COATES
Under 18 Boys · Victoria & Tasmania · AFL Pathway

Coates
Talent League

Australia’s most watched under-18 competition. Thirteen regional clubs, a direct feed into AFL draft night, and the proving ground where every top-end prospect goes to learn the game at senior pace.

About the competition

The nation’s draft pipeline

The Coates Talent League is the under-18 boys’ competition that supplies the AFL draft with the majority of its talent each year. Thirteen regional clubs — twelve across Victoria and one covering the whole of Tasmania — run parallel boys’ and girls’ programmes, though this page covers the boys’ side. Players move through at 17 and 18 before either being drafted, picked up by an AFL club’s academy, or dropping back into senior state-league football.

Every recruiter in the country watches these fixtures closely. It’s where AFL clubs separate projected top-10 picks from late-first-round smokies, and where club academy players come to prove they can handle the speed, contest and attention that comes with the next step.

13
Clubs
U18
Age group
2
States (VIC & TAS)
1992
Founded (as TAC Cup)

The 13 Clubs

Listed by region · 2026 season
Bendigo · Central Victoria
Bendigo Pioneers
Draws from the Loddon-Mallee goldfields belt and the north-central country footy heartland. Home games at the Queen Elizabeth Oval in Bendigo.
Region BendigoHome QEO
Melbourne · North-west
Calder Cannons
Covers the fast-growing corridor through Essendon, Keilor, Sunbury and the Macedon Ranges. Consistently one of the strongest pathway programmes in the league.
Region North-westHome RAMS Arena
Melbourne · South-east
Dandenong Stingrays
Mornington Peninsula and south-eastern suburbs, stretching from Frankston down to Flinders. The Stingrays have produced a long line of top-end draft picks.
Region PeninsulaHome RSEA Park
Melbourne · East
Eastern Ranges
The eastern suburbs zone from Box Hill through to the Dandenongs. Known for development depth and a steady production line into senior football.
Region EastHome Kinder Smith Reserve
Geelong · Western Victoria
Geelong Falcons
The Geelong region’s dedicated pathway club. Strong historical ties to the Geelong Cats’ academy, with a pipeline that has produced club champions and Brownlow winners.
Region GeelongHome GMHBA Stadium
Victoria · Gippsland
Gippsland Power
Covers a vast stretch from Phillip Island through the Latrobe Valley and out to East Gippsland. Regional depth often produces hard-bodied, country-tough prospects.
Region GippslandHome Morwell Recreation Reserve
Victoria · West
GWV Rebels
Greater Western Victoria — Ballarat, Hamilton, Horsham and Warrnambool. One of the largest geographical catchments in the competition.
Region BallaratHome Mars Stadium
Victoria-NSW Border
Murray Bushrangers
The Murray River region spanning Shepparton, Wangaratta, Albury and beyond. Cross-border footy with a reputation for producing clean-kicking midfielders.
Region MurrayHome Lavington Sports Ground
Melbourne · North
Northern Knights
Covers the northern suburbs through Preston, Thomastown and Whittlesea. Strong multicultural football culture and a deep development model.
Region NorthHome Preston City Oval
Melbourne · South-east
Oakleigh Chargers
Oakleigh through to the bayside south-east. The Chargers have arguably the most impressive alumni list of any club in the competition’s history.
Region South-eastHome Warrawee Park
Melbourne · Bayside
Sandringham Dragons
The Bayside and inner south catchment. A perennial finals force with a strong private-school feeder network and a tight link to Melbourne’s elite football programmes.
Region BaysideHome Trevor Barker Beach Oval
Tasmania · Statewide
Tasmania Devils
The only non-Victorian club in the competition. Represents the entire state of Tasmania and travels up the Bass Strait for every away fixture. Added depth and identity as Tasmania prepares for its AFL club.
Region TasmaniaHome Blundstone Arena
Melbourne · West
Western Jets
The western corridor covering Footscray, Werribee, Wyndham and Hobsons Bay. The Jets have steadily grown into a serious producer of inside midfield talent.
Region WestHome Burbank Oval
About this list The Coates Talent League also runs a full girls’ competition under the same structure, which has become a primary feeder into the AFLW draft. Full fixtures, ladder and prospect coverage will roll out through the 2026 season. Source: AFL.com.au Coates Talent League.