Not a lot of detail in this article, but apparently Darebin has serious funding issues, to the point that the future of the club's VFLW team may be in doubt:
https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1415862/womens-footy-factory-under-thre...
The conclusion of the article hints at the possibility of an alignment with Richmond, who apparently want to get back into the VFLW after ending their VFLW alignment with Port Melbourne. From a Port Melbourne perspective I'm not particularly impressed with Richmond ending the VFLW alignment and now wanting to come back in (though I don't know any details of what went into the decision). But if this does happen (all the article says is that Darebin are "understood" to be "open to the idea" of such an alignment - but I did wonder if that appearing in an official AFL article means the AFL likes the idea), hopefully it works out for Darebin.
I do wonder whether a Richmond alignment with Darebin in the VFLW would cause problems for Preston. Darebin's future in the VFLW would be even more uncertain if Preston doesn't survive, given the current relation between the two clubs, while at the same time the grant for upgrading the lights for night training at Preston depended on their connection to Darebin since it had something to do with supporting women's sports. I was trying to figure out if the grant had already happened or not, and this was all I could find:
https://www.gedkearney.org.au/media-news/media-releases-cooper-news/deli...
So Preston actually getting the grant may depend on Darebin continuing to use the Preston City Oval next season. I don't know whether an alignment with Richmond would preclude that.
It's a real shame for Darebin to be having such serious financial problems as they were showing improvement on the field. I'm still surprised they lost to Geelong in the last round, thereby missing out on finals - it was a close loss, so they likely would have won if Ange Gogos had been able to play that weekend, but unfortunately she wasn't.
Darebin have contributed a lot to women's football and produced a lot of great players. It's sad to hear they're in strife. I wasn't aware they had any connections with Preston, but it makes sense given their proximity. I also worry for Darwin's non-VFLW programs in a potential alignment. From what I understand they run junior football teams as well as soccer. Would those be affected by an affiliation with Richmond?
Darebin's VFLW side has an agreement with the Preston Football Club to train at Preston City Oval and play their home games there.
I don't think a Richmond alignment would affect the club's other programs, of which they have quite a lot - soccer, cricket, and footy, all at both junior and senior levels, as well as an over-35s footy team. I'm not sure where the soccer and cricket sides train, but their junior and senior NFNL footy sides, as well as the over-35s team, train at AH Capp reserve, not Preston. They actually field both a senior and a reserves side in the NFNL women's competition. The ressies side really struggled for numbers this year, often playing with fewer than 16 players (NFNL has moved to 16 on the field for the women's comp like the AFLW) despite the efforts of club officials who very much want to continue fielding two NFNL sides. So they do very much need more NFNL players for the upcoming season. But that program seems to be pretty independent of the VFLW program, and I don't think an alignment with Richmond would affect the rest of the club.
Hopefully Darebin can work their way out of trouble. As UTD said, Darebin have had a huge impact on women's football, being an absolute powerhouse in Victoria before the current VFLW. An alignment may assist with recruiting given the addition of AFL clubs into the women's landscape.
If Preston can restructure and continue on in 2026 and beyond, perhaps resources could be combined in some fashion to benefit both clubs.
* It's time to restore the VFA name.
Darebin's financial strife continues: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-18/darebin-falcons-face-financial-pr...
From the article: "Darebin has asked the AFL to help them partner up with an AFLW club. 'We have approached other AFL clubs in Victoria and interstate for partnership opportunities,' [club president Jane] Ryan said."
The fact that they've approached interstate clubs as well shows how dire the situation is - not sure how a partnership with an interstate club would even work, though Sydney and GWS did invade the VFLW to play a partial season in 2024, without any sort of alignment.
Since Darebin's VFLW side trains at Preston City Oval, as well as playing home games there, they may be directly affected by the death of Preston in the VFL - not sure whether it has been determined yet if they'll keep be able to keep using that oval as a home base. The article refers to Darebin VFLW "not being able" to use AH Capp Reserve - I'm not sure whether that's a club decision or a council one, as their NFNL senior and reserves sides, their junior sides, and their over-35's side all train and play home games at AH Capp.
It sounds like the fate of Darebin's VFLW side now rests in the hands of the AFL. I *think* their other sides could survive the death of the VFLW team, but I don't know enough of the details to be sure of that. Regardless, the AFL certainly ought to help their VFLW side given their place in the history of women's football. But of course we just saw the AFL let Preston die, so it's pretty clear they aren't going to help clubs for the sake of history.
Hopefully some AFL club decides an alignment with Darebin would be advantageous, since it sounds like that's the only way the VFLW side can survive right now. And hopefully any such alignment doesn't end up being a takeover that destroys the club's identity.
Since the AFL are planning for a 13-team VFLW competition, that suggests that Darebin has survived and that any alignment will be with a team that wasn't in the VFLW last season, which narrows it down to Richmond or an interstate team - either that or they end up going it alone again. Of course there's no fixture yet, so it would still be possible to change the season dates. But the fact that Darebin's social media is reposting the announcement of season dates indicates that they plan to be competing. They also posted an ad a week ago for a VFLW assistant coach, which is a promising sign as regards their future.