Victorian Football League
Current season, competition or edition: 2016 VFL season | |
Formerly | Victorian Football Association (1877-1995) |
---|---|
Sport | Australian rules football |
Founded | 17 May 1877 Melbourne, Victoria |
Inaugural season | 1877 |
No. of teams | 15 |
Country | Australia |
Most recent champion(s) | Williamstown (14th title) |
Most titles | Port Melbourne (16 titles) |
TV partner(s) | Seven Network |
Official website | www.vfl.com.au |
The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association (VFA), taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the major state-level Australian rules football league in Victoria. For historical purposes, the present VFL is sometimes referred to as the VFA/VFL, to distinguish it from the present day Australian Football League (AFL), which was known until 1990 as the Victorian Football League. The VFA was formed in 1877, immediately after the foundation of a similar body in South Australia and is the second-oldest Australian rules football league, replacing the loose affiliation of clubs that had been the hallmark of the early years of a game which was first played as early as the 1850s.
Today, the VFL is one of many regional Australian semi-professional competitions. From 2015 it will comprise 15 teams from throughout Victoria, nine of which have a continuous VFA heritage. Many Victorian-based clubs in the fully professional AFL are affiliated with VFL clubs, and as a result, the league partly serves as a reserves competition for the AFL.
History
Formative years
The Victorian Football Association (VFA) was founded in 1877 on 17 May. The new governing body replaced an earlier system where club delegates met informally to decide on the rules, the selection of the winner of the Challenge Cup, the division of clubs into Senior and Junior status, and other matters of mutual interest. The VFA continued to list its teams as being of either Senior or Junior status.
Foundation senior clubs of the VFA in the Melbourne metropolitan area were Albert-park, Carlton, Hotham, Melbourne and St Kilda; regional senior clubs including Geelong, Barwon, Ballarat, Beechworth, Castlemaine, Rochester and Inglewood also competed.[1] Foundation junior clubs included Essendon, Hawthorn, Northcote, South Melbourne, Standard, Victoria United, Victorian Railways and Williamstown. During its early years, many clubs dropped in and out and there were erratic promotions between the Senior and Junior sections.
Scheduling was chaotic. Based on a system that had evolved before the emergence of the Association, the compilation of fixtures was not done by the VFA but was the responsibility of each club secretary. In a typical season a club would play against other VFA teams, both Senior and Junior, non-VFA Victorian clubs, and even intercolonial teams. At the end of each season, the VFA announced the Premier team. This was usually the club with the most wins, but there were some seasons where the VFA judged the leading team had had too many wins against junior clubs, and awarded the Premiership to the club with the second-highest number of wins.
From 1878 the Association recorded the number of behinds, but with only goals counting towards a win, thus the number of draws was much higher than under the modern scoring system. The number of players on the field was usually twenty but when a Senior and Junior team met, the Junior club was usually allowed to field extra players; there were no reserves and if a player was injured the team was a man short.
After 1889, the often-changeable collection of clubs in the VFA became settled at twelve consistent clubs: Carlton, Essendon, Fitzroy, Footscray, Geelong, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Port Melbourne, Richmond, St Kilda, South Melbourne and Williamstown; they were joined by a thirteenth club, Collingwood, in 1892.
Split
After the 1896 season, eight of the thirteen clubs broke away to form the Victorian Football League (VFL): Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and South Melbourne. All twenty VFA premierships to that stage had been shared by six of those eight clubs. The VFA continued to be an independent body, with only five of its pre-1897 clubs – Footscray, North Melbourne, Port Melbourne, Richmond and Williamstown – but within five years it had expanded to ten clubs, a size it maintained until the 1920s. Although its size was constant, its membership was not, with many new clubs lasting only a few years before leaving, and four clubs switching to the VFL: Richmond in 1908, and North Melbourne, Footscray and Hawthorn (who joined the VFA in 1914) in 1925.
A number of rule changes were adopted during the last years of the 19th Century and the first years of the 20th:
- From 1897 behinds (1 point) were counted towards the score. (The VFL also changed its scoring system in the same year.)
- The 'little mark' was abolished in 1897. A 'little mark' was taken when a player passed the ball by foot at least two yards (1.83 m) generally from a pack of players. It was difficult for umpires to pick out 'little marks' in scrimmages. It was abolished to open up play. (The VFL also abolished it in the same year.)
- Also in 1897 the number of players was reduced from 20 to 18. This worked well as it gave players more freedom around the packs. Since then there have been a few modifications to the VFA's on-field numbers: 1908 – to 17; 1912 – to 16; 1918 – reverted to 18; 1959 – to 16; 1992 – reverted to 18. (The VFL changed from 20 to 18 two years after the VFA [1899] and has had 18 players on the ground ever since.)
- An order-off rule was also introduced in 1898 but only lasted for two seasons as it was not popular with either players or umpires. Umpires were never sure how rough things had to get before they could order a player off, rather than awarding a free kick to an opponent. (The VFL has never had an order-off rule.)
- In 1903 the VFA introduced its first finals. Prior to this, the four teams at the top of the ladder at the end of what are now called home-and-away games made up the 'final four'. (The VFL had introduced finals in 1897.)
A number of clubs competed for short lengths of time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries:
- Essendon Town 1900-1921, Name changed to Essendon (Association) in 1905;
- Geelong 1922-1927. Officially the Geelong Football Club, the team was known as Geelong (Association) or as Geelong A.
- Hawthorn 1913-1925;
- Melbourne City 1912-1913. The club lost all of the 36 games played;
- West Melbourne 1879-1880 and 1899-1907.
Between at least 1900 and 1902, there was a short-lived VFA 2nd Division consisting of junior clubs such as Heidelberg.
In the late 1920s, the VFA expanded to twelve teams, including six new clubs, and those twelve teams remained unchanged for several decades thereafter. Those clubs were: Port Melbourne; Williamstown; Brunswick (joined 1897); Prahran (1899); Brighton (1908); Northcote (1908); Coburg (1925); Camberwell (1926); Preston (1926, after a temporary period between 1903-1911); Yarraville (1928); Oakleigh (1929); Sandringham (1929).
The first regular radio broadcasts of VFA games were made by 3XY, a little after the station commenced operations in 1935. The commentator was Wallace ("Jumbo") Sharland who had earlier been the first to describe VFL matches, that being on 3AR in 1923. (Jumbo Sharland was a former Geelong player and, at one time, a newspaper football reporter.) In 1954 3AK began broadcasting VFA games, albeit only for a season or two. In 1966 Network Ten began to televise Sunday games. The 1970s also saw broadcasts on 3UZ, while local Geelong station, 3GL, broadcast all Geelong West matches. In 1982, the then-dominant Melbourne sports radio station, 3AW, broadcast the Grand Final. In 2003 3AK evolved into sports radio station SEN 1116, and provided a coverage of VFL matches, but this was discontinued after they won the rights to broadcast the AFL (Australian Football League), as from the 2007 season. In the 2007 and 2008 seasons, Radio 1611 Double X began broadcasting VFL matches. The station was the first to podcast replays. (Details of current broadcasts are found below – "Radio".)
