North West Football League

Last updated

North West Football League
North west football league logo.png
FormerlyNorthern Tasmania Football League (1987–2014)
Sport Australian rules football
Founded1987;38 years ago (1987)
First season1987
CEO Morgan Hughes
PresidentAndrew Richardson
No. of teams7
Country Australia
Most recent
champion(s)
Devonport
Most titles Ulverstone Robins (9 titles)
Official website nwfl.com.au

The North West Football League (NWFL) is an Australian rules football competition in North West Tasmania. The league was previously known as the Northern Tasmanian Football League (NTFL) from its inception in 1987 until the end of the 2014 season.

Contents

History

Throughout and after the 1986 season, greater northern Tasmania's two senior football competitions – the Launceston-based Northern Tasmanian Football Association (NTFA) and the north-western coast's North Western Football Union (NWFU) – each lost several clubs to the new TFL Statewide League in 1986. The NTFA had lost North Launceston, East Launceston and City-South: and the NWFU had lost Devonport and Cooee. As a result, the two leagues were wound up, and the Northern Tasmanian Football League was established in 1987 to feature all of the remaining clubs. The NTFL was considered a lower tier than the Statewide League, unlike its predecessors, which were of equal seniority.

After the collapse of the Statewide League at the end of 2000, the northern and coastal clubs from that competition returned to the NTFL and dominated the competition for the next eight years (Burnie and Launceston won the next eight premierships between them). With the revival of the Statewide League in 2009, the same five clubs left the NTFL again (North Launceston, South Launceston, Launceston, Burnie and Devonport), resulting in the contraction of the league to a six-club coastal composition.

In the early years, the NTFL was contested by a mixture of smaller northern and north-western clubs, but the northern clubs gradually departed, and since 2009 the league has been contested solely by clubs from the north-western coast, all with a NWFU history. Consequently, at the end of the 2014 season, the name of the league was changed to the North West Football League (NWFL). [1]

In 2015, Burnie and Devonport rejoined the competition, each fielding its reserves team in the NWFL seniors while continuing to field its senior team in the Statewide League reserves; this increased the league numbers up to eight. [2] In early 2017, Burnie withdrew from this arrangement, which dropped the number of teams down to seven. [3] Then, in 2018, Burnie and Devonport withdrew their senior teams from the Statewide League and each entered the NWFL proper. [4] The league's senior premiership is now contested by seven clubs.

Timeline

North West Football League

Clubs

Current

ClubColoursNicknameHome GroundFormer LeagueEst.Years in NWFLNWFL Premierships
TotalYears
Burnie
Burnie Dockers Football Club colours.svg
Dockers West Park Oval, Burnie TSL 19952001-2008, 2015-2016, 2018-82001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2019, 2020
Circular Head
St Kilda Football Club colours.svg
SaintsCircular Head Recreation Ground, Smithton NWFU 19071987-2018, 2022-11991
Devonport [5]
Devonport Football Club Colours.svg
Magpies Devonport Oval, Devonport TSL 18812001-2008, 2015-42021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Latrobe
Melbourne Football Club Colours.svg
DemonsDarrel Baldock Oval, Latrobe NWFU 18811987-42010, 2011, 2013, 2016
Penguin
Penguin Football Club Colours.svg
Two BluesDial Park, Penguin NWFU 18901987-0-
Ulverstone
Essendon Football Club colours.svg
RobinsUlverstone Recreation Ground, Ulverstone NWFU 18881987-101987, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009, 2017
Wynyard
Winchelsea fc icon.png
CatsWynyard Football Ground, Wynyard NWFU 18851987-32012, 2014, 2015

Juniors Only

ClubColoursNicknameHome GroundFormer LeagueEst.Years in NWFLNWFL PremiershipsNoted
TotalYears
East Devonport
East Devonport Football Club colours.svg
SwansGirdlestone Park, East Devonport NWFU 19011987–202011988Club seniors in recess since 2021

Former

ClubColoursNicknameHome GroundFormer LeagueEst.Years in NWFLNWFL PremiershipsFate
TotalYears
Burnie
RichmondDesign.svg
Tigers West Park Oval, Burnie NWFU 18851987-9311992Absorbed by Burnie Hawks following 1993 season
Deloraine
North Melbourne Football Club colours (2016-2021).svg
KangaroosDeloraine Recreation Ground, Deloraine NTFA 18941987-20030-Moved to NTFA following 2003 season
George Town
St Kilda Football Club colours.svg
SaintsGeorge Town Sports Complex, George Town NTFA 19271986-19900-Moved to NTFA following 1990 season
Launceston
Launceston Football Club colours.jpg
BluesWindsor Park, Riverside NTFA, TSL 18751987-1993, 1998-200832006, 2007, 2008Returned to Tasmanian State League in 1994 and 2009
Longford
RichmondDesign.svg
TigersLongford Recreation Ground, Longford NTFA 187819870-Moved to NTFA following 1987 season
North Launceston
Essendon Football Club colours.svg
Bombers York Park, Invermay TSL 18932001-20080-Returned to Tasmanian State League in 2009
Scottsdale
Collingwood Football Club colours.svg
MagpiesScottsdale Recreation Ground, Scottsdale NTFA 18891987-199911988Moved to NTFA following 1999 season
South Burnie
Hawthorn Football Club Colours.svg
HawksWivenhoe Recreation Ground, Wivenhoe DFA 19411997-19980-Returned to Darwin FA following 1998 season
South Launceston
Western Bulldogs Football Club colours (1997-2011).svg
Melbourne Football Club Colours.svg
BulldogsYoungtown Memorial Oval, Youngtown TSL 19861998-200821998, 1999Returned to Tasmanian State League in 2009

Grand finals

Attendance

The Northern Tasmanian Football League is considered to be one of the strongest leagues in the state and has a strong supporter following. Games in the NTFL average around 500 spectators.

References

  1. Jordan Abell (11 December 2014). "NTFL renamed North West Football League". AFL Tasmania. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  2. Jordan Abell (1 August 2014). "Welcome back: NTFL clubs give unanimous approval for the return of Burnie and Devonport" . Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  3. Brad Cole (8 March 2017). "Burnie withdraw from 2017 NWFL seniors and reserves". The Advocate. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  4. Chris Rowbottom (6 February 2018). "Burnie Football Club quits Tasmanian State League, unable to field teams" . Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  5. group=note