Footy · Melbourne’s north

Footy clubs and training in Nillumbik

8 clubs in Nillumbik, 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.

Short answer

8 footy clubs have a home ground in Nillumbik (population 62,895 at the 2021 census), across 7 suburbs. All of them play in the Northern Football Netball League.

Juniors who live in Nillumbik are in the Northern Knights’ region — Whittlesea, Nillumbik, Darebin and Banyule — and the Knights are based at Preston.

8 clubs

Footy clubs in Nillumbik

Every club with a home ground in Nillumbik, 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.

Footy clubs with a home ground in Nillumbik, by suburb
ClubHome groundCompetition and grades
Diamond CreekCoventry Oval, Diamond CreekNFNL Division 1 · juniors
ElthamEltham Central Park, ElthamNFNL Division 1 · women’s Division 1, Division 3 · juniors
HurstbridgeBen Frilay Memorial Oval, HurstbridgeNFNL Division 1 · women’s Division 2 · juniors
Panton HillCracknell Reserve, Panton HillNFNL Division 2 · women’s Division 2 · juniors
Diamond Creek Women'sPlenty War Memorial Oval, PlentyNFNL women’s Division 1, Division 3 · juniors
Old Eltham CollegiansEltham College Reserve, ResearchNFNL Division 3
ResearchResearch Park, ResearchNFNL juniors
YarrambatYarrambat War Memorial Park, YarrambatNFNL juniors

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.

Your pathway

Which Talent League club you trial for

Juniors who live in Nillumbik are in the Northern Knights’ region — Whittlesea, Nillumbik, Darebin and Banyule — and the Knights are based at Preston.

Melbourne’s north: the zones, the leagues and the VFL clubs →

How the AFL pathway works, step by step →

Your first ten minutes

Set it up for your club in Nillumbik

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 — Northern 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.

DoreenGreensboroughElthamDiamond CreekEltham NorthHurstbridgeNorth WarrandyteResearchPlentyWattle Glen

The suburbs

Nillumbik by suburb

62,895 people at the 2021 census. Suburb populations from the same census; a suburb marked * is shared with a neighbouring council.

Doreen* 27,122Greensborough* 21,070Eltham 18,847Diamond Creek 12,503Eltham North* 6,830Hurstbridge 3,554North Warrandyte 3,027Research 2,695Plenty 2,575Wattle Glen 1,911Kinglake* 1,662Yarrambat 1,602Kinglake West* 1,305Kangaroo Ground 1,208St Andrews 1,186Panton Hill 1,063Cottles Bridge 609Arthurs Creek 478Christmas Hills 365Smiths Gully 356Bend of Islands 267Yan Yean* 246Strathewen 198Nutfield 158Watsons Creek 58
For coaches

Coaching a side in Nillumbik?

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 Nillumbik: questions

What footy clubs are in Nillumbik?
8 clubs have a home ground in Nillumbik: Diamond Creek, Eltham, Hurstbridge, Panton Hill, Diamond Creek Women's, Old Eltham Collegians, Research and Yarrambat. The table on this page lists each one’s ground, league and grades.
Which Talent League club are Nillumbik juniors zoned to?
Juniors who live in Nillumbik are in the Northern Knights’ region — Whittlesea, Nillumbik, Darebin and Banyule — and the Knights are based at Preston.
Where can women and girls play footy in Nillumbik?
4 clubs field a women’s senior side: Eltham, Hurstbridge, Panton Hill and Diamond Creek Women's. Most junior clubs also run girls’ teams — ask the club directly.
Which league do Nillumbik footy clubs play in?
Every Nillumbik club listed plays in the Northern Football Netball League.
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. Northern Football Netball League — current clubs and grounds
  2. Shire of Nillumbik — suburbs and 2021 census population
  3. Northern Knights — region
  4. NFNL — representation in Knights squads

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

Turn up to round one already fit

Pick footy, tell it your Eltham 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.