Throw pass era
In 1938, the VFA made a bold rule change by legalising throwing of the football in general play, provided the throw was underarm with both hands below shoulder height. The change helped to speed up the game, and introduced more run-and-carry play in an era which had previously been dominated by a long-kicking style, proving popular with many spectators. Additionally, the VFA ended its permit agreement with the VFL, and began to aggressively recruit star players from the VFL – including Laurie Nash and Ron Todd, who were in the primes of their careers and were both considered amongst the best players in the country. These changes gave the VFA a product which could compete with the VFL for public interest, and it made the late 1930s and 1940s one of the most successful periods in the VFA's history.[2] The VFA competition went into recess from 1942 until 1944 due to World War II, but continued to perform strongly upon returning in 1945.
While the throw-pass was in effect, particularly during the early 1940s, there were talks between the VFA and VFL towards an amalgamation of the two bodies. Although the throw-pass had been a great success for the VFA, it was felt that a single controlling body for football in Victoria playing under a uniform set of rules was in the best interests of football as a whole. Negotiations for an amalgamation took place over several years, but broke down several times over a variety of issues, including representation at board level, Australian National Football Council representation, and a promotion and relegation structure between the VFA and VFL.[3]
In the end, the two bodies never amalgamated, but the schism ended in 1949 when the bodies agreed to recognize each other's clearances and the VFA was granted a seat on the Australian National Football Council; but, as a condition of joining, it was forced to abandon the throw-pass rule and adopt the national standard rules.[4] While these changes did benefit Victorian football as a whole, it effectively stripped the VFA of the on-field distinctions which allowed it to compete with the VFL for fans; this, coupled with the increased mobility of suburban Melburnians – who, due to the increased affordability of cars and the lifting in 1950 of wartime travel restrictions, were no longer captive audiences for their local VFA teams – resulted in a significant downturn in most VFA clubs during the 1950s. On-field, the competition became dominated by the few clubs with strong community links (such as Port Melbourne, Williamstown, Moorabbin and Oakleigh), and the gap between those clubs and the weaker clubs grew large.[5]
Expansion
During the 1950s and 1960s, as Melbourne expanded geographically, the VFA embarked on a deliberate plan to establish its presence in new areas by expanding the number of teams, most of these coming from the newer, outer suburbs. By 1960, the league had expanded to seventeen teams; when the eighteenth club joined in 1961, the VFA was split into First and Second Divisions, the First Division originally having 10 teams, and Second Division eight. There was a promotion and relegation system between the two Divisions, with one team promoted and one relegated each season. The league was constant at twenty teams during the 1970s, and expanded again into the outer eastern suburbs in the 1980s. At its peak in 1983, there were 24 teams competing across two divisions in the VFA.
In 1960, the VFA first allowed premiership matches to be played on Sundays. After years of losing ground to the VFL, the VFA's launch of Sunday games was a turning point for the better, as it allowed matches to be played without competing the VFL for spectators. Within a few years, clubs found that Sunday matches were as much as three to four times more lucrative than Saturday games.[6] Eventually, most games were played on a Sunday, while the VFL played its games on Saturdays. This was similar to the College/Pro football day divide still present in the US. The Victorian Government supported the VFA's new-found vigour, and rejected requests by the VFL to hold games on Sundays.
Decline
The decline of the VFA is often said to have commenced in 1982 when the VFL's struggling South Melbourne Swans moved to Sydney, as all Sydney Swans home games were played on Sunday and televised, ending the VFA's monopoly on Sunday football; and Network Ten ended its weekly VFA coverage in the same year.[7] However, this was not the sole cause for decline, which had started a few years before 1982: changing demographics meant that many traditional clubs had slowly found themselves in areas with high migrant populations, which either made it difficult to compete with soccer for local for fans and players, or simply brought a level of cultural apathy towards the sport in general; VFA historian Marc Fiddian also noted a decline in the number of ex-VFL players signing with VFA clubs through the late 1970s, which reduced the Associations drawing power, and an increasing gulf in quality between the best and worst clubs.[8] Player payments increased through the 1980s, and declining financial support and sponsorship began to force clubs to out of the Association, with some leaving voluntarily, some folding, and some expelled for failing to meet the VFA's minimum standards. With fifteen teams remaining at the start of 1989, the VFA reverted to a single division.
Network Ten began broadcasting VFA finals and late-season matches again in 1984,[9] before the role was taken on by the ABC in 1987.[10] The ABC expanded its coverage to include match of the round throughout the season starting from 1988,[11] and was the primary broadcaster until 2014.[12]
The early 1990s continued to be a difficult period for the VFA; only twelve teams remained after 1991, and most were in a perilous financial situation.[13]
Merger with the VSFL
At the end of the 1994 season, the VFA was formally disbanded in an administrative capacity. Administration of the competition was turned over to the Victorian State Football League, which managed oversaw football at all levels in Victoria, and also ran the statewide under-18s competition (the TAC Cup) and the AFL reserves competition in Victoria. This ended the VFA's independence from the AFL, but created a unified structure for state-level football in Victoria.[14] The VSFL set about aligning the VFA with the TAC Cup, and cut the number of metropolitan teams to nine in 1995, with Prahran, Oakleigh and Dandenong departing. The remaining clubs had joined in various eras: two (Port Melbourne and Williamstown) had been in the VFA prior to 1897, three (Preston, Coburg and Sandringham) represented the 1920s expansion, and four (Box Hill, Frankston, Springvale and Werribee) were admitted during the last few decades. The VFA name was retained for the on-field competition during its first season under VSFL administration; then, in 1996, the competition was renamed the Victorian Football League (VFL) – the same name which had been used by the rival VFL/AFL competition until 1990. Despite the change in name and administrative structure, the on-field competition is considered continuous, and VFA records are recognised in the VFL era.[15]
In 1996, the VFL began a period of expansion into regional areas as part of its alignment with the TAC Cup competition, with existing powerhouse country clubs North Ballarat and Traralgon joining the nine metropolitan teams. Traralgon's tenure was short-lived but they were soon replaced by another regional club, Bendigo.
Merger with the AFL reserves
From 1995 until 1999, the VSFL had operated its two open-age competitions – the VFL and the Victorian AFL reserves competition – separately. Following the 1999 season, under the administration's new name Football Victoria (later AFL Victoria), those two competitions were merged into a single competition still known as the Victorian Football League. Since this time, the VFL has been contested by a mixture of:
- VFL clubs, operating on a stand-alone basis and maintaining a complete list of players
- The reserves teams of AFL clubs
- VFL clubs operating under an affiliation arrangements with an AFL clubs, whereby players from the AFL club would join the senior team of the VFL club when not selected to play in the AFL.
