The Victorian Amateur Football Association will provide umpires for the fourth annual NextGen Unite Cup, to be held on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at Whitten Oval in Footscray.
The event is delivered by NextGen Unite in collaboration with the Western Bulldogs and the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation, the VAFA said.
The Cup features emerging South Sudanese and African football talent from Victoria. The VAFA said its involvement forms part of its commitment to inclusive and culturally diverse football communities.
NextGen Unite was established in 2021 as a youth-focused not-for-profit organisation dedicated to empowering the next generation of South Sudanese Australians, the organisation said. Its programs are built around four pillars: Culture, Education, Employment and Talent.
The 2026 Cup follows what organisers described as another successful event in 2025. That edition, the third staged, was held on October 18 at Mission Whitten Oval and was the first time the Cup had been held in Melbourne's west.
The 2025 program featured a women's AFL Nines game, an under-18 men's game, a senior men's game and a NAB AFL Auskick session, with all matches contested between the Eastside Eagles and Westside Warriors. The Westside Warriors won all three matches.
Whitten Oval, at 417 Barkly Street, Footscray, has been the home ground of the Western Bulldogs, originally known as the Footscray Football Club, since 1883.
NextGen Unite said more information about the organisation is available at www.ngu.org.au, ahead of the fourth Cup at Whitten Oval on October 17, 2026.