Victorian Football League

The Victorian Football League, formerly known as the Victorian Football Association (VFA), and also known as the VFA/VFL, is the oldest Australian rules football league, formed in 1877, 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 1858. Today the VFL is a regional Australian semi-professional competition featuring 13 teams from throughout Victoria as well as a representative side from Tasmania. It should not be confused with the national Australian Football League, which was a breakaway competition originally known as the Victorian Football League (VFL) until 1990 and sometimes still referred to as the VFL/AFL. After the VFL/AFL became recognised as the national competition, the VFA adopted the VFL name, which was effective from season 1996. The VFL is regarded as Australia's second most competitive league after the AFL and the most competitive regional league in front of the South Australian National Football League^[1] and closely followed by the West Australian Football League^[2]. Many Victorian AFL clubs affiliate with VFL clubs, and as a result the league partly serves as a reserves competition for the AFL.

History

Brunswick during the early 1900s. The highlighted section in the bottom right-hand corner shows the future Australian Prime Minister John Curtin

The Victorian Football Association (VFA) was the first Australian rules football league. It was founded in 1877, replacing 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 were Albert Park, Carlton, East Melbourne, Essendon, Hotham, Melbourne, St. Kilda & West Melbourne. The Junior section of the VFA originally included such clubs as Ballarat, 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. Hawthorn, Northcote, Standard, Victoria United, Victorian Railways and Williamstown dropped out within a year or so but Hawthorn, Northcote and Williamstown were all return at various times. Interestingly, in the early years, the compilation of fixtures was not done by the VFA but was the responsibility of each club secretary (a system that had evolved before the formation of the Association). Therefore, in a typical season, a club would play against other VFA teams (both Senior and Junior), non-VFA Victorian clubs, and even interstate teams. At the end of each season, the VFA announced the Premier team. This was usually the club with the most wins, but that may not have been the case if the VFA felt that the leading team had had too many wins against junior clubs. Therefore, there are examples of the Premiership being given to the club with the second-highest number of wins. As the Association continued the earlier practice of recording the number of behinds, but with only goals counting towards a win, the number of draws was extremely high. The number of players on the field was usually 20 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 the 1896 season, eight clubs broke away to form the Victorian Football League (VFL) [ie. Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and South Melbourne]. The VFA contined to be an independent body. In 1908 Richmond also shifted to the VFL (along with Metropolitan Football League club University) and in 1925 VFA clubs Footscray, Hawthorn and North Melbourne) also defected to the VFL. A number of rule changes were adopted during the last years of the 19th Century and the first years of the 20th:

• From 1897 points were counted towards the score. From 1878 until 1896, behinds were tallied but were not counted. (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 metres) generally from a pack of players. It was difficult for umpires to pick out 'little marks' in scrimages. It was abolished to open up play. (The VFL also abolished it in the same year.)
• In 1898 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 a year 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.)

Between at least 1900 and 1902, there was a short-lived VFA 2nd Division consiting of junior clubs such as Heidelberg. 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") Shallard who had earlier been the first to describe VFL matches, that being on 3AR in 1923. (Jumbo Shallard 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. (Details of current broadcasts are found below - "Radio".)

Northcote's 1929 premiership side. Second from right, front row, is Doug Nicholls.

Oakleigh's 1950 premiership side

During the 1940s, there were talks between the VFA and VFL towards an amalgamation of the two bodies with the VFA initially forming a second division of the VFL. The negotiations broke down over the issue of promotion and relegation. The VFA wanted an automatic promotion of each Division Two premier, while the bottom Division One team at the end of each season, would have been automatically relegated. On the other hand, the VFL wanted these two teams to play off for promotion and relegation. An award for the Best and Fairest VFA player was instigated in 1923, one year prior to the VFL's Brownlow Medal but many years after the South Australian Magarey Medal was first awarded in 1898. The VFA award was originally known as the Recorder Cup but, from 1945, it was renamed the Liston Trophy after John James Liston who was VFA President for 15 years (1929-1943), and Life Member of the Association prior to his death in 1944. The Liston Trophy (now in the form of a medal) is still presented annually. During the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, 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. In 1960, because of the large number of teams, the VFA was split into First and Second Divisions, the First Division originally having 10 teams, and Second Division seven. There was a promotion and relegation system between the two Divisions. The VFA also pioneered night and Sunday games. After years of losing ground to the VFL, the VFA's launch of Sunday games in 1960 was a turning point for the better. 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 newfound vigour, and banned the VFL from holding games on Sundays.