The affiliation deals greatly improved the financial viability of the clubs in question, but they diluted their ability to represent their suburb. There have been many changes to the affiliation arrangements in the decade since the VFL and VSFL merged. Initially, only four of the ten Victorian AFL clubs were involved in a VFL affiliation, with the rest fielding reserves teams. At its peak of between 2003-2006, nine of the ten Victorian AFL clubs were involved in an affiliation, with only Geelong fielding its own reserves team. Many clubs have since migrated away from this model, and from 2014 there have been five AFL clubs fielding stand-alone reserves teams in the VFL.[16]
Also notable, but short-lived feature of the new competition was the playing of feature matches on Monday nights, a time-slot in which no AFL matches were played. However, these matches were not shown on free-to-air television, but on Channel 7's C7 Sport subscription channel. This was at a time when pay TV penetration was very poor; there was no access to this channel in most of Melbourne, and in the parts of Melbourne that could receive it there was a much more popular competing subscription platform, Foxtel.
There was also a small continuation of the expansion of the league into regional areas, with the Murray Kangaroos Football Club representing the Ovens & Murray Football League and an expansion into Tasmania, but both of these teams have since folded.
These days the VFL is moderately popular in Victoria, although not nearly as well-supported as the dominant Australian Football League. Matches now attract both traditional fans of the VFA/VFL clubs, and fans of affiliated AFL clubs keen to watch their reserves players in action.
Awards
Best and fairest
The first award for the Association best and fairest player was the Recorder Cup, first awarded in 1923. Starting from 1933, a second award, the V.F.A. Medal, was awarded concurrently; the awards were both based on the votes of the umpires, but were based on different voting systems. In 1940, the Association dispensed with the Recorder Cup voting system, and awarded both trophies to the same player based on the same set of votes.[17]
Since 1945, the award for the best and fairest player in each VFA/VFL season has been the J. J. Liston Trophy, named after long-term Association president John James Liston, who died in 1944.[18]
Other awards
- The Jim 'Frosty' Miller Medal is awarded annually to the leading goal-kicker in the VFL season; named after Jim 'Frosty' Miller, who kicked 885 goals for Dandenong between 1966 and 1974.
- The Norm Goss Memorial Medal, awarded annually to the player voted best afield in the VFL grand final; named after Norm Goss, Sr., a senior administrator in both the VFA and the Port Melbourne Football Club.
- The Fothergill-Round Medal, awarded annually to the most promising young talent in the VFL competition; named after Des Fothergill and Barry Round, who both won Brownlow Medals in the VFL before switching to the VFA and winning a Recorder Cup/Liston Trophy with Williamstown.
- The Frank Johnson Medal, awarded to the player voted best afield for the VFL in interstate football games; named after Frank Johnson, the only VFA player ever selected as captain of an All-Australian Team.
Salary cap
The VFL is classed as a semi-professional competition.
In 2007 the league had a salary cap of $185,000 excluding service payments. There are a significantly higher number of AFL reserves due to affiliations with Victorian clubs, but player payments for these appearances is apparently not included in the VFL's salary cap. Following the 2013 VFL season, it was revealed that several clubs were lobbying VFL executives to increase the salary cap in a bid to keep high-level players who had relieved themselves of participating in the league in order to accept more attractive financial offers in local football competitions, where such caps are far less regulated.[19]
Attendance
Attendances are small by AFL standards, and generally less than the SANFL and WAFL, with an average of between 500–1,000 in attendance. Crowds for many finals matches however tend to average in the 2,000-6,000 range, with the Grand Final typically attracting a crowd in the 10,000-12,000 mark.[20][21][22]
The VFL does not publish home and away attendance figures as some games are played as AFL curtain raisers, however various sources quote attendances for some games of the stronger clubs that maintain home records of their own.
Recent Grand Finals
Season | Premier | Result | Runner up | Result | Venue | Crowd | Norm Goss Memorial Medal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Williamstown | 18.12 (120) | Box Hill Hawks | 8.18 (66) | Etihad Stadium | 12,900 | Michael Gibbons (Williamstown) |
2014 | Footscray | 16.13 (109) | Box Hill Hawks | 13.9 (87) | Etihad Stadium | 23,816 | Brett Goodes (Footscray) |
2013 | Box Hill Hawks | 14.15 (99) | Geelong | 11.12 (78) | Etihad Stadium | 15,100 | Jonathan Simpkin (Box Hill) |
2012 | Geelong | 14.24 (108) | Port Melbourne | 11.9 (75) | Etihad Stadium | 14,536[23] | George Horlin-Smith (Geelong) |
2011 | Port Melbourne | 22.12 (144) | Williamstown | 13.10 (88) | Etihad Stadium | 11,804[24] | Toby Pinwill (Port Melbourne) |
2010 | North Ballarat | 20.13 (133) | Northern Bullants | 13.8 (86) | Etihad Stadium | 11,000[24] | Myles Sewell (North Ballarat) |
2009 | North Ballarat | 14.7 (91) | Northern Bullants | 10.8 (68) | Etihad Stadium | 14,026[25] | Orren Stephenson (North Ballarat) |
2008 | North Ballarat | 18.12 (120) | Port Melbourne | 11.9 (75) | Telstra Dome | 11,641[26] | Josh Smith (North Ballarat) |
2007 | Geelong | 17.24 (126) | Coburg | 7.10 (52) | MC Labour Park | 13,842[27] | Tom Lonergan (Geelong) |
2006 | Sandringham | 13.13 (91) | Geelong | 11.7 (73) | Optus Oval | 6,000 | Phillip Read (Sandringham) |
2005 | Sandringham | 11.17 (83) | Werribee | 11.8 (74) | Optus Oval | 9,000 | Daniel Ward (Sandringham) |
Media coverage
Television
As of the 2015 season, the VFL's exclusive broadcaster is the Seven Network.
From 1988 until 2014, ABC Victoria (branded ABC) broadcast the match of the round live from 1pm on Saturday afternoons during the home and away season, as well as broadcasting six finals each year, including the Grand Final. In 2012 and 2013 ABC replayed each match fully to national audience during the early hours of Wednesday.[28] This was previously done in 2006 and 2007 during the early hours of Thursday on ABC2.[29]
The ABC's coverage of VFL football ended after the 2014 season.[12] Ahead of the 2015 season, the VFL announced that the Seven Network will broadcast the match of the round each week, along with most finals matches and the Grand Final.[30] It follows the network's decision to provide identical coverage of the SANFL from 2014.
Radio
VFL Radio is produced by BPM Media who broadcast live at least one game a week during the regular season plus each day of the finals series. The coverage is broadcast on the Vision Australia Radio network throughout Victoria on analogue radio, by Aussie digital radio (SEN 2) and on the internet at vfl.com.au or bpmmedia.com.au.[31]
In 2008, 3WBC 94.1 FM began broadcasting Box Hill Hawks home games and from 2009 to today they broadcast all Box Hill Hawks games. In 2013 This began with the Round 2 game between Box Hill Hawks and Tasmania. This coverage can also be heard on the web at www.3wbc.org.au.[32]
During the football season each Thursday night from 8.30pm to 9pm, 1116 SEN broadcasts the Peter Jackson VFL Show. Hosted by Mark Fine and Mark Stone the show features news from around the VFL and includes special guests and a preview of the upcoming round of football.[33] SEN 1116 broadcasts the VFL Grand Final and any finals matches that do not conflict with its AFL broadcast schedule. The station had previously broadcast matches on a regular basis from 2004 to 2006.
