Westbourne steps up to William Buck Premier Women’s for first time

It’s a proud and historic day for Westbourne Grammarians, with the exciting news that the club is rising into the top-tier Premier Women’s competition for the first time in season 2026.

Westbourne will be trading places with Old Melburnians, who will return to Premier B Women’s this season.

The reason for the swap is that, without a Reserves team, having OMs in Premier Women’s created an excessive number of byes in the Premier Women’s Reserves fixture – 6 additional byes, plus 2 league byes that would impact the enjoyment of players and coaches across the competition.

By elevating Westbourne, the Reserves will feature 8 teams, significantly smoothing the schedule for all competing clubs and improving the experience for all involved.

Having reached the Premier B Women’s Preliminary Final last season, Westbourne Grammarians have shown great faith and belief in their program, embracing the opportunity to rise to the top tier a year earlier than their development plan suggested.

“This is more than just a step up,” the club announced on social media.

“It is a reflection of the commitment, growth and belief that has been built within our program over time.

“From our first training sessions to now, this journey has been driven by the dedication of our players, the strength of our culture, and the standards we continue to set together.

“To our players – this is yours. Your hard work, resilience, and willingness to keep showing up and improving has put our club in this position. The development across all teams has been outstanding, and this next chapter is a reward for that effort.

“To our coaches and support staff — thank you for the leadership, care and professionalism you bring every day. You continue to raise the bar and create an environment where our players can thrive.

“To our broader community — our school, supporters, sponsors and families — thank you for backing this program and being part of the journey.

“We step into Premier Division with purpose, united, and ready for what’s ahead.”

Westbourne will inherit the fixture previously allocated to OM’s, eliminating the need for refixturing. They will begin their Premier Women’s journey by facing West Brunswick in Round 1 on Saturday, April 18.

The Premier B Women’s fixture can now be finalised, and will be published in the coming days.