Victorian Women's Football League
Encyclopedia
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
league for women in the world, consisting of 22 clubs and 30 teams from Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
across four divisions and a total of over 1,000 players.
The VWFL complies with the Laws of Australian football
Laws of Australian football
The laws of Australian football describe the rules of the game of Australian rules football as they have evolved and adapted, with the same underlying core rules, since 1859....
. The official ball, a Sherrin
Sherrin
Sherrin is a brand of football used in Australian rules football and is the official ball of the Australian Football League, designed to its official specifications...
, used by the VWFL is a custom made size 4.5 ball.
History
Women's football was organised with the formation of the Victorian Women's Football League in 1981 with four teams competing at open level.In 1995, Sal Rees caused controversy for applying for the 1995 AFL Draft
1995 AFL Draft
The 1995 AFL Draft was held at the conclusion of the 1995 Australian Football League season.The AFL Draft is the annual draft of new unsigned players by Australian rules football clubs that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.Clubs receive picks based...
. The draft was later amended to disallow women from taking part.
The VWFL grew quickly, increasing dramatically the number of players and participating teams with a Division 3 added in 2001.
In 2002 VWFL player Debbie Lee made headlines for pushing to play against men in the made-for-television team the Hammerheads. She has commented, "My whole idea with the Hammerheads was to promote women's football. At no point in time did I really think I was going to play against the men, and frankly it wouldn't really have been smart for me to do that. My whole idea was to cause a bit of activity."
An U17 Youth Girls Competition
Youth Girls Competition
The AFL Victoria Youth Girls Competition is an Australian rules football league for girls aged 13 to 17 in Victoria, Australia. Some teams are associated with particular secondary schools and at least one has been associated with a "seniors" team from the VWFL , while others are community-based...
was established by Football Victoria
Football Victoria
AFL Victoria is the state-level sport governing body for Australian rules football in the state of Victoria, Australia...
in 2004 primarily to provide a pathway to the VWFL. This was following legal action taken against them in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal is a government agency in the state of Victoria, Australia. The name is pronounced 'vee-cat'...
(following a complaint to the Equal Opportunity Commission) by junior players Penny Cula-Reid, Emily Stayner, and Helen Taylor.
In 2005 the VWFL celebrated its 25th birthday and created a reserves competition for Division 1.
In 2006, the league posted a $6000 loss, however this was turned around in 2007 with a $19000 profit was posted at the end of 2007. 2007 saw five divisions (Premier seniors & reserves, North West, South East & Country) and 27 teams (from 20 clubs) and culminated in an Australian crowd record for women's Australian rules at the 2007 Grand Final held on 19 August at the Preston City Oval
Preston City Oval
- The Ground :The Preston City Oval is an Australian rules football stadium in Cramer Street in Preston, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne. It has a main grandstand and the ground is capable of holding around 5,000 spectators....
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Two finals matches were also held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
for the first time.
The work done by the VWFL Media Manager Leesa Catto was instrumental in increasing media coverage across the competition. A significant partnership was negotiated with the Leader News group and weekly coverage was captured across the Melbourne Metropolitan area. Events like the participation of two VWFL players Shannon McFerran
Shannon McFerran
Shannon McFerran is an Australian rules football player in the Victorian Women's Football League. She is the current captain at the VU St Albans Spurs football club in the VWFL Premier Division...
and Daisy Pearce
Daisy Pearce
Daisy Pearce is an active player in the Victorian Women's Football League. She is current captain at the Darebin football club in the VWFL Premier Division, and was recently named in the All-Australian team...
in the E. J. Whitten Legends Game
E. J. Whitten Legends Game
The E. J. Whitten Legends Game is an annual charity Australian rules football All-star game, where retired star players are reunited, along with selected non-footballing celebrities, in a State of Origin interstate game, between Victoria and the All Stars .-History:E. J...
also helped lift the profile of the league.
Media coverage
In 2010 VWFL media coverage was captured across a range of mediums including;Print: Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
, The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
, Leader, Star news & Fairfax
TV: Sunrise
Sunrise (TV program)
Sunrise is an Australian breakfast television program, broadcast on the Seven Network. On weekdays the programme follows Seven Early News, and runs from 6am through to 9am.-History:...
, Channel 31
Radio: 774 ABC Melbourne
774 ABC Melbourne
774 ABC Melbourne is an ABC Local Radio station in Melbourne, Australia. Originally known by its callsign 3LO, it began transmission on 13 October 1924 – Melbourne's second radio station after 3AR.-History:...
