of the worst netball facilities in Geelong,” Blaskovic said.
“We don’t get any major works on it whatsoever, we get Band-Aid works.
“The courts aren’t level.
“When we have injuries weren’t not surprised.
“There’s just a lack of investment in this sport.”
However, Black said Corio, Anakie and Geelong West Giants had terrific facilities, with all three clubs receiving upgrades and resurfacing in recent years, as have Colac, Belmont Lions, Torquay, Leopold and Winchelsea.
Some clubs, including Werribee Centrals and Newtown & Chilwell, have taken part in Netball Australia’s KNEE program, which focuses on prevention.
In AFL Barwon’s annual report last year, commission chair Michelle Gerdtz said there was a need for infrastructure development and a “desperate need for suitable facilities” to hold football and netball finals.
“Netball facilities in the region are an area that we need to work through in identifying opportunities with Government and local councils to help support the growth in the sport in this region,” Gerdtz said.
Summer and winter netball competitions in the region saw a significant increase in team registrations in 2024.
In a statement, AFL Barwaon said it continued to provide improved facilities and regularly talks to local councils to advocate for better infrastructure.
“We are currently collaborating with some of our key partners to deliver an education session focused on ACL injury prevention and management, tailored specifically for netballers and female footballers,”
“In addition, we’ve supported clubs with access to Prep to Play – an evidence-based program designed to build confidence in warm-ups, strength training and load management.
“We remain committed to working with our clubs, councils, and stakeholders to ensure female players are supported with the resources and environments to participate safely”.
City of Greater Geelong’s executive director City Life, Anthony Basford, said the council had invested $22.3m in netball infrastructure between 2019 and 2024, with new court upgrades at Anakie, Richmond Oval, Winter Reserve and Leopold.
The council has also committed $1m for an upgrade at Thomson, with two Netball Victoria-compliant courts, lighting and shelters.
Surf Coast Shire Council has contributed to new courts at Torquay (acrylic), Modewarre (asphalt), Anglesea (acrylic) and Winchelsea (acrylic) over the past six years.
The council’s acting general manager of placemaking and environment, Gabby Spiller, said
it was aware of research into why women receive more ACL injuries than men.
Netball Victoria was contacted for comment.
The breakdown of ACL injuries across Geelong’s three netball competitions
GFNL
Leopold: four
South Barwon: two
St Mary’s: one
Lara: one
Grovedale: one
GDFNL
East Geelong: two
Bell Post Hill: one
Belmont Lions: one
Thomson: one
BFNL
Drysdale: three
Queenscliff: two
Anglesea: two
Modewarre: two
Barwon Heads: one
Originally published as Twenty four local netballers have sustained ACL injuries in 2025 alone
Life-changing Parkinson’s surgery now available in Geelong
A Bannockburn grandfather’s severe Parkinson’s tremors have been dramatically reduced thanks to groundbreaking surgery now available at Epworth Geelong for the first time.
‘Keen for a change’: New Warrior revelling in the Bellarine
A former Joeys defender has revealed how he landed on his feet at a BFNL club, still confident it can pinch a place in the finals after an indifferent season so far.