Footy clubs and training in Merri-bek
12 clubs in Merri-bek, and every one of them picks its best side on who can run, tackle and back up week after week. Here is where they play — and how to be the player they pick.
One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.
12 footy clubs have a home ground in Merri-bek (population 181,725 at the 2021 census), across 8 suburbs. Most play in the Essendon District Football League (9 clubs), with others in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (4) and the Yarra Junior Football League (2). Coburg is the VFL side here, at Coburg City Oval, Coburg.
Juniors who live in Merri-bek are zoned to the Calder Cannons, based at Highgate Recreation Reserve in Craigieburn, whose zone runs from Merri-bek and Moonee Valley out through Hume to the Macedon Ranges.
Footy clubs in Merri-bek
Every club with a home ground in Merri-bek, where it plays, and the league and grades it fields. Most senior clubs also run junior and girls’ teams — the club can tell you which age groups have spots.
| Club | Home ground | Competition and grades |
|---|---|---|
| Brunswick | Gillon Oval, Brunswick | VAFA Division 2 · women’s Division 2 YJFL juniors |
| North Brunswick | Allard Park, Brunswick; Allard Park, Brunswick East | VAFA Division 2 · women’s Division 3 YJFL juniors |
| Coburg | Barry Plant Park, Coburg; Jackson Reserve, Coburg North | VAFA women’s Premier B EDFL juniors |
| Northern Saints | Charles Mutton Reserve, Fawkner | EDFL Division 2 |
| Glenroy | Sewell Reserve, Glenroy | EDFL Division 2 |
| Hadfield | Martin Reserve, Hadfield | EDFL Division 2 |
| Oak Park | J.P. Fawkner Reserve, Oak Park | EDFL Division 1 · women’s |
| St Francis | Oak Park Reserve, Oak Park | EDFL juniors |
| Therry Penola | JP Fawkner Reserve, Oak Park | VAFA Division 2 · women’s Division 1 |
| Coburg Districts | Cole Reserve, Pascoe Vale | EDFL Division 2 · women’s |
| Pascoe Vale | Raeburn Reserve, Pascoe Vale | EDFL Premier Division |
| West Coburg | Shore Reserve, Pascoe Vale South | EDFL Division 1 |
From each league’s current club list, checked September 2026. Clubs change leagues and divisions between seasons; the league is right if this is not.
Which Talent League club you trial for
Juniors who live in Merri-bek are zoned to the Calder Cannons, based at Highgate Recreation Reserve in Craigieburn, whose zone runs from Merri-bek and Moonee Valley out through Hume to the Macedon Ranges.
- Coburg
- VFL — Coburg City Oval, Coburg.
Melbourne’s north-west: the zones, the leagues and the VFL clubs →
Set it up for your club in Merri-bek
Four things, in the order the app asks them. The footy calendar and conditions are on the Melbourne guide.
Choose footy, then your team nights
Onboarding asks “When do you train with your team?” Pick your club nights — Essendon District Football 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.
Merri-bek by suburb
181,725 people at the 2021 census. Suburb populations from the same census; a suburb marked * is shared with a neighbouring council.
Coaching a side in Merri-bek?
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.
Footy in Merri-bek: questions
What footy clubs are in Merri-bek?
Which Talent League club are Merri-bek juniors zoned to?
Where can women and girls play footy in Merri-bek?
Which league do Merri-bek footy clubs play in?
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.
- Essendon District Football League — current clubs and grounds
- Victorian Amateur Football Association — current clubs and grounds
- Yarra Junior Football League — current clubs and grounds
- City of Merri-bek — suburbs and 2021 census population
- Calder Cannons — about the club and zone
- Calder Cannons — club profile
Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it.
More of Melbourne’s north-west
Turn up to round one already fit
Pick footy, tell it your Coburg training nights — or wherever you play — 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.