Bendigo City Football Club’s aspirational All Female Football Program’s Under 17, Under 15 and Under 13 Girls soccer squads have excelled in their inaugural season in Football Victoria’s Community Premier League in Melbourne.
All three Bendigo City FC sides comprise players from the Castlemaine Goldfields Football Club indicating the future of local female football is alive and well.
Bendigo City FC head of female football, long-time Castlemaine Goldfields FC member and coach Glen Springate said they were incredibly proud of the girls’ efforts in their inaugural seasons in the highly competitive metro comps.
“Bendigo City have had boys teams in Melbourne competition for a number of years now and with the backing of Bendigo City FC technical director Nathan Claridge and the board, I was appointed to lead the establishment of the girls program in 2025,” Springate said.
“We were thrilled to be able to field three squads in the Under 17s, Under 15s and Under 13s and what they have been able to achieve in their inaugural seasons has exceeded all of our expectations!”
The Bendigo City Under 17s side finished the 2025 season as CPL North West division champions and also claimed a grand final win at the hallowed ‘Home of the Matildas’ at Bundoora on September 14. The side defeated Mill Park 8-0 to claim the premiership. Top cap off the season on a high note Bendigo City and Goldfields FC star Rowan Edwards also won the ‘Golden Boot’ for the league with a whopping 38 goals for the season.
The Bendigo City Under 15 side also finished on top of the table claiming the CPL North West division championship and won their grand final bout against Sandringham 1-0 to claim the premiership. City’s Caitlin O’Brien kicking the winning goal.
The Bendigo City Under 13 side also excelled finishing runners-up in the championship missing out on top spot and a grand final berth by a single goal.
Given the unprecedented success of the junior girls sides this season, Bendigo City FC will now look for Football Victoria’s support to field an inaugural Senior Women’s squad in the State League competition in Melbourne in 2026 to continue to strengthen the Women’s Football pathway for regional players.
“We are also running a very successful Female Development Program aimed at local Bendigo Amateur Soccer League players to develop the talent of up and coming local players and rep squad members who can’t be part of the metro sides due to club, work, study or family commitments to ensure they have the same opportunities to strengthen and further their skills as everyone else,” Springate said.
EOIs for the 2026 Bendigo City FC squads will be announced in the coming weeks. Interested local soccer players should keep an eye on the Bendigo City FC socials for details.
Bendigo City FC’s Under 15 Girls also won their championship. Castlemaine players in the squad include Frankie Van Tiggelen, Neve Salpietro, Mara Reynolds and Madeleine Lane. 
The Bendigo City Under 13 Girls finished runners-up after a stellar season. Castlemaine players in the squad include Aurora Annear-Foster, Ginger Rasmussen, Grace Frederiksen, Heidi Frederiksen, Lois Springate and Pepper Shaw.
