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.