Ellinbank & District Football League
The Ellinbank and District Football Netball League (formerly Ellinbank & District Football League) is an Australian rules football and Netball League, based in the West Gippsland region of Victoria for smaller towns and villages in the regions of Baw Baw, South Gippsland and Cardinia.
| General Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1937 | |
| Foundation Clubs |
| |
| No. of clubs | 11 | |
| Current Clubs |
| |
| Website | EDFL Website | |
| 2023 Season | ||
| Seniors Premiers | Buln Buln | |
| Reserves Premiers | Neerim-Neerim South | |
| Under 18s Premiers | Ellinbank | |
| Under 16s Premiers | Ellinbank | |
There are 11 teams in the league fielding 2 senior football sides and 2 football junior sides (U/16 and U/18) and 3 senior netball sides and 3 junior netball sides.
History
The EDFL was founded in 1937.
The Ellinbank & District Football League (EDFL) and Ellinbank & District Netball Association (EDNA) merged in 2022 to form the Ellinbank & District Football Netball League (EDFNL)
In 2014, the league partitioned into two geographic divisions which operated as separate competitions with separate premiers.[1] In this season, the seven-team western division comprised Nar Nar Goon, Garfield, Cora Lynn, Koo-wee-rup, Bunyip, Catani and Lang Lang; and the eastern division, with eight clubs, comprised Nyora, Poowong, Ellinbank, Nilma-Darnum, Warragul Industrials, Buln Buln, Neerim-Neerim South and Longwarry. This partition lasted only one year, and the league rejoined as a single division again from 2015.[2]
In 2016 C31 broadcast a live match of the EDFL game between Koo Wee Rup and Cora Lynn.
In 2017 five clubs were redirected to found the West Gippsland Football Netball League. This left the league with ten clubs. The 2019 senior premiership was won by Longwarry Football Club over Ellinbank by 39 points. The grand final was played at Dowton Park Yarragon.
In the 2018 AFL Gippsland League Review, Yarragon joined from the neighbouring Mid Gippsland League.[3] Warragul Industrials moved to the West Gippsland League,[4] keeping the competition at ten clubs.
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, all EDFL competitions were abandoned for season 2020. Season 2021 saw games resume but due to COVID-19 restrictions a finals series was not played and there were no premiers.
In 2021 the Trafalgar Football and Netball Club joined the EDFL taking the total teams to 11. 2021 will also see the junior age structure change to Under 16.5 and Under 18.5
In 2022 the Ellinbank & District Football League and Ellinbank & District Netball Association merged to form the Ellinbank & District Football Netball League (EDFNL). [5] The junior age groups will revert to Under 16 and Under 18 in football.
The 2023 senior premiership was won by Buln Buln over Neerim-Neerim South by 30 points. It is Buln Buln's first premiership since the 2014 EDFL East Grand Final, and their 11th total. The grand final was played at Dowton Park Yarragon and the game was broadcast locally on SEN Track 91.9FM
Current clubs
| Club | Colours | Moniker | Home venue | Formed | First year | Premierships | Premiership Years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Most recent | |||||||
| Buln Buln |  | Lyrebirds | Buln Buln Recreation Reserve | 1919 | 1949 | 11 | 2023 | 1956, 1965, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2014 (East), 2023 |
| Catani |  | Blues | Catani Recreation Reserve | 1976 | 4 | 2017 | 1992, 2004, 2005, 2017 | |
| Ellinbank |  | Eagles | Ellinbank Recreation Reserve | 1937 | 15 | 1995 | 1939, 1946, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1961, 1963, 1974, 1975, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1995 | |
| Lang Lang |  | Tigers | Lang Lang Community Recreation Precinct | 1895 | 2000 | 0 | — | — |
| Longwarry |  | Crows | Longwarry Recreation Reserve | 1900s | 1993 | 1 | 2019 | 2019 |
| Neerim-Neerim South |  | Cats | Neerim South Recreation Reserve | 1954 (merger) | 1954 | 8 | 2022 | 1962, 1964, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1998, 1999, 2022 |
| Nilma Darnum |  | Bombers | Darnum Recreation Reserve | 1947 (merger) | 1947 | 5 | 2009 | 1947 (Darnum FC), 1949, 1951, 1959 (Nilma Lillico FC), 2009 (Nilma Darnum FC) |
| Nyora |  | Saints | Nyora Recreation Reserve | 1880s | 1967 | 4 | 2018 | 1993, 2006, 2007, 2018 |
| Poowong |  | Magpies | Poowong Recreation Reserve | 1900s | 1967 | 9 | 2003 | 1967, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1991, 2003 |
| Trafalgar |  | Bloods | Trafalgar Recreation Reserve | 1888 | 2021 | 0 | — | — |
| Yarragon |  | Panthers | Dowton Park Reserve, Yarragon | 1895 | 2019 | 0 | — | — |
Premiers
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VFL/AFL players
- Barry Bourke – Neerim Neerim South – Melbourne
- Jai Newcombe – Poowong – Hawthorn
References
- "573148_country footy.html | The Weekly Times".
- "EDFL TO REVERT BACK TO A ONE TIER COMPETITION IN 2015". 20 October 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- "Yarragon accepts move to Ellinbank league | Latrobe Valley Express". Archived from the original on 28 September 2018.
- "Dusties launch into pre season". 20 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- "Ellinbank and District Netball and Football Amalgamation Committee Meet - Ellinbank District Football League - GameDay".