Commencing in 1993, 3SER-fm (Casey FM) has broadcast at least one VFL match per weekend. It was the only radio station to cover both the VFL reserves and seniors Grand Finals. Their coverage can be picked up on radio on 97.7 FM or on the internet at www.3ser.org.au.
Details of earlier broadcasts are listed in the History section (above).
Clubs
In 2016, the VFL will be contested by fifteen teams.
Future clubs
From 2015, the VFL has only one team is bidding for entry.
Club | Moniker | Location | Stadium | Founded | First Season |
VFA/VFL Premierships |
VFA Division 2 Premierships (1961-1988) |
2015 | AFL Affiliate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St Kilda reserves | Saints | St Kilda, Melbourne | Moorabbin Oval | 1873 | 2000 | 0 | - | - | St Kilda Expected to join after the 2016 season [34] |
Guernseys
Home guernseys
|
Clash guernseys
|
Former clubs
The VFL has undergone significant format changes since its induction which means several clubs have either left the league or changed identity for different reasons.
- Albert-park Football Club
- Ballarat Football Club
- Ballarat Imperial Football Club
- Barwon Football Club
- Beechworth Football Club
- Bendigo Diggers (changed name to Bendigo Bombers, then Bendigo Gold)
- Berwick Football Club (the Trojans 1983–85 and Gippslanders 1986–87)
- Brighton Football Club (later Brighton-Caulfield Football Club)
- Brunswick Football Club (later Brunswick-Broadmeadows Football Club) (the Pottery Workers or Brickfielders 1897–1908 and Magpies 1909–1990)
- Camberwell Football Club (the Tricolors 1926–78 and the Cobras 1979–1991)
- Carlton Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
- Castlemaine Football Club
- Caulfield Football Club (Brighton-Caulfield Penguins 1962–1964, Caulfield Bears 1965–1988)
- Collingwood Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL but the reserves side now plays in the VFL as of 2008)
- Dandenong Football Club (Redlegs 1958–1992. Disbanded, reformed as new Dandenong Redlegs 1993-1994).
- East Melbourne Football Club
- Essendon Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
- Essendon Town Football Club (later Essendon Association Football Club) (the Dreadnaughts 1900–1921)
- Fitzroy Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
- Footscray Football Club (joined the VFL/AFL in 1925 but the reserves side now plays in the VFL as of 2014)
- Geelong Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL but the reserves side now plays in the VFL)
- Geelong Association Football Club
- Geelong West Football Club (the Roosters 1963–1988)
- Gold Coast Football Club (played one season as preparation for joining the Australian Football League in 2011)
- Hawthorn Football Club (an original Junior Club, re-joined 1913, the joined the VFL/AFL in 1925)
- Heidelberg Football Club (competed 1900–1902 in the short-lived VFA 2nd Division)
- Inglewood Football Club (Foundation member 1877, member until 1879)
- Kilsyth Football Club (the Cougars VFA 1982/83/84 now playing in the EFL)
- Melbourne Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
- Melbourne City Football Club (Disbanded after two seasons without a win.)
- Moorabbin Football Club (the Kangaroos 1951–1964, 1983–1988)
- Mordialloc Football Club (the Bloodhounds 1957–1988)
- Murray Kangaroos
- North Melbourne Football Club (initially known as Hotham; joined the VFL/AFL in 1925)
- Northcote Football Club (originally the Brickfielders, then Rosellas, and later the Dragons)
- Oakleigh Football Club (originally the Purple and Golds, and later the Devils)
- Prahran Football Club (the Two Blues 1886–1887, 1899–1959, 1960–1995)
- Richmond Football Club (joined the VFL/AFL in 1908)
- Rochester Football Club
- St Kilda Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
- South Ballarat Football Club
- Standard Football Club (an original Junior Club, albeit short-lived)
- South Melbourne Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
- South Williamstown Football Club (amalgamated with Williamstown Football Club in 1888)
- Sunshine Football Club (the Crows 1959–1989)
- Tasmanian Devils Football Club
- Traralgon Football Club (the Maroons 1996–1997)
- University Football Club
- Victoria United Football Club (an original Junior Club, albeit short-lived)
- Victorian Railways Football Club (an original Junior Club, albeit short-lived)
- Waverley Football Club (the Panthers 1961–1988)
- West Melbourne Football Club
- Yarraville Football Club (the Villains 1927–1948, the Eagles 1949–1984)
Club participation timeline
Season results
VFA 1877–1994
From 1888, the VFA published a list of the final four clubs at the end of what are now called home-and-away matches. The listings (below) for 1877 to 1887 are based on various newspaper reports as researched by Graeme Atkinson and published in his book Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Australian Rules Football ... (1982, The Five Mile Press, Melbourne).
Finals series (initially the Argus system, and from 1933 the Page-McIntyre system) were introduced in 1903 and, therefore from that date, the listing (below) reflects that situation after the finals.
The VFA conducted a Page-McIntyre Final Four from 1933 to 1988 (including both Division One and Division Two from 1961 to 1988) with the exception of 1960 when a Final Six for the single Division of 17 teams was held.
In 1989 the VFA reverted to a single Division with a Final Five.
