JETS TALE
The Beginning
The Western Jets and Victorian State Football League/ TAC Cup were founded in 1992 replacing the VFL’s under 19 competition in line with the VFL’s expansion to a national competition and the introduction of the AFL national draft as the primary source for AFL clubs acquiring young talent.
Selected under the father-son rule in the 1992 draft, Dustin Fletcher became the first Western Jet to play AFL when he made his debut for Essendon against Carlton in round 2 1993.
Fletcher subsequently became the first Western Jets AFL premiership player in the same year when the Bombers won the 1993 AFL flag.
The Western Jets made the 1992 and 1993 VSFL Grand Finals played at the MCG as AFL curtain raisers but the first of the clubs premierships still awaits.
In 1995 the competition expanded its metro regions to include 2 new teams (Calder Cannons and Oakleigh Chargers) further defining the residential boundaries that make up the current Western Jets zone.
Jets Zone
The recruiting zone for the Western Jets is made up by the 5 local government areas (LGA’s) of Brimbank, Maribynong, Hobson’s Bay, Melton and Wyndham as well as part of the Moorabool shire. Athletes that reside within these municipalities are zoned to the Western Jets.
Local clubs in the Western Jets zone compete in 6 different leagues across Victoria’s west including the Western, Essendon, Ballarat, Riddell District, Geelong District and the Victorian Amateur Football Leagues.
These local clubs and leagues are the backbone of the Western Jets and their unwavering support is appreciated and a motivator for our purpose.
Western Jets Girls
In 2017 the TAC Cup introduced a 5 game girls competition which has since expanded to a 9 game season. In 2023, the Girls program mirrored the Boys program with 10-12 fixtured games now played across April to September.
After a winless first season the Jets girls posted their first victory in round 5 2018 against the Eastern Ranges.
Elisabeth Georgeostathis became the first Western Jet selected in an AFLW draft when the Western Bulldogs used their first round selection and number 9 overall in the 2019 AFLW draft.
It is intended that the development of the youth girls through the Western Jets programs will lead to a bright future for women’s football in Melbourne’s inner and outer western suburbs.
In 2022, the Western Jets Girls won the NAB League Grand Final against the Dandenong Stingrays with the support of a home crowd at Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee. The win marked the first premiership for the program - Girls or Boys - beating the Stingrays by 6 points in the dying seconds of the game.
Local Legends
Central to the Jets philosophy of developing future talent is the positive influence Jets graduates can have on their local clubs.
Spotswood captain and 2019 WRFL MVP David Iaccarino and Altona leader Steve Kennedy (pictured above) are just two examples of the many Western Jets graduates excelling at local level.