FOOTBALL
V/LINE CUP
BECAUSE you can never have enough footy.
The 2026 V/Line Cup is currently underway.
The carnival takes place after the Gippsland League grand final, some five weeks after some players have played their last game for the season.
The 2026 V/Line Cup was officially launched in Morwell last week, in the presence of past and present country footy stars. This is the first year Latrobe City Council has hosted the event since 2018.Former Gippsland Power star and last year’s top AFL draft pick, Willem Duursma returned to where it all began to inspire the next generation.
The Foster local was joined by Latrobe City Mayor, Sharon Gibson, V/Line Regional Manager, Tim Pianta, V/Line Chief Operating Officer, Sussanah Osborne and AFL Gippsland Regional Manager Tim Cotter for the launch.
The youngest of four siblings who now all play footy at the highest level, Duursma represented Gippsland Power in the 2022 V/Line Cup and has since gone on to earn a Rising Star nomination and play 22 games for the West Coast Eagles in his first season on an AFL list.
Latrobe City is welcoming more than 600 players, officials and their families to a three-day event (Monday, September 21 to Wednesday, September 23).
The region has a strong history of successfully hosting the V/Line Cup between 2015 to 2018, resulting in a substantial economic boost exceeding $9 million for the local community.
The venues where the V/Line Cup was last held, Traralgon Showgrounds, Morwell Recreation Reserve, and Ted Summerton Reserve, Moe, have undergone significant refurbishments and redevelopment in recent years, priming them to provide an elevated hosting experience for 2026 and beyond.
The V/Line Cup is the premier representative football competition for Victorian boys and girls aged 15 and under and has seen many talented footballers come through the ranks into the elite game in recent years.
First played in the Goulburn Murray in 1949, the V/Line Cup comprises three divisions – two boys divisions and a girls division, with six teams representing the 10 AFL Victoria Country regions.AFL Goulburn Murray and AFL North East Border – Murray BushrangersAFL Central Victoria – Bendigo PioneersAFL Barwon – Geelong FalconsAFL South East – Dandenong StingraysAFL Gippsland – Gippsland PowerAFL Western District, AFL Goldfields, AFL Wimmera Mallee and AFL Sunraysia – GWV RebelsIn previous years, Goulburn Murray and North East Border have competed separately, however the two regions have combined in 2026 and will play under one united Murray Bushrangers team in each division.
This change sees the V/Line Cup regions align with the six representative AFL Talent League clubs that many participants will trial to represent in the coming years.
Each team will compete in two matches over the carnival, with a total of 18 matches played across the three days.
“The Latrobe City Council have put in a mountain of work to ensure a fantastic experience for our participants, including recent upgraded to the facilities in Traralgon, Moe and Morwell for this year’s competition, and I extend my appreciation to V/Line for the ongoing and long-standing support of country footy in Victoria,” Cotter said.
“We’re very proud of the young talent that has come through Gippsland’s programs in recent years, including the Duursma family, Xavier, Zane, Yasmine and Willem, with all four siblings now playing AFL/W level.
“A special thank you to Willem for making the trip home to Gippsland today, to meet the future of the Gippsland Power program, and share his experience playing at the highest level.”
“We are proud to host one of Victoria’s premier junior football events and to welcome talented young athletes from across regional Victoria to Latrobe City,” Mayor Gibson added.
“The V/Line Cup is a great opportunity for young athletes to challenge themselves, develop their skills, make new friends and create lasting memories.
“Sport plays an important role in our community. It brings people together, builds confidence and teaches valuable life skills such as teamwork, respect and resilience.
The V/Line Cup showcases these values while celebrating the next generation of football talent.”
