North West Football League

Last updated

North West Football League
Most recent season or competition:
2022
North west football league logo.png
FormerlyNorthern Tasmania Football League (1987–2014)
Sport Australian rules football
Founded1987;37 years ago (1987)
First season1987
CEO Morgan Hughes
PresidentAndrew Richardson
No. of teams7
Country Australia
Most recent
champion(s)
Devonport Football Club
Most titles Ulverstone Robins (9 titles)
Official website nwfl.com.au

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

Contents

History

The Northern Tasmanian Football League (NTFL) was founded in 1987 to replace the Northern Tasmanian Football Association (NTFA) - no relation to the current NTFA - and the North Western Football Union (NWFU) which suffered as a result of the defection of clubs joining the new TFL Statewide League in 1986 – the NTFA had lost North Launceston and East Launceston to the TFL Statewide League at the start of 1986, then lost City-South midway through that season when it merged with East Launceston; the NWFU lost Devonport and Cooee to the Statewide League at the conclusion of the 1986 season.

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 clubs (2024)

ColoursClubNicknameRegionHome GroundLeague years
Burnie Football Club colours.jpg
Burnie Dockers Burnie West Park Oval 2001–08, 2015–16 [note 1] , 2018–present
Watsonia Football Club.jpg
Circular Head Saints Smithton Smithton Football Ground1987–2018, 2022–present
Devonport Football Club colours.jpg
Devonport [5] Magpies Devonport Devonport Oval 2001–08, 2015–present
Melbourne Football Club colours.jpg
Latrobe Demons Latrobe Darrel Baldock Oval1987–present
Penguin Football Club colours.jpg
Penguin Two Blues Penguin Dial Park1987–present
Eltham Football Club.jpg
Ulverstone Robins Ulverstone Ulverstone Recreation Ground1987–present
Winchelsea fc icon.png
Wynyard Cats Wynyard Wynyard Football Ground1987–present

Former NTFL/NWFL clubs

ColoursClubMascotLeague yearsFate
RichmondDesign.svg
Burnie [note 2] Tigers1987–93Merged with the Burnie Hawks
North Melbourne white.png
DeloraineKangaroos1987–2003Joined the NTFA Division I
Alvie Football Club colours.jpg
East Devonport Swans1987–2020Club seniors in recess since 2021
Launceston Football Club colours.jpg
Launceston [note 3] Blues1987–93, 1998–2008Joined the Tasmanian State League
RichmondDesign.svg
Longford Tigers1987Joined the NTFA Division I
Eltham Football Club.jpg
North Launceston Bombers2001–08Joined the Tasmanian State League
Western Bulldogs AFLW icon.png
South Launceston Bulldogs1998–2008Joined the Tasmanian State League
Clunes Football Club colours.jpg
Scottsdale Magpies1987–99Joined the NTFA Division I
Hawthorn Football Club colours.jpg
South BurnieHawks1997–98Joined the Darwin Football Association
Notes
  1. Competing with reserve teams (Devonport 2015-17).
  2. Burnie Tigers were absorbed by the Burnie Hawks at the end of 1993, the merged club continued to participate as the Burnie Hawks in the 1994 TFL season until the club adopted a new identity and colours from 1995 as the Burnie Dockers.
  3. Member of the TFL from 1994–1997.

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.

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Devonport Football Club</span> Australian football club

The East Devonport Football Club is an Australian rules football club based on Devonport, Tasmania. The club competed in the North West Football League since 1987 until going into recess in 2021. The club currently has a full junior program in the NWFL.

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The 1967 Tasmanian State Premiership Final was an Australian rules football match played between the Wynyard Cats and the North Hobart Robins on Saturday 30 September 1967 at West Park Oval, Burnie, to decide the winner of the 1967 Tasmanian State Premiership. One of the most controversial games in Australian rules football history, the match was declared no result and the premiership was withheld after fans invaded the field and eventually took down the goal posts, preventing North Hobart full-forward David Collins from taking a kick after the siren which would likely have won or tied the game for the Robins.

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