Geelong & District Football Netball League

Geelong & District
Football Netball League

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;145 years ago (1879)
President	Neville Whitley
No. of teams	12
Country	Australia
Headquarters	Breakwater, Victoria, Australia
Confederation	AFL Barwon
Most recent champion(s)	Bannockburn (6th premiership)
Most titles	Geelong West (26 premierships)
Sponsor(s)	Morris
Related competitions	Geelong FNL Bellarine FNL
Official website	gdfnl.com.au

The Geelong & District Football 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.

There are 12 teams competing in the GDFL, which has also produced over 600 VFL/AFL players. ^[1]

History

The 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

Current clubs

Club	Colours	Moniker	Home venue	Est.	Former league	GDFNL seasons		GDFNL premierships
						First	Total	Total	Most recent
Anakie		Roos	Anakie Reserve, Anakie	c. 1897	EC	1949	73	4	1994
Bannockburn		Tigers	Victoria Park, Bannockburn	1878	EC	1953	58	6	2022
Bell Post Hill		Panthers	Myers Reserve, Bell Post Hill	1976	—	1977	45	7	2017
Belmont Lions		Lions	Winter Reserve, Belmont	1965	—	1965	57	1	2007
Corio		Devils	Shell Reserve, Corio	1974	—	1974	48	1	1995
East Geelong		Eagles	Richmond Oval, East Geelong	1879	—	1879+	134	24	2009
Geelong West		Giants	West Oval, Geelong West	2017	—	2017	5	—	—
Inverleigh		Hawks	Inverleigh Recreation Reserve, Inverleigh	1970	—	1970	45	2	2023
North Geelong		Magpies	Osborne Park, North Geelong	1876	—	1879+	137	21	2013
Thomson		Tigers	Thomson Recreation Reserve, Thomson	1953	—	1957	61	10	2018
Werribee Centrals		Centurions	Galvin Park Reserve, Werribee	1969	WSFL	1984	38	7	2004
Winchelsea		Blues	Eastern Reserve, Winchelsea	1876	WBFA	1921	22	—	—
+ denotes that the club was a founding member of the GDFA ^ denotes that the club's most recent senior premiership was in the second division

Former clubs

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 Football Netball League after 1972 season
Barwon		Bulldogs	Highton Recreation Reserve, Highton	–	c. 1900	1913-1978	3	1967	Moved to Geelong Football Netball League following 1978 season, merged with Belmont in 1990 to form South Barwon
Barwon Heads		Seagulls	Howard Harmer Reserve, Barwon Heads	FCDFA	1922	1947-1970	0	-	Moved to Bellarine Football Netball League after 1970 season
Bell Park		Dragons	Hamlyn Park, Bell Park	–	1958	1959-1978	2	1970	Moved to Geelong Football Netball League 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 Football Netball League after 1970 season
Geelong Amateur		Ammos, Pegasus	Queens Park, Highton	VAFA	1926	1983-1994	2	1983	Moved to Bellarine Football Netball League after 1994 season
Geelong West		Roosters	West Oval, Geelong West	–	1878	1879-1945	25	1945	Moved to Ballarat Football League following 1945 season, merged with St Peter's in 1989 to form Geelong West-St Peter's
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 Football Netball League following 1978 season
Lara		Cats	Lara Recreation Reserve, Lara	WDFL	1880	1907-1914, 1947-1988	4	1988	Moved to Geelong Football Netball League following 1988 season
Leopold		Lions	Leopold Memorial Park, Leopold	–	1955	1955-1964	0	-	Moved to Polwarth Football League after 1964 season, now in Geelong Football Netball League
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 Football Netball League after 1995 season
Ocean Grove		Grubbers	Shell Road Reserve, Ocean Grove	–	1964	1964-1968	0	-	Moved to Polwarth Football League after 1968 season, now in Bellarine Football Netball League
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 Football Netball League following 1978 season
North Shore		Seagulls	Windsor Park, North Shore	GSDFL	1927	1940-1978	3	1977	Moved to Geelong Football Netball League following 1978 season
Ocean Grove		Grubbers	Shell Road Reserve, Ocean Grove	–	1964	1964-1968	0	-	Moved to Polwarth Football League after 1968 season, now in Bellarine Football Netball League
Portarlington		Demons	Portarlington Recreation Reserve, Portarlington	GFA	1874	1945-1963	4	1959	Moved to Polwarth Football League after 1963 season, now in Bellarine Football Netball League
Queenscliff		Barracoutas	Queenscliff Recreation Reserve, Queenscliff	GSDFL	1884	1945-1956	0	-	Moved to Polwarth Football League after 1956 season, now in Bellarine Football Netball League
St Albans		Supersaints	St Albans Reserve, Thomson	–	1880	1897-1978	6	1972	Moved to Geelong Football Netball League following 1978 season
St. Augustines				GFA	c.1920s	1939-1940	0	-	Folded
St Bernard's Geelong				–		1965–1974	0	-	Renamed East Belmont before merging with South Barwon
St Joseph's		Joeys	Herne Hill Reserve, Herne Hill	–	1973	1973-1984	2	1984	Moved to Geelong Football Netball League 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 Football Netball League following 1978 season
St Peter's		Saints	Walker Oval, Herne Hill	–	c. 1950	1959-1978, 1980-1981	2	1981	Moved to Geelong Football Netball League following 1981 season, merged with Geelong West in 1989 to form Geelong West-St Peter's
Stonehaven				EC	?	1953–1969	0	-	Folded
Torquay		Tigers	Spring Creek Reserve, Torquay	–	1952	1952-1963	3	1962	Moved to Polwarth Football League after 1963 season, now in Bellarine Football Netball League
Werribee				–		1929 - ? [5]	0	-
Wyndhamvale		Falcons	Wyndham Vale South Reserve, Wyndham Vale	–	1979	1987-1988	0	-	Moved to Western Region Football League following 1988 season

