Ballarat Amateur League Finals Picture Sharpens as Season Heads to Pointy End

The Ballarat Amateur Football Association season is entering its defining stretch, and the finals race is as tight as it has been in years. With three home-and-away rounds left before the finals series kicks off on the first weekend of August, only two wins separate second from fifth on the ladder, setting up a frantic finish across the league’s three divisions.

Finals Format and Key Dates

The BAFA top five will contest a final five system that begins with the elimination and qualifying finals on August 1-2, 2026. The grand final is scheduled for Saturday, September 5, at Mars Stadium on Creswick Road, the same venue that has hosted the decider since 2019. Last year’s senior men’s grand final drew a crowd of 3,200, according to league officials, and the association is expecting another bumper turnout this spring.

The women’s division, which expanded to eight teams in 2025, will also conclude its season on grand final day, with the preliminary and grand finals booked across September 4-5. The junior grand finals will be played over the preceding weekend at venues including Alfredton Recreation Reserve and the Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility.

Who’s in Contention

In the senior men’s competition, Redan remains on top with a 12-2 record, but Bacchus Marsh, last year’s runner-up, has won seven of its last eight to climb into second. Sebastopol, Lake Wendouree and Darley round out the current top five, though North Ballarat, sitting sixth at 8-6, is only percentage behind Darley. Any slip-up in the remaining rounds could reshuffle the entire order. The BAFA has not released official match fixtures beyond July 19, but clubs are expected to finalise the remaining schedule this week.

The women’s division has been dominated by East Point, unbeaten through 10 games. Ballarat Grammar and Bacchus Marsh are battling for second, with Melton South and Darley completing the current top five. The BAFA women’s grand final last season went down to a five-point thriller, won by East Point, and the competition’s depth has grown noticeably since that September afternoon.

For the first time, BAFA will host a finals gala dinner on August 28 at the Ballarat Town Hall, ticketed through the league’s website. The event will include the presentation of the league’s best and fairest awards for all three divisions.

Club membership data from BAFA’s annual report, published in June, showed combined senior and junior registrations topped 4,100 for 2026, a 7 per cent increase on the 3,830 recorded in 2025. Part of that growth has come from the introduction of an under-16 girls competition, which kicked off in April with six sides.

The two weeks after the grand final will see the BAFA representative side travel to Bendigo on September 19 for the annual Country Championships against the Bendigo Football Netball League. The Ballarat squad, selected by coaches from each club, is expected to be named on August 25. Selections will be based on form across the entire season, with particular weight given to finals performances.