Canterbury Australian Football League

03/06/2026

AFL New Zealand is pleased to announce that the Canterbury Participation Coordinator position has been filled. We welcome Maya Woods to the AFL New Zealand team and look forward to watching her grow participation in the sport in Canterbury While still relatively new to AFL, Maya brings valubale expe...

20/05/2026

NZ Kahu player Axel Oswald has earned her spot on the Geelong VFLW list for the 2026 season. Since beginning her journey playing AFL back in 2023, Axel quickly found her passion for the sport and also found a natural talent in the game. Playing for the North Shore Tigers in 2023, Axel was one […]

09/05/2026

A Memorial Service for former CAFL and Blues Football Club President and AFL New Zealand Board Member Ian McWhinnie will be held at the Rangiora RSA, 82 Victoria Street, at 1:30pm on Wednesday the 27th of May - Ian’s family would like to welcome anyone that wishes to attend.

07/05/2026

It is with deep sadness that we mark the passing of former CAFL and president and Board member Ian McWhinnie.

Ian, along with his wife Ady and sons Ross and Alex, played an instrumental role in the re-establishment of AFL in Canterbury in the late 1990s, with his roles and impact stretching over two decades.

Ian’s enthusiasm and determination saw the game grow to a four team competition in the mid-2000s before he took a step back to focus on his family.

We are all indebted to Ian and his family for their work that allows us to enjoy the game we love today.

Ian is no doubt now chatting away about footy with the dearly departed George Lanyon, another pioneer of the game, who passed away in 2025.

02/04/2026

🏉 Dan Carter 🤝 Sydney Swans 🏉

Former All Black Dan Carter was revealed to have helped an AFL team become one of the best kicking squads in the competition.

31/03/2026

📣New Grandstand for Canterbury AFL!

In huge news, last night the CAFL committee approved the plans for a new $5m grandstand, the Terry Anderson Stand, to be constructed at QEII. The grandstand will house 4 change rooms and a special Collingwood supporters playgroup area with swings and a sandpit.

Construction will commence on April 1 2027, exactly one year from today. 🏟️ 🏉

25/02/2026

Last year it was Sweaty !
The year before it was Bangers !!
Is this year the YEAR OF HOPE ???

Only Billy Hope will hope so, whilst all other contenders will be fighting tooth and nail, strategising into the night and throwing caution in to the wind to stand aloft the leader table as the ONE - THE ONLY - CAFL TIPSTAR 2026.

Remember last year when the final few rounds saw Sweaty, Jinxy and Modra tied at the top and picking perfect rounds to finish but Sweaty having the slighlty better points differential.

Oh the joy, the excitement the adrenalin rush of moving up the table and being in striking distance of the top. Pull out the form guide, brush up on off-season trades and read the tea leaves.
Its a long season but picking every week is a must if you want to be in the hunt.

And it starts NEXT THURSDAY the 5th of March.
SO get your tips in now.

Its a long way to the top, if you wanna Rock 'n" Roll....

The Official Footy Tipping Competition of the AFL. Great prizes up for grabs including AFL Grand Final tickets. Create or Join a comp to play against family, friends & work mates!

22/02/2026

🏉 Dear Canterbury AFL Members

🏉 The Incorporated Societies Act has been updated and the new Act is now in place, which requires all societies including CAFL to make several mandatory changes to our constitution. The changes must be approved and the new constitution re-registered by April 5th 2026 or we will need to go through a different and costly process to re-register.

🏉 We have set the date of Monday 23rd March 2026 at 7:30pm for a Special General Meeting and we ask that all CAFL Members attend. We encourage as many members as possible to attend the meeting to ensure there is broad support for the changes. All clubs were emailed about the SGM on Friday 20th February.

🏉 The meeting will be held on Zoom - if you wish to attend please email [email protected]

🏉 Note that for the purposes of this meeting, members are defined in the current constitution as:
The elected officers of the league (i.e. CAFL Committee)
Playing and non-playing members and officers of CAFL clubs (players, committee members and life members of clubs)
CAFL Life Members

🏉 If you are a member and would like to vote on the changes but are unable to attend the SGM you can nominate a proxy to vote on your behalf - if you would like to nominate a proxy please email the president for a copy of the proxy form.

🏉 Please also note, that all CAFL clubs must complete the same mandatory changes to their constitutions by 5th April 2026 - there is an online Constitution Builder for clubs to use to draft their own new constitutions. The CAFL committee can assist clubs with advice on how to complete this process.

Mid Canterbury Eagles AFL Club
Blues Football Club
Christchurch Bulldogs Australian Football Club
University Cougars AFL Club

19/02/2026

The future of footy in Christchurch and NZ is looking bright!! 🏉

AFL New Zealand is looking for two highly motivated and dynamic individual who are passionate about grass roots sports development to come on board and coordinate and deliver programmes for our Rangatahi and Tamariki. There are two positions available, one in Wellington and one in Canterbury. The po...

19/02/2026

AFL New Zealand are recruiting for a Participation Coordinator in Christchurch!!

🏉 This is an exciting time for the game in NZ and we are thrilled to see this role being established. 🏉

🏉 If you’re interested or know someone who has the skills, knowledge and drive to be successful in the role then check out the link below! 🏉

Seeking a motivated individual passionate about grassroots sports to coordinate and deliver programmes for Rangatahi and Tamariki in Canterbury.