Our Teams
We invite the best young talent in the region to participate in our squads with the hope that they can develop and progress all the way through to graduate at COATES Talent League level and possibly obtain an opportunity at AFL level.
We can select players from a range of areas including; Local, School and Representative football as well as other sports if we feel that they fit our selection criteria and will improve and develop with our assistance.
All of our programs not only aim to develop players on-field but also off-field with important information regarding other important areas such as nutrition being distributed across all our programs.
U18 Boys
The Under 18 side play in the COATES Talent League competition which involves 12 teams situated throughout Victoria, two teams in New South Wales and Queensland, and one in each of Tasmania and the Northern Territory. The Sandringham Dragons joined the competition in 1992.
During the two COVID-19 years the COATES Talent League boys program moved the age out to allow more Under players to be listed, in 2022 it transitioned back to the majority of the list being 17-18 year old players with a limited amount of over age (19) players being listed.
The Sandringham Dragons have won the COATES Talent League/ NAB League TAC Cup four in our history – 1999, 2011, 2016, 2022 & 2023. The squad generally consists of 65-75 players.
There are currently 75 ex-Dragons on an AFL List
U16 futures boys Squad
The Under 16 squad play in the Under 16 Metro Carnival which serves as a platform to be selected for the Victorian Metro U16 side which competes in the National Championships.
The squad generally selects 50-80 players per year of which many have the chance to progress to the Under 18 COATES Talent League side.
There are two intakes each year with a squad of 50 which runs from December to April, and a second intake July-October.
U18 Girls
Graduating from an ‘Academy’ in 2016, the TAC Girls competition took a major step forward in 2017 with all regions fielding a team across a 5 game season.
2021 saw the Dragon's girls play 9 games across the Home & Away season and newly named the NAB League.
2022 saw the Dragon's girls make club history, becoming the first team to win their first two games.
In 2023 The COATES Talent League Girls program will be responsible for over 60 talented players, all aged between 16 and 19, fielding 2 sides in Under 16 (2 matches) and Under 18 (13 matches, plus finals).
There are currently 15 ex-Dragons on AFLW lists
Junior Program
As of 2018, the Sandringham Dragons junior program has been absorbed by the St Kilda Next Generation Academy / SMJFL Interleague program. The Dragons will look to work closely with both stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition into the U16 Program.
