The Geelong & District Football Netball League (GDFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball league in Victoria, being the oldest surviving competition in the region. It is one of three leagues in the Geelong area, the others being the Geelong FNL and the Bellarine FNL.
 | |
| Formerly | Multiple names
Geelong & District Football Association (1879–1918; 1939–1944) Geelong Junior Football Association (1922–1932) Geelong & District Football League (1919–1921; 1933–1938; 1945–2016) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Australian rules football Netball |
| Founded | 1879 |
| President | Neville Whitley |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Country | Australia |
| Headquarters | Breakwater, Victoria, Australia |
| Confederation | AFL Barwon |
| Most recent champion(s) | Thomson Football Club (2024) |
| Most titles | Geelong West (26 premierships) |
| Sponsor(s) | Morris |
| Related competitions | Geelong FNL Bellarine FNL |
| Official website | gdfnl.com.au |
There are 12 teams competing in the GDFL, which has also produced over 600 VFL/AFL players.[1]
History
editThe league was formed in 1879 as the Geelong and District Football Association (GDFA). In 1919 it changed name to the GDFL, before changing to the Geelong Junior Football Association in 1922. It reverted to the GDFL name in 1933, then back to the GDFA in 1939, and back to the GDFL in 1945.[1] From 1922 until 1927, the league operated and administrated the Geelong Association Football Club, which competed in the Victorian Football Association.[2]
From 1946 onwards, the GDFL maintained a divisional system, with clubs in the First Division competing for the Evelyn Hurst Trophy, the Second Division for the Woolworth Cup, and the Third Division for the Jarman Cup.
In 1973 the GDFL had a restructure that insisted in having the senior club also provide a reserve grade side. This meant that senior clubs had to align with a junior club to survive. The Evelyn Hurst Trophy, the Woolworth Cup and the Jarman Cup titles were dropped for the more standard 1st and 2nd divisions. 1st division would have twelve clubs while 2nd division started with 8 and eventually grew to 11 clubs.
The league took the form it is today when 12 clubs broke away in 1979 to form the Geelong Football League. The city and country clubs of the old GDFL were divided into the major league competition of the GFL and the minor league GDFL. Many of the teams in the lower league wanted a system of promotion and relegation, which saw the movement of a couple of clubs.
The GDFL were left with 11 clubs but over the next couple of years it grew to fourteen. It was enough for the league add another division of competition. From 1984 until 1995 the league had two divisions that operated on a promotion/demotion system. From 1996 onwards, the league has reverted to a single division competition.[3]
Today the GDFL is opposed to the promotion-relegation system, with the Geelong Football League, Geelong & District Football League and Bellarine Football League forming a three-league, three-division football structure in the Geelong area. From 2002, the GDFL included netball teams, introducing A Grade, B Grade & C Grade senior teams, as well as U/17's, U/15's & U/13's netball.[4]
In 2009, the GDFL introduced a fourth senior netball section, D Grade, in which East Geelong and Werribee Centrals have each won three of the last six premierships.[when?]