, 3AW
3AW
3AW is a talkback radio station in Melbourne, Australia on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station.-History:...
, SEN 1116
SEN 1116
SEN 1116 , the acronym standing for Sports Entertainment Network, is a commercial AM radio station based in Melbourne, Australia, operating on 1116 kHz...
Clubs
Premier Division| Club | Nickname | Location | Coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berwick WFC | Wickers | Berwick, Victoria Berwick, Victoria Berwick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey. At the 2006 Census, Berwick had a population of 36,420.... |
Darren Logan | |
| Darebin WFC | Falcons | Fairfield, Victoria Fairfield, Victoria Fairfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Darebin and Yarra... |
Mick Bell | Daisy Pearce |
| Diamond Creek WFC | Creekers | Plenty, Victoria Plenty, Victoria Plenty is a locality within Greater Melbourne beyond the Melbourne metropolitan area Urban Growth Boundary 20 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2006 Census, Plenty had a population of 986.Plenty is a... |
Neil Staples | DI Haines |
| East Burwood WFC | Devils | East Burwood, Victoria | Brian D'arcy | Lou Wotton |
| Melbourne University | Mugars | Parkville, Victoria Parkville, Victoria Parkville is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, the population was 4,980.... |
Michael Sandry | |
| Scoresby WFC | Magpies | Scoresby, Victoria Scoresby, Victoria Scoresby is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 25 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Knox... |
||
| South Mornington WFC | Tigeresse's | Mt Martha, Victoria | ||
| VU-St Albans WFC | Spurs | St Albans, Victoria | Debbie Lee | Shannon McFerron |
| St Kilda WFC | Sharks | St Kilda, Victoria St Kilda, Victoria St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip... |
Brad Mogford | Tammy Norquay |
| Sunbry WFC | Lions | Sunbry, Victoria |
North West Division
- Bendigo Football Club
- Braybrook Football Club
- Bell Post Hill Football ClubBell Post Hill Football ClubThe Bell Post Hill Football Club, known as the Panthers, is a football club currently playing in the Geelong & District Football League fielding Senior, Reserves and Under-18 teams. They are the current reigning GDFL premiers, defeating Werribee Centrals in the 2010 GDFL Grand Final.-Club...
- Lalor Park Stars Football Club Official Site
- La Trobe University Football Club
- Melton Centrals
- North Ballarat Football ClubNorth Ballarat Football ClubNorth Ballarat Football Club, nicknamed The Roosters, is an Australian rules football club based at Northern Oval in Ballarat. The club is locally known as the Roosters and plays in the Victorian Football League are current competition premiers and one of only four clubs based outside of Melbourne...
South East Division
- Chirnside Park Football Club
- Cranbourne Football Club
- Gembrook-Cockatoo Football Club
- Hallam Football Club
- Keysborough http://www.keysboroughfc.vcfl.com.au/default.asp
- St Johns Old Collegians
Division One/Premier Division
| Year | Premier | Helen Lambert Medal - Best & Fairest | Rohenna Young Medal - Leading goal kicker | Lisa Hardeman Medal - Best on ground in GF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | VU-St Albans | Daisy Pearce (Darebin) | Sarah d'Arcy 51 (East Burwood) | Karen Paxmen (VU-St Albans) |
| 2010 | Darebin | Daisy Pearce (Darebin) & Lou Wotton (East Burwood) | Jane Lange 52 (Darebin) | Aasta O'Connor (Darebin) |
| 2009 | Darebin | Daisy Pearce (Darebin) | Brittney Grech 58 (Diamond Creek) | Daisy Pearce (Darebin) |
| 2008 | Darebin | Cecilia McIntosh (Melbourne Uni) | ||
| 2007 | Darebin | Shannon McFerran (St Albans) | ||
| 2006 | Darebin | Shannon McFerran (St Albans) | Moana Hope (Darebin) | |
| 2005 | Melbourne University | |||