The VFA's demise may be said to have commenced in 1982 when the VFL moved the struggling South Melbourne Swans to Sydney. All Sydney Swans home games were played on Sunday and televised. This move basically destroyed the VFA's television ratings, and in 1986 Network Ten stopped broadcasting matches. This role was later taken on by the ABC, but on a much lower-profile basis. In 1990, the VFL renamed itself the Australian Football League. The VFA evolved into the Victorian Football League in 1995, a change which caused much debate at the time. In the same year (1995) powerhouse clubs North Ballarat and Traralgon joined the nine existing teams. The new VFL adopted the original League logo, but featured a gold "V" and football, to reflect the colours of the former VFA logo. The logo reverted to the original VFL's blue and white, a few years later. In 1989, after the Seven network was given exclusive rights to broadcast VFL/AFL, the ABC increased its television commitment to the VFA/VFL in lieu of telecasting the VFL/AFL games. It attracted good ratings. Despite this, the early 1990s was a difficult period for the League, with many sides, including stalwart sides such as Oakleigh, Prahran and Dandenong leaving the competition or becoming defunct, and others, like the competition's oldest member Williamstown, on the verge of folding. In the 1990s, AFL sides began affiliating with VFL clubs, effectively making the VFL for some a reserves competition for Victorian clubs in the national competition. Some clubs thought of this as a means of not only improving their player list and onfield success, but to attract support from AFL fans and members. More recently, some clubs, such as Frankston and Port Melbourne have resisted or abandoned this trend and seen it as being more advantageous not to affiliate. Following season 1999, the AFL's reserves competition was disbanded, and most AFL clubs launched their own "stand alone" VFL team. Those clubs were Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, Kangaroos, Richmond and St Kilda. Box Hill aligned with Hawthorn, Port Melbourne with the Sydney Swans, Sandringham with the Demons, while the Western Bulldogs aligned half their list with Werribee and the other half with Williamstown. Eventually the stand alone teams folded or merged with older VFA clubs. In the meantime, clubs began switching affiliation with different AFL clubs, Collingwood linking with Williamstown from 2001-2007, Essendon with Bendigo, becoming the Bendigo Bombers from 2003-2008, Carlton with the Northern Bullants from 2003-2008, Richmond with Coburg (2001-2008), and St Kilda with the Casey (nee Springvale) Scorpians (2001-2008). Meanwhile, the Western Bulldogs spent 2001-2007 aligned with Werribee before again returning to an affiliation with Williamstown, to commence in season 2008. Sydney dropped out of the competition, allowing the Kangaroos to have an allegiance with Port Melbourne (2003-2004), before sharing those on their playing list who were not selected for AFL duty between North Ballarat and Tasmania (2006-2007). A body of the North Melbourne Kangaroos from 2001-2003, the Murray Kangaroos, was also created as clubs from both leagues shuffled around in an attempt to find the right balance. Due to the AFL making it easier for AFL Clubs to field their own VFL teams in 2008, Collingwood will now join Geelong as a club with teams in both football Leagues. These days the VFL is moderately popular in Victoria, although not nearly as well-supported as the dominant Australian Football League.

Audience

Attendance

Attendances are small by AFL standards, and generally less than the SANFL and WAFL, with an average of between 1,000-2,000 in attendance. 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 Finals Series

Television

ABC Victoria broadcasts one match a week live on Saturday afternoons during the home and away season, as well as broadcasting most finals matches. As from 2006, ABC2 has shown replays of VFL matches late on Wednesday nights to a national audience.^[4].

Radio

Commencing in 1993 Community radio station CASEY FM 97.7FM (3SER) has broadcast at least one VFL match per weekend across Melbourne's Outer South-Eastern Suburbs, and was the only radio station to cover both the VFL reserves and seniors Grand Finals. Their coverage can be picked up on radio on 97.7FM or via the web on www.3ser.org.au. During the 2007 season RADIO 1611 AM DOUBLE X 3XX began broadcasting VFL Matches. They commenced with a trial during Round 3 (Geelong v Frankston at Skilled Stadium - commentators: Peter Holden, Phil Shaw & Nick Butler). However, by Round 5 3XX was broadcasting VFL Matches every Saturday and Sunday, with some broadcasts being from regional grounds at Geelong (Skilled Stadium), North Ballarat (Austar Arena) & Bendigo (Queen Elizabeth Oval). The station also became the first to podcast replays. radio1611.com.au Although no longer broadcasting on a regular basis (see history section) SEN have reserved the right to broadcast VFL finals and certain other games.