Clubs
editCurrent clubs
edit| Club | Colours | Moniker | Home venue | Former
league |
Est. | Years in GDFNL | GDFNL premierships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Most recent | |||||||
| Anakie |  |
Roos | Anakie Reserve, Anakie | EC | c. 1897 | 1949- | 4 | 1994 |
| Bannockburn |  |
Tigers | Victoria Park, Bannockburn | EC | 1878 | 1953-1958, 1970- | 6 | 2022 |
| Bell Post Hill |  |
Panthers | Myers Reserve, Bell Post Hill | — | 1976 | 1977- | 7 | 2017 |
| Belmont Lions |  |
Lions | Winter Reserve, Belmont | — | 1965 | 1965- | 1 | 2007 |
| Corio |  |
Devils | Shell Reserve, Corio | — | 1974 | 1974- | 1 | 1995 |
| East Geelong |  |
Eagles | Richmond Oval, East Geelong | — | 1879 | 1879-1978, 1981- | 24 | 2009 |
| Geelong West |  |
Giants | West Oval, Geelong West | — | 2017 | 2017- | 0 | — |
| Inverleigh |  |
Hawks | Inverleigh Recreation Reserve, Inverleigh | — | 1970 | 1954-1995, 2003 | 2 | 2023 |
| North Geelong |  |
Magpies | Osborne Park, North Geelong | — | 1876 | 1890-1978, 1983- | 21 | 2013 |
| Thomson |  |
Tigers | Thomson Recreation Reserve, Thomson | — | 1953 | 1957-1978, 1982-1983, 1985- | 11 | 2024 |
| Werribee Centrals |  |
Centurions | Galvin Park Reserve, Werribee | WSFL | 1969 | 1984- | 7 | 2004 |
| Winchelsea |  |
Blues | Eastern Reserve, Winchelsea | BFL | 1876 | 1921-1922, 2002- | 0 | — |
Former clubs
edit| Club | Colours | Moniker | Home venue | Former League | Est. | Years in competition | GDFNL premierships | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Most recent | ||||||||
| Anglesea |  |
Roos | Ellimatta Reserve, Anglesea | – | 1963 | 1963-1972 | 0 | - | Moved to Bellarine FNL after 1972 season |
| Barwon |  |
Bulldogs | Highton Recreation Reserve, Highton | – | c. 1900 | 1913-1978 | 3 | 1967 | Moved to Geelong FNL following 1978 season |
| Barwon Heads |  |
Seagulls | Howard Harmer Reserve, Barwon Heads | FCDFA | 1922 | 1947-1970 | 0 | - | Moved to Bellarine FNL after 1970 season |
| Bell Park |  |
Dragons | Hamlyn Park, Bell Park | – | 1958 | 1959-1978 | 2 | 1970 | Moved to Geelong FNL following 1978 season |
| Belmont |  |
Two Blues | McDonald Reserve, Belmont | GFA | 1874 | 1928-1929, 1945-1989 | 0 | - | Merged with Barwon in 1990 to form South Barwon |
| Chilwell | – | 1874 | 1879-1933 | 0 | - | Merged with Newtown in 1934 to form Newtown & Chilwell | |||
| Drysdale |  |
Hawks | Drysdale Recreational Reserve, Drysdale | GSDFL | 1879 | 1940-1970 | 4 | 1970 | Moved to Bellarine FNL after 1970 season |
| Geelong Amateur |  |
Ammos, Pegasus | Queens Park, Highton | VAFA | 1926 | 1983-1994 | 2 | 1983 | Moved to Bellarine FNL after 1994 season |
| Geelong West |  |
Roosters | West Oval, Geelong West | – | 1878 | 1879-1945 | 25 | 1945 | Moved to Ballarat FL following 1945 season |
| Geelong West SC |  |
Cheetahs | West Oval, Geelong West | GFNL | 1926 | 1939-1978, 1986-2016 | 5 | 1987 | Merged with Geelong West-St Peter's in 2017 to form Geelong West |
| Grovedale | |
Tigers | Burdoo Reserve, Grovedale | – | 1947 | 1946-1978 | 2 | 1977 | Moved to Geelong FNL following 1978 season |
| Lara |  |
Cats | Lara Recreation Reserve, Lara | WDFL | 1880 | 1907-1914, 1947-1988 | 4 | 1988 | Moved to Geelong FNL following 1988 season |
| Leopold |  |
Lions | Leopold Memorial Park, Leopold | – | 1955 | 1955-1964 | 0 | - | Moved to Polwarth FL after 1964 season |
