Footy · Victoria

Footy training for Melbourne’s east

The east runs from established suburbs like Box Hill and Ringwood out to the hills around Lilydale and Belgrave, and its footy reflects both. The Eastern Ranges draw on all of it — which makes their squads some of the most competitive in Melbourne.

One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.

Short answer

The Eastern Ranges are the Talent League club for Melbourne’s east, based at Box Hill. AFL Victoria’s Eastern Region takes in the Yarra Ranges, Knox, Whitehorse and Maroondah, plus parts of Manningham and Cardinia. Senior and junior footy in the east is played in the Eastern Football Netball League and, further out, Outer East Football & Netball; Box Hill is the region’s VFL club.

Your pathway

Which club your address belongs to

The Eastern Ranges run boys’ and girls’ Talent League programs for AFL Victoria’s Eastern Region, recruiting by residential address.

Eastern Ranges
Based at Box Hill City Oval.
Council areas in the zone

Manningham and Cardinia are split with neighbouring zones. If you live near a boundary, the Eastern Ranges or your junior league can confirm your club.

How the AFL pathway works, step by step →

Where you play

The competitions

Eastern Football Netball League
The eastern suburbs’ senior and junior competition.
Outer East Football & Netball
Clubs in the outer east and the hills.
Victorian Amateur Football Association
Amateur clubs across the metro area.
State-league clubs here
Box Hill
VFL, at Box Hill City Oval.
Your first ten minutes

Set it up for Melbourne’s east

Four things, in the order the app asks them. None of them needs a coach.

Choose footy, then your team nights

Onboarding asks “When do you train with your team?” Pick your club nights — Eastern Football Netball League or wherever you play — and your gym and conditioning are scheduled around them, lighter the day after a big one. Tell it your equipment and any niggles and every exercise is fitted to both.

Match the program to your league’s start

The app treats March as the start of the AFL season. If your league does not start until mid-April, set your season phase yourself and stay in pre-season a few weeks longer. The phase lives in Program → Your year.

Know your numbers on day one

Your first testing session is ready immediately: 2km time trial, Bench press 1RM, Max pull-ups, Trap-bar deadlift 1RM, Running vertical jump. It is re-run every 8 weeks, and the results re-price your training weights and conditioning paces.

Put your suburb on the board

In Social → Town, set where you train. Your minutes count toward that town’s weekly conditioning and strength top-10 boards — only the town is kept, never your location.

Box HillRingwoodCroydonLilydaleKnoxRowvilleFerntree GullyDoncasterMitchamBelgrave

Starting now

What you start with, by the month you join

Every block is four weeks — three building, one deload — so a free month is one complete block. The footy calendar and conditions are on the Melbourne guide.

Jan
Pre-season
Max-strength block
Feb
Pre-season
Max-strength block
Mar
In-season
Maintenance block
Apr
In-season
Maintenance block
May
In-season
Maintenance block
Jun
In-season
Maintenance block
Jul
In-season
Maintenance block
Aug
In-season
Maintenance block
Sep
In-season
Maintenance block
Oct
Off-season
Muscle-building block
Nov
Pre-season
Max-strength block
Dec
Pre-season
Max-strength block
Read from the app: the season phase a new AFL account starts in, and the first four-week block it runs.
For coaches

Coaching a side in Melbourne’s east?

A club licence is A$8 per player, per month (minimum 5), and every player on it gets full Train Smart membership at no cost to them. You write the block once, it lands in each player’s app, and the console shows who actually did it.

FAQ

Footy in Melbourne’s east: questions

Which Talent League club covers Ringwood, Knox and Lilydale?
The Eastern Ranges. AFL Victoria’s Eastern Region covers the Yarra Ranges, Knox, Whitehorse and Maroondah, plus parts of Manningham and Cardinia.
Where are the Eastern Ranges based?
Box Hill City Oval, which is also home to Box Hill in the VFL.
What footy leagues are in Melbourne’s east?
The Eastern Football Netball League, Outer East Football & Netball, and amateur clubs in the VAFA.
Sources

Where these facts come from

Checked September 2026. Zones, grades and dates change — if something here is out of date, the governing body is right and we are wrong.

  1. Eastern Ranges — regional boundaries
  2. Eastern Ranges — club profile
  3. AFL Victoria — metropolitan and regional leagues
  4. Victorian Football League — clubs

Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it.

Turn up to round one already fit

Pick footy, tell it your team nights, and your first block and testing session are ready before you leave the car park.

One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.