Clubs

Current Clubs

Past 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)
• 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 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)
• Dandenong Football Club(Redlegs 1958-1993)
• East Melbourne Football Club
• Essendon Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
• Essendon Town Football Club (later Essendon Association Football Club) (the Dreadnaughts 1901-1922. Club then merged with North Melbourne Football Club)
• Fitzroy Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
• Footscray Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
• Geelong Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
• Geelong Association Football Club
• Geelong West Football Club (the Roosters 1963-1988)
• Hawthorn Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
• Heidelberg Football Club (competed 1900-1902 in the short-lived VFA 2nd Division)
• Hotham Football Club (changed name to North Melbourne Football Club concurrent with the change of name of the municipality in 1888)
• Inglewood Football Club
• Kilsyth Football Club
• Melbourne Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
• Melbourne City Football Club
• Moorabbin Football Club (the Kangaroos 1951-1964, 1983-1988)
• Mordialloc Football Club (the Bloodhounds 1957-1988)
• Murray Kangaroos
• North Melbourne Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL - later fielded the Murray Kangaroos as a reserves side)
• Northcote Football Club (originally the Brickfielders and later the Dragons)
• Oakleigh Football Club (originally the Purple and Golds, and later the Devils)
• Prahran Football Club (the Two Blues 1886-1888, 1899-1959, 1960-1995)
• Richmond Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
• 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 shortlived)
• South Melbourne Football Club (breakaway club to the VFL/AFL)
• South Williamstown Football Club (forced by the VFA to amalgamate with Williamstown Football Club in 1888)
• Sunshine Football Club (the Crows 1959-1989)
• Traralgon Football Club (the Maroons 1996-1997)
• University Football Club
• Victoria United Football Club (an original Junior Club, albeit shortlived)
• Victorian Railways Football Club (an original Junior Club, albeit shortlived)
• Waverley Football Club (the Panthers 1961-1988)
• West Melbourne Football Club
• Yarraville Football Club (the Villains 1927-1948, the Eagles 1949-1984)

Timeline

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 bar:Ya text:Yarraville
 bar:Wi text:Williamstown
 bar:WM text:West Melbourne
 bar:We text:Werribee
 bar:Wa text:Waverley
 bar:VU text:Victoria United
 bar:VR text:Victorian Railways
 bar:Un text:University
 bar:Tr text:Traralgon
 bar:Ta text:Tasmania
 bar:Su text:Sunshine
 bar:SK text:St Kilda
 bar:St text:Standard
 bar:Sp text:Springvale (Scorpions)
 bar:SW text:South Williamstown
 bar:SM text:South Melbourne
 bar:SB text:South Ballarat
 bar:Sa text:Sandringham
 bar:Ri text:Richmond
 bar:Pr text:Prahran
 bar:PM text:Port Melbourne
 bar:Oa text:Oakleigh
 bar:No text:Northcote
 bar:PB text:Northern Bullants
 bar:NM text:North Melbourne
 bar:NB text:North Ballarat
 bar:MK text:Murray Kangaroos
 bar:Md text:Mordialloc
 bar:Mo text:Moorabbin
 bar:MC text:Melbourne City
 bar:Me text:Melbourne
 bar:Ki text:Kilsyth
 bar:Ha text:Hawthorn
 bar:GW text:Geelong West
 bar:GA text:Geelong A
 bar:Ge text:Geelong
 bar:Fr text:Frankston
 bar:Fo text:Footscray
 bar:Fi text:Fitzroy
 bar:EA text:Essendon Association
 bar:Es text:Essendon
 bar:EM text:East Melbourne
 bar:Da text:Dandenong
 bar:Co text:Collingwood
 bar:Cb text:Coburg
 bar:Ca text:Carlton
 bar:Cm text:Camberwell
 bar:Br text:Brunswick
 bar:BC text:Brighton-Caulfield
 bar:BH text:Box Hill
 bar:Bw text:Berwick
 bar:Be text:Bendigo
 bar:BI text:Ballarat Imperial
 bar:Ba text:Ballarat
 bar:AP text:Albert Park