Recent premierships

1945 Geelong West Evelyn Hurst Trophy 1946 East Geelong 1947 East Geelong 1948 East Geelong 1949 North Geelong 1950 North Geelong 1951 North Geelong 1952 North Geelong 1953 North Geelong 1954 North Geelong 1955 North Geelong 1956 St Marys 1957 Barwon 1958 North Geelong 1959 St Marys 1960 St Marys 1961 Barwon 1962 Newtown & Chilwell 1963 Newtown & Chilwell 1964 Newtown & Chilwell 1965 Newtown & Chilwell 1966 Geelong West C&FC 1967 St Marys 1968 North Geelong 1969 North Geelong 1970 East Geelong 1971 Geelong West C&FC 1972 St Marys 1st Division 1973 East Geelong 1974 North Shore 1975 St Marys 1976 North Shore 1977 North Shore 1978 Newtown & Chilwell 1979 Modewarre 1980 St Peters 1981 St Peters 1982 St Josephs

1983 Thomson 1984 St Josephs 1985 Geelong Amateurs 1986 Lara 1987 Werribee Central 1988 Lara 1989 Werribee Central 1990 North Geelong 1991 Anakie 1992 North Geelong 1993 North Geelong 1994 Anakie 1995 Corio 1996 Thomson 1997 Bannockburn 1998 Bannockburn 1999 Werribee Central 2000 Werribee Central 2001 Werribee Central 2002 North Geelong 2003 Bannockburn 2004 Werribee Central 2005 Thomson 2006 Thomson 2007 Belmont Lions 2008 Thomson 2009 East Geelong 2010 Bell Post Hill 2011 Bell Post Hill 2012 Bell Post Hill 2013 North Geelong 2014 Bell Post Hill 2015 Bell Post Hill 2016 Bell Post Hill 2017 Bell Post Hill 2018 Thomson 2019 Bannockburn 2020 League in recess due to COVID-19 pandemic 2021 League in recess due to COVID-19 pandemic 2022 Bannockburn 2023 Inverleigh

Woolworths Cup 1946 Sea Scouts 1947 Portarlington 1948 North Shore 1949 St Albans 1950 Freshwater Ck 1951 Freshwater Ck 1952 Lara 1953 Geelong Amateurs 1954 St Albans 1955 North Geelong 1956 North Geelong 1957 North Geelong 1958 North Geelong 1959 North Geelong 1960 Modewarre 1961 Inverleigh 1962 Torquay 1963 Drysdale 1964 Thomson 1965 Lara 1966 Drysdale 1967 Anakie 1968 St Albans 1969 Drysdale 1970 Drysdale 1971 St Albans 1972 St Albans 2nd Division 1973 Modewarre 1974 Modewarre 1975 Grovedale 1976 Modewarre 1977 Grovedale 1978 Geelong West C&FC

1979–1983 single division 1984 Werribee Central 1985 Anakie 1986 Thomson 1987 Geelong West C&FC 1988 North Geelong 1989 Modewarre 1990 Bannockburn 1991 Thomson 1992 Leigh Districts 1993 Eastern Suburbs 1994 Modewarre 1995 Thomson Jarman Cup 1952 Modewarre 1953 Portarlington 1954 Modewarre 1955 Drysdale 1956 Geelong West C&FC 1957 Barwon Heads Ocean Grove 1958 Portarlington 1959 Portarlington 1960 Torquay 1961 Torquay 1962 Drysdale 1963 Marshall-Grovedale 1964 St Albans 1965 Newtown & Chilwell 1966 East Geelong 1967 Barwon 1968 St Marys 1969 Bell Park 1970 Bell Park 1971 Newtown & Chilwell 1972 St Marys

References

1. 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.
2. J.W. (3 December 1921). "Football – turning the tables". The Australasian. Vol. CXI, no. 2905. Melbourne, VIC.
3. Geelong & District Football League at Footypedia
4. McLure, Daryl (24 May 2008). "Kick to kick". Geelong Advertiser . Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
5. "1929 - Football". Werribee Shire Banner (Vic. : 1911 - 1952). 31 January 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 6 June 2024.

External links

• Official Twitter
• SportsTG website
• GDFL on AFL Barwon
• GDFL Netball