| Lethbridge | Lethbridge Recreation Reserve, Lethbridge | EC | c.1890s | 1953-1962 | 0 | - | Folded | ||
| Meredith |  |
Meredith Cricket & Recreation Reserve, Meredith | BBMFL | c.1890s | 1976-1980 | 0 | - | Folded | |
| Modewarre |  |
Warriors | Mt Moriac Recreation Reserve, Mount Moriac | EC | 1879 | 1951-1995 | 8 | 1994 | Moved to Bellarine FNL after 1995 season |
| Ocean Grove |  |
Grubbers | Shell Road Reserve, Ocean Grove | – | 1964 | 1964-1968 | 0 | - | Moved to Polwarth FL after 1968 season |
| Newtown |  |
Elderslie Reserve, Newtown | – | 1875 | 1879-1933 | 0 | - | Merged with Chilwell in 1934 to form Newtown & Chilwell | |
| Newtown & Chilwell | |
Eagles | Elderslie Reserve, Newtown | – | 1933 | 1934-1978 | 6 | 1978 | Moved to Geelong FNL following 1978 season |
| North Shore |  |
Seagulls | Windsor Park, North Shore | GSDFL | 1927 | 1940-1978 | 3 | 1977 | Moved to Geelong FNL following 1978 season |
| Ocean Grove | |
Grubbers | Shell Road Reserve, Ocean Grove | – | 1964 | 1964-1968 | 0 | - | Moved to Polwarth FL after 1968 season |
| Portarlington |  |
Demons | Portarlington Recreation Reserve, Portarlington | GFA | 1874 | 1945-1963 | 4 | 1959 | Moved to Polwarth FL after 1963 season |
| Queenscliff |  |
Barracoutas | Queenscliff Recreation Reserve, Queenscliff | GSDFL | 1884 | 1945-1956 | 0 | - | Moved to Polwarth FL after 1956 season |
| St Albans |  |
Supersaints | St Albans Reserve, Thomson | – | 1880 | 1897-1978 | 6 | 1972 | Moved to Geelong FNL following 1978 season |
| St. Augustines | GFA | c.1920s | 1939-1940 | 0 | - | Folded | |||
| St Joseph's |  |
Joeys | Herne Hill Reserve, Herne Hill | – | 1973 | 1973-1984 | 2 | 1984 | Moved to Geelong FNL following 1978 season |
| St Leonards |  |
Saints | St Leonards Lake Reserve, St Leonards | BFNL | 1985 | 1991-1995 | 0 | - | Folded |
| St Mary's |  |
Saints | Kardinia Park West, South Geelong | – | 1953 | 1953-1978 | 8 | 1975 | Moved to Geelong FNL following 1978 season |
| St Peter's | |
Saints | Walker Oval, Herne Hill | – | c. 1950 | 1959-1978, 1980-1981 | 2 | 1981 | Moved to Geelong FNL following 1981 season |
| Stonehaven | |
Stonehaven Recreation Reserve, Fyansford | EC | 1953–1969 | 0 | - | Merged with Inverleigh in 1970 to form Leigh Districts | ||
| Torquay | |
Tigers | Spring Creek Reserve, Torquay | – | 1952 | 1952-1963 | 3 | 1962 | Moved to Polwarth FL after 1963 season |
| Werribee | – | 1930, 1932-1936 [5] | 0 | - | Folded | ||||
| Wyndhamvale |  |
Falcons | Wyndham Vale South Reserve, Wyndham Vale | – | 1979 | 1987-1988 | 0 | - | Moved to Western Region FL following 1988 season |
Recent premierships
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References
edit- ^ a b Fanning, Noel (9 April 2008). "Geelong and District Football League boasts a long list of superstars". Geelong Advertiser. www.geelongadvertiser.com.au. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
- ^ J.W. (3 December 1921). "Football – turning the tables". The Australasian. Vol. CXI, no. 2905. Melbourne, VIC.
- ^ Geelong & District Football League at Footypedia
- ^ McLure, Daryl (24 May 2008). "Kick to kick". Geelong Advertiser. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- ^ "1929 - Football". Werribee Shire Banner (Vic. : 1911 - 1952). 31 January 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
External links
edit- Official Twitter
- SportsTG website
- GDFL on AFL Barwon
- GDFL Netball