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 color:green width:3
 bar:AP from:1877 till:1880
   at:1880 mark:(line,red) shift:(1,0) text:Merged with South Melbourne
 bar:Ba from:1887 till:1893  color:blue
   at:1893 shift:(1,-3) text:(Ineligible for Premiership)
 bar:Be from:1998 till:end
 bar:Bw from:1983 till:1987
 bar:BC from:1908 till:1988
 bar:BH from:1951 till:end
 bar:BI from:1887 till:1893  color:blue
   at:1893 shift:(1,-3)  text:(Ineligible for Premiership)
 bar:Br from:1897 till:1991
 bar:Ca from:1877 till:1897
 bar:Cb from:1925 till:end
 bar:Cm from:1926 till:1991
 bar:Co from:1892 till:1897
 bar:Da from:1958 till:1991 
   at:1991 text:Exit Unknown
 bar:EA from:1900 till:1922
   at:1922 mark:(line,red) shift:(1,1) text:Merged with North Melbourne
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 bar:EM 
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   from:1879 till:1882
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 bar:Fo from:1886 till:1925
 bar:Fr from:1966 till:end
 bar:Ge from:1877 till:1897
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 bar:GW from:1963 till:1988
 bar:Ha
   from:1877 till:1878 color:purple shift:(1,-3) text:(Juniors only)
   from:1914 till:1917
   from:1919 till:1925
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 bar:NM  at:1888 mark:(line,black) shift:(1,1) text:Name change from Hotham
 bar:No 
   from:1877 till:1878 color:purple shift:(1,-3) text:(Juniors only)
   from:1908 till:1988
 bar:Oa from:1929 till:1989
 bar:PB
   from:1903 till:1912
   at:1912 mark:(line,red) shift:(1,0) text:Merged with Northcote
   from:1926 till:end
   at:2000 mark:(line,black)
   at:1969 text:Name change from Preston
 bar:PM from:1886 till:end
 bar:Pr
   from:1886 till:1889
   at:1889 mark:(line,red) shift:(1,0) text:Merged with St Kilda
   from:1960 till:1994
   from:1899 till:1959
 bar:Ri from:1885 till:1908
 bar:Sa from:1929 till:end
 bar:SB from:1887 till:1893 color:blue
 bar:SB  at:1893  shift:(1,-3) text:(Ineligible for Premiership)
 bar:SK
   from:1877 till:1880
   from:1881 till:1883
   from:1886 till:1897
 bar:SM from:1879 till:1897
 bar:Sp from:1982 till:end
 bar:St  at:1880  shift:(1,0) text:(Juniors only)
 bar:St from:1877 till:1880 color:purple
 bar:Su from:1959 till:1989
 bar:SW from:1886 till:1916
 bar:Tr from:1996 till:1998
 bar:Ta from:2001 till:end
 bar:Un from:1885 till:1889
 bar:Un  at:1889 mark:(line,red) shift:(1,0) text:Merged with Melbourne
 bar:VU from:1877 till:1878 color:purple 
 bar:VU  at:1878  shift:(1,0) text:(Juniors only)
 bar:VR  at:1878  shift:(1,0) text:(Juniors only)
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 bar:Wa from:1961 till:1988
 bar:We from:1965 till:end
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   from:1877 till:1881
   from:1899 till:1908
 bar:Ya from:1928 till:1984

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 at:1944      color:grey  width:2   # WWII
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</timeline>

VFA Top Four Clubs 1877-1988 / VFA Final Five 1989-1995

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) 1877-1887 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. In 1989 the VFA changed from a Final Four to a Final Five.

1916-17: VFA footabll suspended on account of World War I.

1942-44: VFA footabll suspended on account of World War II.

External links

• VFL Official Site
• VFL Official History
• List of VFA/VFL premiers since 1877
• VFA and VFL Stats and History at Full Points Footy
• VFLFooty Unofficial Fan Site
• VFL Mark of the Year competition
• History of the VFL
• Radio 1611 AM VFL Broadcast Station

References