Year | PREMIER | RUNNER-UP | THIRD | FOURTH |
---|---|---|---|---|
1877 | Carlton | Melbourne | Hotham | Albert-park |
1878 | Geelong | Melbourne | Carlton | Hotham |
1879 | Geelong | Carlton | South Melbourne | Melbourne |
1880 | Geelong | South Melbourne | Carlton | Melbourne |
1881 | South Melbourne | Geelong | Carlton | Melbourne |
1882 | Geelong | Essendon | South Melbourne | Carlton |
1883 | Geelong | South Melbourne | Carlton | Melbourne |
1884 | Geelong | Essendon | Hotham | South Melbourne |
1885 | South Melbourne | Essendon | Geelong | Carlton |
1886 | Geelong | South Melbourne | Carlton | Port Melbourne |
1887 | Carlton | Geelong | South Melbourne | Fitzroy |
1888 | South Melbourne | Geelong | Williamstown | Carlton |
1889 | South Melbourne | Carlton | Port Melbourne | Essendon |
1890 | South Melbourne | Carlton | Essendon | Fitzroy |
1891 | Essendon | Carlton | Fitzroy | South Melbourne |
1892 | Essendon | Fitzroy | Geelong | Melbourne |
1893 | Essendon | Melbourne | Geelong | South Melbourne |
1894 | Essendon | Melbourne | South Melbourne | Fitzroy |
1895 | Fitzroy | Geelong | Melbourne | Collingwood |
1896 | Collingwood | South Melbourne | Essendon | Melbourne |
1897 | Port Melbourne | North Melbourne | Footscray | Williamstown |
1898 | Footscray | North Melbourne | Port Melbourne | Richmond |
1899 | Footscray | North Melbourne | Port Melbourne | Williamstown |
1900 | Footscray | Williamstown | Richmond | Prahran |
1901 | Port Melbourne | Richmond | North Melbourne | Williamstown |
1902 | Richmond | Port Melbourne | North Melbourne | Williamstown |
1903 | North Melbourne | Richmond | Footscray | West Melbourne |
1904 | North Melbourne | Richmond | Footscray | Port Melbourne |
1905 | Richmond | North Melbourne | Williamstown | Port Melbourne |
1906 | West Melbourne | Footscray | Richmond | North Melbourne |
1907 | Williamstown | West Melbourne | Richmond | Footscray |
1908 | Footscray | Brunswick | Essendon Association | Williamstown |
1909 | Brunswick | Prahran | Essendon Association | Footscray |
1910 | North Melbourne | Brunswick | Essendon Association | Prahran |
1911 | Essendon Association | Brunswick | North Melbourne | Prahran |
1912 | Essendon Association | Footscray | North Melbourne | Brunswick |
1913 | Footscray | North Melbourne | Essendon Association | Brunswick |
1914 | North Melbourne | Footscray | Essendon Association | Williamstown |
1915 | North Melbourne | Brunswick | Williamstown | Port Melbourne |
1916 | In recess – WW1 | |||
1917 | In recess – WW1 | |||
1918 | North Melbourne | Prahran | Brunswick | Port Melbourne |
1919 | Footscray | North Melbourne | Brunswick | Northcote |
1920 | Footscray | Brunswick | North Melbourne | Port Melbourne |
1921 | Williamstown | Footscray | Port Melbourne | Brunswick |
1922 | Port Melbourne | Footscray | North Melbourne | Williamstown |
1923 | Footscray | Port Melbourne | Williamstown | Hawthorn |
1924 | Footscray | Williamstown | Northcote | Brunswick |
1925 | Brunswick | Port Melbourne | Northcote | Coburg |
1926 | Coburg | Brighton | Northcote | Port Melbourne |
1927 | Coburg | Brighton | Port Melbourne | Preston |
1928 | Coburg | Port Melbourne | Brighton | Preston |
1929 | Northcote | Port Melbourne | Preston | Brunswick |
1930 | Oakleigh | Northcote | Williamstown | Yarraville |
1931 | Oakleigh | Northcote | Preston | Port Melbourne |
1932 | Northcote | Coburg | Camberwell | Preston |
1933 | Northcote | Coburg | Port Melbourne | Yarraville |
1934 | Northcote | Coburg | Preston | Prahran |
1935 | Yarraville | Camberwell | Northcote | Coburg |
1936 | Northcote | Prahran | Brunswick | Camberwell |
1937 | Prahran | Brunswick | Brighton | Yarraville |
1938 | Brunswick | Brighton | Northcote | Prahran |
1939 | Williamstown | Brunswick | Prahran | Northcote |
1940 | Port Melbourne | Prahran | Williamstown | Preston |
1941 | Port Melbourne | Coburg | Prahran | Preston |
1942 | In recess – WWII | |||
1943 | In recess – WWII | |||
1944 | In recess – WWII | |||
1945 | Williamstown | Port Melbourne | Coburg | Camberwell |
1946 | Sandringham | Camberwell | Williamstown | Port Melbourne |
1947 | Port Melbourne | Sandringham | Williamstown | Prahran |
1948 | Brighton | Williamstown | Brunswick | Northcote |
1949 | Williamstown | Oakleigh | Brighton | Northcote |
1950 | Oakleigh | Port Melbourne | Brighton | Williamstown |
1951 | Prahran | Port Melbourne | Oakleigh | Sandringham |
1952 | Oakleigh | Port Melbourne | Coburg | Yarraville |
1953 | Port Melbourne | Yarraville | Williamstown | Prahran |
1954 | Williamstown | Port Melbourne | Northcote | Moorabbin |
1955 | Williamstown | Port Melbourne | Preston | Moorabbin |
1956 | Williamstown | Port Melbourne | Box Hill | Brunswick |
1957 | Moorabbin | Port Melbourne | Williamstown | Preston |
1958 | Williamstown | Moorabbin | Port Melbourne | Box Hill |
1959 | Williamstown | Coburg | Sandringham | Oakleigh |
Year | PREMIER | RUNNER-UP | THIRD | FOURTH | FIFTH | SIXTH |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | Oakleigh | Sandringham | Williamstown | Yarraville | Coburg | Moorabbin |
Year | Division | PREMIER | RUNNER-UP | THIRD | FOURTH |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1961 | 1st 2nd |
YARRAVILLE Northcote |
WILLIAMSTOWN Dandenong |
MOORABBIN Camberwell |
SANDRINGHAM Preston |
1962 | 1st 2nd |
SANDRINGHAM Dandenong |
MOORABBIN Prahran |
COBURG Preston |
WILLIAMSTOWN Box Hill |
1963 | 1st 2nd |
MOORABBIN Preston |
SANDRINGHAM Waverley |
YARRAVILLE Prahran |
COBURG Sunshine |
1964 | 1st 2nd |
PORT MELBOURNE Geelong West |
WILLIAMSTOWN Sunshine |
COBURG Mordialloc |
SANDRINGHAM Brighton-Caulfield |
1965 | 1st 2nd |
WAVERLEY Preston |
PORT MELBOURNE Mordialloc |
DANDENONG Northcote |
SANDRINGHAM Sunshine |
1966 | 1st 2nd |
PORT MELBOURNE Prahran |
WAVERLEY Geelong West |
PRESTON Northcote |
YARRAVILLE Sunshine |
1967 | 1st 2nd |
DANDENONG Oakleigh |
PORT MELBOURNE Geelong West |
SANDRINGHAM Frankston |
PRESTON Sunshine |
1968 | 1st 2nd |
PRESTON Geelong West |
PRAHRAN Williamstown |
SANDRINGHAM Sunshine |
DANDENONG Werribee |
1969 | 1st 2nd |
PRESTON Williamstown |
DANDENONG Sunshine |
PORT MELBOURNE Coburg |
SANDRINGHAM Box Hill |
1970 | 1st 2nd |
PRAHRAN Coburg |
WILLIAMSTOWN Box Hill |
WAVERLEY Sunshine |
PORT MELBOURNE Brunswick |
1971 | 1st 2nd |
DANDENONG Sunshine |
PRESTON Brunswick |
SANDRINGHAM Caulfield |
OAKLEIGH Yarraville |
1972 | 1st 2nd |
OAKLEIGH Geelong West |
DANDENONG Caulfield |
WILLIAMSTOWN Yarraville |
PRESTON Brunswick |
1973 | 1st 2nd |
PRAHRAN Caulfield |
OAKLEIGH Brunswick |
DANDENONG Waverley |
PORT MELBOURNE Camberwell |
1974 | 1st 2nd |
PORT MELBOURNE Coburg |
OAKLEIGH Brunswick |
GEELONG WEST Waverley |
DANDENONG Camberwell |
1975 | 1st 2nd |
GEELONG WEST Brunswick |
