Footy’s Favourite Farmer offers $20,000 for farm and club safety

Run in partnership with AFL Victoria, the competition invites Victorians to nominate a local farmer and explain why they deserve recognition. The farmer’s prize is to be spent on farm safety improvements, while the club’s share will fund upgrades.

Last year’s winner, Royston ‘Doc’ Nettleton from Orbost Snowy Rovers FNC, put the money towards improvements at his dairy farm and the club. Concrete guttering and kerbing were installed beside the netball courts to prevent gravel washing onto the playing surface in wet weather, removing a major slip hazard.

Nettleton also replaced his farm’s old quad bike with a side-by-side vehicle equipped with safety features including roll over protection. He said the change had made his daily work safer.

WorkSafe Chief Executive Officer Cathy Henderson said the competition acknowledged farmers’ contributions to their communities and highlighted safety in one of Victoria’s highest-risk industries. “Agriculture makes up about two per cent of the Victorian workforce, yet regularly accounts for about 10 per cent of workplace fatalities,” Ms Henderson said. She said prioritising safety helped farmers remain involved in family life and community sport.

Monthly winners drawn before the major prize in August will receive a safety pack worth almost $2,000. Each pack includes a WorkSafe Award-winning AirAgri personal safety locator device, a quadbike operator protective device (OPD), a Footy’s Favourite Farmer branded work shirt, and footballs and netballs for the winner’s club.

There is also a prize for the club that nominates the most individual farmers this year: a bag of WorkSafe Sherrin KB game footballs valued at $1,300.

Nettleton encouraged communities to take part, saying he was proud to bring the prize home for his club and community. He described farming, football and netball as activities built on teamwork and looking out for others, and urged people to nominate someone deserving of recognition.

WorkSafe’s remaining Country Club Weeks visits in 2026 will take in Warracknabeal, Tarwin Lower, Orbost, Hawkesdale and Koroit. The visits will celebrate 25 seasons of support for country sport and the people involved.

How Blue Safe can help: Our free WHS self-check can help you review your business’s approach to workplace safety and identify areas that may need attention. Take the free WHS self-check