Victoria will be looking to defend its national titles, after Victoria Country won the 2024 Toyota AFL Open – Inclusion Division 2 Premiership, and Victoria Metro won the Wheelchair – Division 1 title. Image: AFL Photos
AFL Victoria is proud to announce the athletes who will be representing the ‘Big V’ on a national stage at next week’s Toyota AFL Open at La Trobe University Sports Precinct from Monday 27 – Thursday 30 October.
The flagship national event for footballers with an intellectual impairment and wheelchair players will see each state and territory represented, going head-to-head and battling it out to be crowned champions in the Wheelchair and Inclusion competitions.
This year marks the second instalment of the Toyota AFL Open after the inaugural event was hosted in Queensland last year.
In 2024, Victoria fielded two teams in each event (Victoria Metro and Victoria Country), and in 2025 Victoria will field one combined team in each event, comprised of athletes from across metropolitan and regional Victoria.
For the first time, the AFL in partnership with AFL Victoria, will host an exhibition to showcase the modified version of footy known as AFL Blind, with all players coming from the Victorian Blind Football League (VBFL).
There will also be a Women and Girls Inclusion exhibition match, where Team Victoria will play an Allies Team, consisting of players from each state and territory.
All key information including rules of play can be found in the 2025 Toyota AFL Open Event Booklet or on the Toyota AFL Open homepage.
The 2025 AFL Open is FREE to attend.
Watch day three and four matches live and free via AFL Play or on Kayo Freebies.
CLICK HERE FOR THE 2025 TOYOTA AFL OPEN FIXTURES
2025 Toyota AFL Open – Wheelchair
The Toyota AFL Open Wheelchair division is an annual football competition for the nation’s best wheelchair athletes from across the country. This event provides Australia’s most talented footballers the chance to represent their State/Territory, and to showcase their ability and skills to the broader community.
Each State and Territory is represented at this competition, with the added addition of a team from the Returned and Services League (RSL).
In 2024, Victoria fielded two teams, a Metro and a Country side, with Victoria Metro winning the Division 1 Wheelchair title. This year, those sides have combined and are set to defend the title for the Big V together.
All Victorian players represent an AFL-aligned club in the Victorian Wheelchair Football League (VWFL).
St Kilda won the 2025 VWFL Premiership in August, with premiership player Nick Briant named captain for the Big V at this year's Open.
Click here to view the by-laws for the wheelchair competition and click here for the wheelchair athlete classification system.
Team Victoria – Wheelchair
Coach: Andrew Paddle
Assistant Coach: Andrew Harrison
| NAME | VWFL CLUB |
| Anthony Perito | Collingwood |
| Ben Jankovski | Collingwood |
| Caleb Logan | Essendon |
| Gary Overliese | Essendon |
| Hayden Auber | Hawthorn |
| Judeland Antony | Richmond |
| Nicholas Briant (C) | St Kilda |
| Ryan Smith | St Kilda |
| Scott van Gemert | Essendon |
| Sebastian Welsh | St Kilda |
| Yassin Hill | Hawthorn |
2025 Toyota AFL Open - Inclusion
The Toyota AFL Open Inclusion division is an annual representative competition for participants aged 16+ with intellectual disability. It allows Australia’s top footballers to represent their State or Territory, while showcasing their significant abilities to the broader community.
Each State and Territory is represented at this competition with teams travelling from all over the country. In 2024, Victoria fielded two teams, a Metro and a Country side, with Victoria Country winning the Division 2 title. This year, those sides have combined and are set to defend the title for the Big V together.
Click here to view the by-laws for the Inclusion competition.
All Victorian Inclusion players represent a community club throughout the season, competing in the Football Integration Development Association (FIDA) competition.
Click here to learn more about FIDA, including the 30 registered clubs across Victoria.
Team Victoria – Inclusion
Co-Coaches: Rob Klem and Anthony Scolyer
| NAME | FIDA CLUB |
| Andrew Tserkezidis | Williamstown |
| Brock Carmichael | Fountain Gate |
| Chevy Lee Hingley-Faccin | Wyndham |
| Damien Clarke | Williamstown |
| Dylan Burnham | Skye |
| Jamie Mifsud (C) | Parkside |
| Jarrod Redcliffe | North Albury/Williamstown |
| Jordan Rowe | Lower Plenty |
| Kai Eade | Bell Park/Williamstown |
| Kelvin O’Connor | Williamstown |
| Kelvin Walters | Cranbourne |
| Lachlan Essing | Cranbourne |
| Lachlan Lee | Grampian Giants |
| Michael Scholz | Skye |
| Samuel Hudson | Ballarat Bulldogs |
| Taycan Erikoz | Coburg |
| Tycen Heeger | Fountain Gate |
| Zachary Ireland | Bell Park/Williamstown |
Exhibition Match - Women and Girls Inclusion
The AFL is once again hosting a Women & Girls Inclusion exhibition match on the second day of play, this is an opportunity to highlight the opportunity for women and girls with an intellectual disability to participate in this version of modified footy.
Team Victoria will play an Allies Team, which will consist of players representing each state and territory.
All Victorian players are registered with a Football Integration Development Association (FIDA) club and play matches during the FIDA community football season.
Click here to learn more about FIDA, including the 30 registered clubs across Victoria.
The Women and Girls Exhibition Match will be played on Tuesday 28 October at 10:45am.
Team Victoria – Women and Girls Inclusion
Coach: Elle Dow
| NAME | FIDA CLUB |
| Caitlyn Skye Leith-Willoughby | Monash |
| Ebony Warner | Coburg |
| Eeva Kahkonen | Sandown |
| Georgia Synan | Sunbury |
| Jasinda Hall | Kananook |
| Nat Pritchard | Benalla |
| Natalie Lamanna | Eltham |
| Peta Turnbull | Kyneton/North Bendigo |
| Rachael Werner | Wimmera |
| Rachael Estelle Duffin | Ballarat Bulldogs |
| Tania Kerovic | Coburg |
Exhibition Match – Blind and Low Vision
For the first time ever the AFL, in partnership with AFL Victoria is hosting an exhibition to showcase the modified version of footy known as AFL Blind.
All players have been selected from the Victorian Blind Football League (VBFL), which consists of three teams, Hawthorn and St Kilda (AFL-affiliated), and Port Melbourne, which made history last year as the first VFL club to field a team in the VBFL.
St Kilda won the 2025 VBFL Premiership in August, defeating Hawthorn by nine points.
The Blind and Low Vision Exhibition Match will be played on Tuesday 28 October at 11:45am.
Team Victoria – Blind and Low Vision
| NAME | VBFL CLUB |
| Andrew Close | Hawthorn |
| Beau Jones | St Kilda |
| Bridget Jolley | Port Melbourne |
| David Gauci | Port Melbourne |
| Jasper Steeds | St Kilda |
| Peter Fletcher | Port Melbourne |
| Phoebe Buck | St Kilda |
| Phoenix Romanis | St Kilda |
| Shannon Jones | St Kilda |
| Simon Fuller | Hawthorn |
| Wes Jeffery | Port Melbourne |
AFL Open All Australian selection
At the conclusion of the event, the AFL will select an All Australian team made up of 16 players and one Head Coach from the Inclusion competition and 10 Players and one Head Coach from the Wheelchair competition.
These players will receive a certificate and an All Australian guernsey to recognise their achievement. The All Australian team is a representative team that is selected from all participants in the AFL Open and it is the highest national honour available in the AFL Disability Inclusion Pathways.
Following the All Australian presentation, there will be a Closing Ceremony where special guests will present the awards and premiership medals to athletes.
For more information on the 2025 Toyota AFL Open, click here.