| 2004 | St Albans | Debbie Lee (St Albans) | ||
| 2003 | Melbourne University | Megan Hutchins (Deakin Devils) | ||
| 2002 | Melbourne University | |||
| 2001 | Parkside Magpies | |||
| 2000 | Parkside Magpies | |||
| 1999 | St Kilda | |||
| 1998 | St Kilda | |||
| 1997 | Albion Cats | |||
| 1996 | Darebin (Fairfield) | |||
| 1995 | Northcote Park Scorpions | |||
| 1994 | East Brunswick Scorpians | |||
| 1993 | East Brunswick Scorpians | |||
| 1992 | Ballarat Lions | |||
| 1991 | East Brunswick Scorpians | |||
| 1990 | Ballarat Eagles | |||
| 1989 | Parkville Scorpians | |||
| 1988 | Parkville Scorpians | |||
| 1987 | Parkville Scorpians | |||
| 1986 | Gladstone Park Burra | |||
| 1985 | Aberfeldie Scorpions | |||
| 1984 | Aberfeldie Scorpions | |||
| 1983 | Hallam Cobras | |||
| 1982 | Broadmeadows Scorpions | |||
| 1981 | Broadmeadows Scorpions | |||
Premier Reserves
| Year | Premier | Fraser Griffiths Medal | Leading Goal Kicker | Best on Ground In Grand Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Darebin | Melissa Beadles 24 (East Burwood) | Gemma Anderson (Darebin) | |
| 2010 | Darebin | Belinda Bowey (St Kilda) | Rebecca Hickmont 31 (Darebin) | Laura Cartledge (East Burwood) |
| 2009 | Darebin | Rebecca Hickmont (Darebin) | ||
| 2008 | East Burwood | Kristy Baeffel (St Kilda) | ||
| 2007 | Darebin | |||
| 2006 | St Kilda | Jessica Williams (Melbourne Uni) | Ivanna Hern (St Kilda) | |
| 2005 | Melbourne University | |||
Premiers: North West Conference
2011 La Trobe Uni2010 Sunbury Lions
2009 Sunbury Lions
2008 Heidelberg Tigers
2007 Hadfield Hawks
2006 Diamond Creek Demons
Premiers: South East Conference
2011 Hallam Hawks2010 South Mornington Tigerettes
2009 Scoresby Magpies
2008 Scoresby Magpies
2007 Eastern Lions
2006 Berwick Wickers
Premiers: Division Two
2005 Lalor Bloods2004 St Kilda Sharks
2003 Melbourne University Mugars
2002 East Geelong Eagles
2001 Hadfield Hawks
2000 North Heidelberg Bulldogs
1997 St Kilda Sharks
Premiers: Division Three
2005 Diamond Creek Demons2004 Berwick Wickers
2003 Surrey Park Panthers
2002 Mordialloc Redbacks
2001 Ferntree Gully Kangaroos
VWFL Life Members
2009 Leesa Catto2009 Bron McGorlick
2008 Kerryn Stephen
2006 Chyloe Kurdas
2005 Di Smith
2004 Belinda Bowey
2003 Sally Rees, Rohenna Young
2002 Debbie Lee, Kerry Saunders
2001 Nicole Graves
2000 Lisa Hardeman (Who the premier div best on ground medal is named after)
1999 Ann Rulton (who the Volunteer Award is named after)
1998 Julie Allen
1997 Dianne Vaux
1996 Bernadette Marantelli
1995 Coral White
1990 Jan Wilson, Janet Graham
1983 Helen Lambert (who the Premier div Best and Fairest is named after - she is also the founding President of the League)
Top 10 Most Games Played (as at end of 2004)
195 Sally Rees (Darebin Falcons)184 Di Smith (Darebin Falcons)
179 Kerry Saunders (Darebin Falcons)
177 Andrea Dalgleish (Melbourne Uni Mugars)
168 Di Vaux (Parkside Magpies)
166 Debbie Lee (St Albans Spurs)
163 Peta Searle (Darebin Falcons)
161 Belinda Bowey (St Kilda Sharks)
153 Nicole Graves (Darebin Falcons)
144 Kerri Piner (St Albans Spurs)
Victoria
Lauren BazeleyMoana Hope
Meg Hutchins
Debbie Lee (captain)
Shannon McFerran
Lesley Ann McGannon
Liz Skinner
Elizabeth Skinner
Elizabeth Skinner is an Australian Women's Footy champion and player.She plays for the Melbourne University Mugars in the Victorian Women's Football League and is a multiple premiership player and also represented Australia in International rules football as part of the Australia women's...
NSW
Stephanie Foster (voted Best & Fairest by the umpires)Jemma Stills
Kerry Taylor
Megan Webster
See also
- List of Australian rules football women's leagues
- List of Australian rules football leagues in Australia
- Women's Footy
External links
- VWFL Official website - fixtures, results, history, photographs
- VCAT ruling (PDF)
- Analysis of VCAT ruling