The Northern Football League (formerly known as the Diamond Valley Football League) is an Australian rules football competition based in the Diamond Valley region of suburban Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The league changed its name on 1 May 2007. The league was founded in 1922, originally having seven clubs, four of whom still participate. In 1941 the league went into recess for five years as a result of World War II, the competition recommencing in 1946. After the war the league continued to grow. In 1981 it was split into two divisions. In 2010 the league officially split into three divisions.
The entire DVFL board resigned over the summer of 2006–2007 and was replaced by officials from AFL Victoria until suitable replacements were found before the start of the 2008 season.
In 2008 the NFL added an open-age Netball competition and announced an intention that a third division would be added for the 2009 season with the old 14 team second division to be split into eight and six team divisions. Three junior clubs, Yarrambat, St Marys, Keon Park Stars, announced plans to field Under-19s teams for the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons. Reversing an earlier decision the league decided that division two would be split halfway through the 2009 season based on ladder position after the 13th round and a permanent division three for 2010 would be dependent on at least one more club joining the league. With St Marys to field a senior team in 2010 the NFL have announced a stand-alone division three to commence from 2010.
Chairman - Dean Philpots
Netball Chairman - Jeff Parkes
Geoff Dempster
Harry Gasiamis
Peter Myers
Nicolina Lademann
Diana Pettie
Stella Pruscino
Stella Pruscino (Junior Chairperson)
Jeremy Bourke
Michael Bland
Mark McNeill
Ron McKeown
CEO - Peter McDougall
Football Operations Manager - Ron McKeown
Administration/Netball Manager - Delwyn Berry
Media Manager - Samuel Zito
At the end of each year the Premiers of Division 2 and 3 are promoted, while the clubs that finish last in Division 1 and 2 are relegated.
Player awarded Best on Ground despite playing for the losing team
The NFL Juniors Competition has 28 clubs. The competition comprises approximately 200 teams divided into 8 age groups; under 9 thorough to under 17. In 2010 the league announced for there to be an under 16 age group which had previously not existed.
The trophy is awarded each year to the club which has the most combined premiership points from the under 13, under 15 and under 17 age groups.
DVFL Life Members
NFL Life Members
All Blacks Football Club (Club is defunct). A team from Templestowe, the 'All Blacks' were admitted into the Diamond Valley for the 1929 season. It is known that they wore an all-black uniform based upon two small news articles in 1929 where it was reported that the club had lent their strip to the Diamond Valley Football League representative side for their match against the Bourke-Evelyn League as part of the Hartley Shield inter-league competition. The All Blacks were a different team to the current Templestowe Football Club as they played against them in the 1931 and 1932 seasons. They moved to Warringal Park in Heidelberg during the 1930 season and were co-tenants with Old Paradians. They played their final season in 1932 and 'amalgamated' with Heidelberg Football Club in 1933 to play in the VFL Sub-District League.
Coburg Amateur Football Club (Club is defunct). They played at De Chene Reserve in Coburg.
Diamond Valley Juniors (A merger between Diamond Creek and Hurstbridge football clubs prior to World War II which was dissolved when the DVFL resumed in 1946)
Fairfield Park Football Club (Club is defunct) Fairfield Park wore a white jumper with two red vertical stripes and played at Fairfield Park oval on Yarra Bend Rd, Fairfield.
Fawkner Park Football Club (Merged with North Coburg Saints in 2007 and play in the EDFL as Northern Saints). They wore a navy jumper with a white FPFC logo and sky blue wings in the style of the West Coast Eagles jumper. They played at Charles Mutton Reserve in Fawkner.
Kangaroo Ground Football Club (Club is defunct)
Kinglake Football Club (Currently in the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League). They wore a gold jumper with a light green vee when they participated in the DVFL.
Kingsbury Junior Football Club (Club is defunct) Kingsbury played at John Hall Reserve on Dunne St in Kingsbury and wore a royal blue jumper with yellow yoke, in the style of Melbourne Football Club.
Parkside Football Club (Currently in the Victorian Amateur Football Association). They played at Pitcher Park in Alphington and wore a red jumper with a white PFC monogram with white trim when they participated in the Northern Football League.
Plenty Rovers Football Club (The Plenty Rovers FC came about because of a merger between the Mernda & Doreen, they played at the Doreen Recreation Reserve, from 1932–1964 (1936–1939, 1946 in the DVFL), until they were forced to move out of Doreen due to powerline extensions, and moved to Mernda, where they changed their name back to the Mernda Football Club in 1965)
Preston RSL Junior Football Club (Folded). They wore a red jumper with white trim and played at W Ruthven VC reserve in Preston.
Research Football Club (Club is now solely a junior club, however they do have an alignment with Lower Plenty Football Club). They wore a royal blue jumper with a red hoop and a white hoop either side of it in the style of Footscray Football Club when they played in the Panton Hill Football League but changed to a white jumper with red vertical stripes when they joined the Diamond Valley Football League (Due to North Heidelberg already wearing the bulldogs jumper). As a result of a number violent on-field altercations, the club was expelled following the 1991 season.
Reservoir-Lakeside Football Club (Merged with West Preston to form West Preston Lakeside F.C). They wore a white jumper with a red vee in the style of South Melbourne Football Club when they played in the Diamond Valley Football League.
St Andrews-Coburg Football Club (Club is defunct)
Templestowe Football Club (Currently in the Eastern Football League (Australia))
Thornbury Football Club (Merged with Reservoir Rovers to become Thornbury Rovers)
Thornbury Rovers Football Club (Club is defunct). The rovers wore red and blue vertical stripes.
Wallan Football Club (Currently in the Riddell District Football League). They wore black and white stripes in the style of Collingwood Football Club when they played in the Northern Football League.
Warrandyte Football Club (Currently in the Eastern Football League (Australia))
West Preston Football Club (Merged with Reservoir Lakeside to become West Preston Lakeside). They wore a royal blue jumper with two vees, one red and one white when they played in the Diamond Valley Football League.
Halfway through the 2009 season, six clubs (including Parkside and Hurstbridge) split from Division 2 in preparation for a third division in 2010. These clubs competed against each other for the rest of the season and Parkside defeated Hurstbridge in the senior grand final with Hurstbridge winning the reserve grand final. As per the announcement of the league at the time the divisions were split, Parkside were not promoted to Division Two.
