History
The Sunday Football League (SFL) was formed in late 1983 after a proposed merger between the South Suburban Murray Football League (SSMFL) and Western Australian Football Association (WAFA) fell through. The twelve SSMFL clubs were Armadale, Canning, Gosnells, Kalamunda, Kelmscott, Kenwick, Kwinana, Maddington, Mandurah, Rockingham, Thornlie and Willetton. The five WAFA clubs to join were Applecross, Fremantle (later North Fremantle), Osborne Park, South Perth and Wanneroo. Six WAFA clubs decided to stay in that competition rather than join the new league.
Prior to the Sunday Football League being formed, the South Suburban Murray Football League was formed in 1960 when two leagues - the South Suburban Football Association and Murray Districts Football Association - agreed to a trial season. The SSFA had only five teams competing in 1959 (Armadale, Canning, Gosnells, Kelmscott and Maddington) while the MDFA had four teams (Hills, Pinjarra, Mandurah and Waroona). Kenwick, who had been trying since 1958 to join the SSFA, was accepted as the tenth team to remove a bye in each round.
The South Suburban Football Association began in 1910 with three teams, Armadale, Kelmscott and Mundijong. Queens Park joined in 1911, while Mundijong withdrew after five games. Victoria Park joined the SSFA in 1913. Queens Park won the premiership in 1913 after taking the SSFA to court after the league decided to change how the premier team would be selected that year.
The Murray Districts Football Association started in 1938 with five teams (Coolup, Mandurah, North Dandalup, Pinjarra and Waroona). Pinjarra won the first premiership, and Waroona won the next two before the competition was suspended due to World War 2. Waroona won the first two flags after the competition resumed in 1946 and 47. Pinjarra won in 1948 and Mandurah won their first premiership in 1949.
The West Australian Football Association (WAFA) was established in 1949 as the Mercantile Football Association (MFA). The MFA consisted primarily of work-based clubs such as Boans, Daily News, Foys, Hardies, Mails, Sunday Times, Wesfarmers and Telegraphs. In 1954, the league was renamed as the Sunday National Football League (SNFL) and there were separate A-Grade and B-Grade competitions with promotion and relegation. The more traditional suburban-based teams were introduced in the 1950s, such as Maylands, Scarborough (not related to the current Club of the same name), Rockingham and Osborne Park. Work-based teams also changed names, with Wesfarmers becoming North Perth, Tramways becoming Leederville, and Sunday Times becoming Metropolitans.
In the 1960s, the league expanded with the inclusion of clubs from Wanneroo, Midland, Belmont, Cockburn, Bayswater and East Fremantle. By 1964, a Reserves Grade replaced the B-Grade competition, and each Club was required to field two sides. The league also changed name to the West Australian Football Association (WAFA) in 1968. South Perth, Applecross and Mosman Park were introduced in the 1970s. In 1980, the WAFA absorbed six teams from the disbanded Fremantle Ex-Scholars Football Association and a Division 2 was created. The WAFA reverted to a single grade competition in 1984 after Applecross, Fremantle (later North Fremantle), Osborne Park, South Perth and Wanneroo left to join the Sunday Football League.
The final year of the WAFA was in 1987 with teams from Manning, Mosman Park, Midland, Cockburn, Belmont and Tuart Hill. Over its 39 years, a total of 49 different clubs competed in the WAFA.
Lower SFL Grades
Between 1988 and 1991, the SFL managed a second-tier competition (with League, Reserves and Colts grades) known as the Metropolitan Football League (MFL). The MFL initially consisted of six teams, including four teams from the disbanded WAFA - Manning, Mosman Park, Midland and Cockburn - plus Fremantle and Kwinana, who previously competed in the top division of the Sunday Football League. Pinjarra and Mundijong Centrals joined in 1989 after the Murray Districts Football League disbanded, and were joined in 1990 by Waroona and South Mandurah. At the end of 1991, teams from the MFL joined the newly formed Peel Football League.
Between 1994 and 1997, the SFL managed another second-tier competition (with League, Reserves and Colts grades), known initially as the Sunday Amateurs Football League (SAFL). The SAFL initially consisted of seven teams, including Belmont, Midland, Kingsley, Cockburn, Manning, Mosman Park and North Fremantle. A number of these teams had joined after previously competing in the Peel Football League. Kalamunda and Ballajura joined the SAFL in 1995, replacing Cockburn and Manning. In 1997, the League was re-badged as the Sunday Football League (SFL) Division 2, and was reduced to four teams, after Belmont, Midland and North Fremantle left. Belmont joined the SFL at that time.
Between 1985 and 2008, the SFL managed a single-grade, third-tier competition, known initially as the SFL Saturday Amateurs Division. The Saturday Amateurs Division included the Thirds teams from those Division 1 clubs that had sufficient players to do so. The grade was renamed the SFL Division 3 from 1994 to 1997, but returned to the SFL Saturday Amateurs Division from 1998 to 2003. In 2004, there was revamp of the grade to include other single-team clubs, and there was a renaming to the West Australian Football Association (WAFA), which was a tribute to the former WAFA that existed between 1949 and 1987.