DANDENONG Camberwell |
PORT MELBOURNE Sunshine |
COBURG Frankston |
1976 | 1st 2nd |
PORT MELBOURNE Williamstown |
DANDENONG Mordialloc |
PRESTON Frankston |
CAULFIELD Northcote |
1977 | 1st 2nd |
PORT MELBOURNE Mordialloc |
SANDRINGHAM Yarraville |
C0BURG Camberwell |
BRUNSWICK Oakleigh |
1978 | 1st 2nd |
PRAHRAN Frankston |
PRESTON Camberwell |
PORT MELBOURNE Oakleigh |
DANDENONG Yarraville |
1979 | 1st 2nd |
COBURG Camberwell |
GEELONG WEST Oakleigh |
PORT MELBOURNE Mordialloc |
PRAHRAN Williamstown |
1980 | 1st 2nd |
PORT MELBOURNE Brunswick |
COBURG Yarraville |
GEELONG WEST Waverley |
SANDRINGHAM Williamstown |
1981 | 1st 2nd |
PORT MELBOURNE Camberwell |
PRESTON Waverley |
SANDRINGHAM Mordialloc |
FRANKSTON Werribee |
1982 | 1st 2nd |
PORT MELBOURNE Northcote |
PRESTON Caulfield |
COBURG Oakleigh |
GEELONG WEST Brunswick |
1983 | 1st 2nd |
PRESTON Springvale |
GEELONG WEST Brunswick |
PORT MELBOURNE Mordialloc |
SANDRINGHAM Oakleigh |
1984 | 1st 2nd |
PRESTON Box Hill |
FRANKSTON Oakleigh |
GEELONG WEST Brunswick |
CAMBERWELL Caulfield |
1985 | 1st 2nd |
SANDRINGHAM Brunswick |
WILLIAMSTOWN Oakleigh |
COBURG Sunshine |
PRESTON Caulfield |
1986 | 1st 2nd |
WILLIAMSTOWN Box Hill |
COBURG Sunshine |
FRANKSTON Prahran |
PRESTON Oakleigh |
1987 | 1st 2nd |
SPRINGVALE Prahran |
PORT MELBOURNE Waverley |
WILLIAMSTOWN Werribee |
FRANKSTON Sunshine |
1988 | 1st 2nd |
COBURG Oakleigh |
WILLIAMSTOWN Sunshine |
PRESTON Werribee |
PORT MELBOURNE Dandenong |
Year | PREMIER | RUNNER-UP | THIRD | FOURTH | FIFTH |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | Coburg | Williamstown | Box Hill | Springvale | Frankston |
1990 | Williamstown | Springvale | Preston | Coburg | Werribee |
1991 | Dandenong | Werribee | Box Hill | Springvale | Port Melbourne |
1992 | Sandringham | Williamstown | Prahran | Box Hill | Werribee |
1993 | Werribee | Port Melbourne | Springvale | Prahran | Frankston |
1994 | Sandringham | Box Hill | Springvale | Dandenong Redlegs | Frankston |
VFL 1995–present
Year | PREMIER | RUNNER-UP | THIRD | FOURTH | FIFTH | (SIXTH) | (SEVENTH) | (EIGHTH) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | Springvale | Sandringham | Port Melbourne | Frankston | Werribee | |||
1996 | Springvale | Frankston | Werribee | Williamstown | Port Melbourne | |||
1997 | Sandringham | Frankston | Springvale | Port Melbourne | Werribee | |||
1998 | Springvale | Werribee | North Ballarat | Frankston | Preston | |||
1999 | Springvale | North Ballarat | Sandringham | Frankston | Williamstown | |||
2000 | Sandringham | North Ballarat | St Kilda | Carlton | Geelong | Williamstown | Box Hill Hawks | Springvale |
2001 | Box Hill Hawks | Werribee | Springvale | Murray Kangaroos | Carlton | Frankston | Coburg Tigers | Essendon |
2002 | Geelong | Port Melbourne | Werribee | Coburg Tigers | Murray Kangaroos | Sandringham | Box Hill Hawks | Williamstown |
2003 | Williamstown | Box Hill Hawks | Port Melbourne | Sandringham | Tasmania | Werribee | Springvale | Geelong |
2004 | Sandringham | Port Melbourne | Tasmania | Box Hill Hawks | Werribee | North Ballarat | Coburg Tigers | Bendigo Bombers |
2005 | Sandringham | Werribee | Northern Bullants | Bendigo Bombers | Port Melbourne | Tasmania | Frankston | Box Hill Hawks |
2006 | Sandringham | Geelong | Northern Bullants | Williamstown | North Ballarat | Frankston | Werribee | Coburg Tigers |
2007 | Geelong | Coburg Tigers | Williamstown | North Ballarat | Sandringham | Port Melbourne | Casey Scorpions | Bendigo Bombers |
2008 | North Ballarat | Port Melbourne | Williamstown | Werribee | Casey Scorpions | Frankston | Coburg Tigers | Northern Bullants |
2009 | North Ballarat | Northern Bullants | Port Melbourne | Collingwood | Williamstown | Box Hill Hawks | Casey Scorpions | Geelong |
2010 | North Ballarat | Northern Bullants | Williamstown | Box Hill Hawks | Casey Scorpions | Port Melbourne | Collingwood | Bendigo Bombers |
2011 | Port Melbourne | Williamstown | Werribee | Northern Bullants | North Ballarat | Casey Scorpions | Bendigo Bombers | Box Hill Hawks |
2012 | Geelong | Port Melbourne | Werribee | Williamstown | Casey Scorpions | Box Hill Hawks | Sandringham | Bendigo Gold |
2013 | Box Hill Hawks | Geelong | Williamstown | Werribee | Casey Scorpions | Port Melbourne | Collingwood | Essendon |
2014 | Footscray | Box Hill Hawks | Port Melbourne | Williamstown | Werribee | Sandringham | Collingwood | North Ballarat |
2015 | Williamstown | Box Hill Hawks | Sandringham | Essendon | Footscray | Collingwood | Werribee | Casey Scorpions |
VFA/VFL All-Time Final Placings
- Single Division 1877 to 1960 and 1989 to 2015; VFA Division One 1961 to 1988
Team | PREMIERS | RUNNERS-UP | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | TOTAL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Port Melbourne | 16 | 21 | 15 | 13 | 3 | 3 | - | - | 71 |
Williamstown | 14 | 11 | 17 | 12 | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | 58 |
Sandringham | 10 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 33 |
Footscray | 9 | 5 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 19 |
Geelong | 7 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 14 |
Coburg | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 1 | - | 3 | 1 | 32 |
Hotham / North Melbourne | 6 | 6 | 8 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 22 |
Oakleigh | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 12 |
Prahran | 5 | 5 | 3 | 9 | - | - | - | - | 22 |
South Melbourne | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 16 |
Northcote | 5 | 2 | 6 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 17 |
Springvale / Casey | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 22 |
Preston / Northern | 4 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 33 |
Essendon | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 10 |
Brunswick | 3 | 7 | 4 | 7 | - | - | - | - | 21 |
Dandenong | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 11 |
North Ballarat | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 10 |
Geelong reserves | 3 | 2 | - | - | 1 | - | - | 2 | 8 |
Carlton | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 14 |
Richmond | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 9 |
Box Hill | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | - | 2 | 2 | 2 | 19 |
Moorabbin | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | 8 |
Yarraville | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 10 |
Essendon Association | 2 | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
Werribee | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | - | 19 |
Brighton | 1 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 8 |
Geelong West | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 7 |
West Melbourne | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 3 |
Fitzroy | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 6 |
Waverley | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 |
Collingwood | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
Footscray reserves | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 2 |
Melbourne | - | 4 | 1 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 11 |
Frankston | - | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | 16 |
Camberwell | - | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 6 |
Carlton reserves | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 2 |
Tasmania | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
Albert-park | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
Caulfield | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
Hawthorn | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
Murray Kangaroos | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 2 |
Bendigo | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 4 | 6 |
St Kilda reserves | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
Essendon reserves | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 2 | 3 |
Collingwood reserves | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | 2 | - | 4 |
Richmond reserves | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
VFA/VFL All-Time Final Placings (VFA Division Two 1961 to 1988)
Team | PREMIERS | RUNNERS-UP | 3rd | 4th | TOTAL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brunswick | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
Geelong West | 3 | 2 | - | - | 5 |
Oakleigh | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
Camberwell | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
Prahran | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | 5 |
Williamstown | 2 | 1 | - | 2 | 5 |
Box Hill | 2 | 1 | - | 2 | 5 |
Northcote | 2 | - | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Preston | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Coburg | 2 | - | 1 | - | 3 |
Sunshine | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 14 |
Mordialloc | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | 7 |
Caulfield | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
Dandenong | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 3 |
Frankston | 1 | - | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Springvale | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
Waverley | - | 3 | 3 | - | 6 |
Yarraville | - | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Werribee | - | - | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Brighton-Caulfield | - | - | - | 1 | 1 |
VFA Presidents
The following men served as president of the VFA between its establishment in 1877 and its merger with the VSFL in 1994.
No. | President | Club | Tenure |
---|---|---|---|
1 | William Clarke, MLC[35] | 1877–1881 | |
2 | Cr James Garton[35] | 1882–1886 | |
3 | Frank Grey Smith[35] | Melbourne | 1887–1896 |
4 | Theodore Fink, MLA[35] | Richmond | 1897–1900 |
5 | James Hall[36] | Williamstown | 1901–1902 |
6 | Cr John George Aikman[37] | Essendon (A.) | 1903–1928[38] |
7 | Cr John James Liston[39] | Williamstown | 1929–1944 |
8 | Henry Zwar, MLA[40] | Preston | 1944–1946 |
9 | Squire Reid, MLA[41] | Oakleigh | 1947–1949 |
10 | Dr Frank Hartnett[42] | Camberwell | 1949–1950 |
11 | Lewis Page[43] | Brighton | 1951–1953 |
12 | Cr Alex Gillon[44] | Brunswick | 1954–1980 |
13 | Alan Wickes[45] | Frankston | 1981–1984 |
14 | Brook Andersen[46] | Brunswick | 1985–1989 |
15 | John Grieve[47] | Williamstown | 1989–1992 |
16 | Tony Hannebery[48] | Williamstown | 1993–1994 |
AFL Victoria Development League
The VFA and VFL have operated a seconds or reserves competition since the 1920s. From its inception until 1979, the seconds team played on Saturday afternoons, playing at home when the senior team played away and vice versa. Since 1980, seconds matches have been played as curtain-raisers to senior matches, on Saturdays or Sundays as necessary.[49] The competition was later renamed the reserves, and then from the beginning of the 2012 season it has been known as the AFL Victoria Development League, a move that coincided with the introduction of the AFL Victoria Development Academy which provides development opportunities for up to 25 selected VFL players per year.[50] Since 2014, only nine of the VFL's clubs have fielded a team in the Development League. These are the nine clubs from metropolitan Melbourne with a continuous VFA heritage: Box Hill, Casey, Coburg, Frankston, Northern Blues, Port Melbourne, Sandringham, Werribee and Williamstown.
Clubs
Club | Nickname | Location | Stadium | Founded | First Season |
AFL Victoria Development League Premierships |
VFA/VFL Reserve Premierships (1921-2011) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Box Hill | Hawks | Box Hill, Melbourne | Box Hill City Oval | 1936 | 1951 | 0 | ? |
Casey | Scorpions | Cranbourne, Melbourne | Casey Fields | 1903 | 1982 | 0 | ? |
Coburg | Lions | Coburg, Melbourne | Coburg City Oval | 1891 | 1925 | 1 | ? |
Frankston | Dolphins | Frankston, Melbourne | Frankston Park | 1887 | 1966 | 0 | ? |
Northern Blues | Blues | Preston, Melbourne | Preston City Oval Ikon Park |
1882 | 1903 | 0 | ? |
Port Melbourne | Borough | Port Melbourne, Melbourne | North Port Oval | 1874 | 1886 | 0 | ? |
Sandringham | Zebras | Sandringham, Melbourne | Trevor Barker Beach Oval | 1929 | 1929 | 0 | ? |
Werribee | Tigers | Werribee, Melbourne | Chirnside Park | 1964 | 1965 | 0 | ? |
Williamstown | Seagulls | Williamstown, Melbourne | Williamstown Cricket Ground | 1864 | 1884 | 3 | ? |
Former Clubs
Club | Nickname | Location | Stadium | Founded | First Season |
AFL Victoria Development League Premierships |
VFA/VFL Reserve Premierships (1921-2011) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Ballarat | Roosters | Ballarat | Eureka Stadium | 1882 | 1996 | 0 | ? |
Season Ladders
Year | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth | (Seventh) | (Eighth) | (Ninth) | (Tenth) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 [51] |
Williamstown | Werribee | Box Hill | Coburg | Casey | Sandringham | North Ballarat | Port Melbourne | Northern Blues | Frankston |
2013 [52] |
Williamstown | Box Hill | Casey | Frankston | Port Melbourne | Northern Blues | Werribee | Coburg | North Ballarat | Sandringham |
2014 [53] |
Williamstown | Box Hill | Port Melbourne | Werribee | Sandringham | Northern Blues | Frankston | Casey | Coburg | |
2015 [54] |
Box Hill | Williamstown | Casey | Coburg | Sandringham | Port Melbourne | Werribee | Northern Blues | Frankston | |
- Clubs in BOLD equals that season's Premiers.
Grand Finals
Season | Date | Premier | Result | Runner up | Result | Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 [55] |
15th September | Coburg | 16.12 (108) | Box Hill | 15.11 (101) | North Port Oval |
2013 [56] |
14th September | Williamstown | 11.19 (85) | Box Hill | 12.12 (84) | North Port Oval |
2014 [57] |
13th September | Williamstown | 18.18 (126) | Box Hill | 13.13 (91) | North Port Oval |
2015 [58] |
19th September | Williamstown | 8.13 (61) | Box Hill | 8.12 (60) | North Port Oval |
VFL Women's
Established during the 2015 post season, AFL Victoria & The VFL set plans in motion to establish a professional league for women within the state of Victoria. The competition saw 10 Clubs from the VWFL, the then top league for women in Victoria, join the newly formed league. The 10 initial clubs are "Darebin Falcons", "Diamond Creek", "Eastern Devils", "Melbourne Uni", "St Kilda", and "VU Western Spurs" (All from the VWFL Premier Division). Joined by "Cranbourne", "Geelong", "Knox", and "Seaford" (All from the VWFL Division 1).[59] The first matches were played on Sunday April 3rd, 2016. [60]
Season Ladder
- To be added at the conclusion of the 2016 season. [61]
Grand Final
- To be added at the conclusion of the 2016 season. [62]
See also
References
- ↑ The Footballer, 1877
- ↑ Rover (16 April 1938). "Crowds will be attracted by new rules". The Argus (Melbourne, VIC). p. 22.
- ↑ Percy Taylor (25 November 1944). "No football merger – final VFL-VFA meeting on Monday". The Argus (Melbourne, VIC). p. 17.
- ↑ "Association joins ANFC". The Argus, Supplement (Melbourne, VIC). 9 August 1949. p. 20.
- ↑ Fiddian, Marc (2004), The VFA: a history of the Victorian Football Association, 1877–1995, pp. 3–7
- ↑ Scot Palmer (8 May 1961). "Sunday games "pay off" for VFA". The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, VIC). p. 37.
- ↑ Marc Fiddian (6 February 1982). "Channel 10 axes VFA". The Age (Melbourne, VIC). p. 38.
- ↑ Marc Fiddian (18 June 1981). "Association drifts as options run out". The Age (Melbourne, VIC). p. 32.
- ↑ Dennis Jose (18 August 1984). "VFA back in the ratings game". The Age (Melbourne, VIC). p. 39.
- ↑ Paul Cunningham (13 August 1987). "ABC to cover VFA finals games". The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, VIC). p. 82.
- ↑ Linda Pearce (11 March 1988). "Port in focus for TV coverage". The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, VIC). p. 76.
- 1 2 Matt Thompson (20 October 2014). "VFL and WAFL set for Channel Seven in 2015". Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- ↑ Caroline Overington (15 April 1994). "Clubs kick off into financial nightmare". The Age (Melbourne, VIC). p. 26.
- ↑ Adrian Dunn (13 October 1994). "Plan a 'victory' for VFA identity". Herald Sun (Afternoon ed.) (Melbourne, VIC). p. 73.
- ↑ Scott Spits (4 April 1996). "VFL closer to a state league". The Age (Sports Liftout) (Melbourne, VIC). p. 8.
- ↑ d'Anello, Luke (21 September 2012). "Seagulls and Bulldogs cut ties". Leader. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- ↑ Percy Taylor (16 September 1940). "Exciting V.F.A. semi-final". The Argus (Melbourne, VIC). p. 11.
- ↑ "Wind spoils game". Williamstown Chronicle (Williamstown, VIC). 29 June 1945. p. 2.
- ↑ Stand-alone VFL clubs want increase in salary cap (The Age December 2013)
- ↑ QF Final 2014, Footscray v Williamstown
- ↑ PF Final 2014, Footscray v Port Melbourne
- ↑ PF Final 2014, Box Hill v Williamstown
- ↑ Wojcinski's perfect exit as Cats claim VFL flag
- 1 2 http://www.austadiums.com/sport/comp.php?sid=25
- ↑ http://www.austadiums.com/sport/event.php?eventid=9523
- ↑ http://www.austadiums.com/sport/event.php?eventid=8348
- ↑ Australian Stadiums :: VFL GF: Geelong v Coburg
- ↑ VFL - ABC News
- ↑ ABC TV Guide
- ↑ Live VFL to return to Channel 7 in 2015
- ↑ Broadcast Partners - VFL
- ↑ 3WBC - Local footy in 2013
- ↑ SEN SportsSENtral > Programs > Evenings With Finey
- ↑ Paul Amy (19 August 2014). "Sandringham and St Kilda to stay aligned until the end of the 2016 VFL season". Bayside Leader. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 Fiddian, Marc (2004), The VFA: a history of the Victorian Football Association, 1877–1995, p. 20
- ↑ "Short and sharp". Williamstown Chronicle (Williamstown, VIC). 20 April 1901. p. 2.
- ↑ "Victorian Football Association". The Argus (Melbourne, VIC). 2 May 1903. p. 18.
- ↑ Onlooker (30 July 1928). "Association – All leaders win well". The Argus (Melbourne, VIC). p. 6.
- ↑ "New Association President". The Argus (Melbourne, VIC). 12 February 1929. p. 14.
- ↑ "New football leader". The Argus (Melbourne, VIC). 9 May 1944. p. 9.
- ↑ "Mr Reid, MLA, elected VFA president". The Argus (Melbourne). 18 February 1947. p. 12.
- ↑ "Dr F. Hartnett is new VFA president". The Argus (Melbourne). 30 August 1949. p. 20.
- ↑ Jack Dunn (20 February 1951). "Dr. Hartnett votes his V.F.A. office away". The Argus (Melbourne).
- ↑ "V.F.A. president defeated". The Argus (Melbourne). 23 February 1954. p. 17.
- ↑ Marc Fiddian (7 March 1981). "Wickes new VFA chief". The Age (Melbourne). p. 40.
- ↑ Darren Joyce (8 December 1985). "VFA names new chief". The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne). p. 55.
- ↑ Amanda Buivids (11 April 1989). "Grieve steps up to top VFA job". The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne). p. 76.
- ↑ Stephen Linnell (24 March 1993). "Plan for new state league strikes snag". The Age (Melbourne, VIC). p. 34.
- ↑ Marc Fiddian (8 April 1980). "It's time VFA woke up to the score". The Age (Melbourne). p. 28.
- ↑
- ↑ AFL Victoria Development League - 2012 Season Ladder
- ↑ AFL Victoria Development League - 2013 Season Ladder
- ↑ AFL Victoria Development League - 2014 Season Ladder
- ↑ AFL Victoria Development League - 2015 Season Ladder
- ↑ AFL Victoria Development League - 2012 Grand Final
- ↑ AFL Victoria Development League - 2013 Grand Final
- ↑ AFL Victoria Development League - 2014 Grand Final
- ↑ AFL Victoria Development League - 2015 Grand Final
- ↑ VFL Women's - Initial clubs
- ↑ VFL Women's - Opening round
- ↑ VFL Women's - 2016 Fixture
- ↑ VFL Women's - 2016 Fixture
External links
- VFL official website
- VFL official history
- List of VFA/VFL premiers since 1877
- VFA and VFL statistics and history at Full Points Footy
- VFL Mark of the Year competition
- History of the VFL
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