Geelong & District Football Netball League

The Geelong & District Football League (GDFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball league in Victoria, being the oldest surviving competition in the region. It is one of three leagues in the Geelong area, the others being the Geelong FNL and the Bellarine FNL.

There are 12 teams competing in the GDFL, which has also produced over 600 VFL/AFL players.

History
The league was formed in 1879 as the Geelong and District Football Association (GDFA). In 1919 it changed name to the GDFL, before changing to the Geelong Junior Football Association in 1922. It reverted to the GDFL name in 1933, then back to the GDFA in 1939, and back to the GDFL in 1945. From 1922 until 1927, the league operated and administrated the Geelong Association Football Club, which competed in the Victorian Football Association.

From 1946 onwards, the GDFL maintained a divisional system, with clubs in the First Division competing for the Evelyn Hurst Trophy, the Second Division for the Woolworth Cup, and the Third Division for the Jarman Cup.

In 1973 the GDFL had a restructure that insisted in having the senior club also provide a reserve grade side. This meant that senior clubs had to align with a junior club to survive. The Evelyn Hurst Trophy, the Woolworth Cup and the Jarman Cup titles were dropped for the more standard 1st and 2nd divisions. 1st division would have twelve clubs while 2nd division started with 8 and eventually grew to 11 clubs.

The league took the form it is today when 12 clubs broke away in 1979 to form the Geelong Football League. The city and country clubs of the old GDFL were divided into the major league competition of the GFL and the minor league GDFL. Many of the teams in the lower league wanted a system of promotion and relegation, which saw the movement of a couple of clubs.

The GDFL were left with 11 clubs but over the next couple of years it grew to fourteen. It was enough for the league add another division of competition. From 1984 until 1995 the league had two divisions that operated on a promotion/demotion system. From 1996 onwards, the league has reverted to a single division competition.

Today the GDFL is opposed to the promotion-relegation system, with the Geelong Football League, Geelong & District Football League and Bellarine Football League forming a three-league, three-division football structure in the Geelong area. From 2002, the GDFL included netball teams, introducing A Grade, B Grade & C Grade senior teams, as well as U/17's, U/15's & U/13's netball.

In 2009, the GDFL introduced a fourth senior netball section, D Grade, in which East Geelong and Werribee Centrals have each won three of the last six premierships.

Recent premierships

 * 1945	Geelong West
 * Evelyn Hurst Trophy
 * 1946	East Geelong
 * 1947	East Geelong
 * 1948	East Geelong
 * 1949	North Geelong
 * 1950	North Geelong
 * 1951	North Geelong
 * 1952	North Geelong
 * 1953	North Geelong
 * 1954	North Geelong
 * 1955	North Geelong
 * 1956	St Marys
 * 1957	Barwon
 * 1958	North Geelong
 * 1959	St Marys
 * 1960	St Marys
 * 1961	Barwon
 * 1962	Newtown & Chilwell
 * 1963	Newtown & Chilwell
 * 1964	Newtown & Chilwell
 * 1965	Newtown & Chilwell
 * 1966	Geelong West C&FC
 * 1967	St Marys
 * 1968	North Geelong
 * 1969	North Geelong
 * 1970	East Geelong
 * 1971	Geelong West C&FC
 * 1972	St Marys
 * 1st Division
 * 1973	East Geelong
 * 1974	North Shore
 * 1975	St Marys
 * 1976	North Shore
 * 1977	North Shore
 * 1978	Newtown & Chilwell
 * 1979	Modewarre
 * 1980	St Peters
 * 1981	St Peters
 * 1982	St Josephs


 * 1983	Thomson
 * 1984	St Josephs
 * 1985	Geelong Amateurs
 * 1986	Lara
 * 1987	Werribee Central
 * 1988	Lara
 * 1989	Werribee Central
 * 1990	North Geelong
 * 1991	Anakie
 * 1992	North Geelong
 * 1993	North Geelong
 * 1994	Anakie
 * 1995	Corio
 * 1996	Thomson
 * 1997	Bannockburn
 * 1998	Bannockburn
 * 1999	Werribee Central
 * 2000	Werribee Central
 * 2001	Werribee Central
 * 2002	North Geelong
 * 2003	Bannockburn
 * 2004	Werribee Central
 * 2005	Thomson
 * 2006	Thomson
 * 2007	Belmont Lions
 * 2008	Thomson
 * 2009	East Geelong
 * 2010	Bell Post Hill
 * 2011	Bell Post Hill
 * 2012	Bell Post Hill
 * 2013   North Geelong
 * 2014   Bell Post Hill
 * 2015   Bell Post Hill
 * 2016   Bell Post Hill
 * 2017   Bell Post Hill
 * 2018   Thomson
 * 2019   Bannockburn
 * 2020 League in recess due to COVID-19 pandemic
 * 2021 League in recess due to COVID-19 pandemic
 * 2022   Bannockburn
 * 2023   Inverleigh


 * Woolworths Cup
 * 1946	Sea Scouts
 * 1947	Portarlington
 * 1948	North Shore
 * 1949	St Albans
 * 1950	Freshwater Ck
 * 1951	Freshwater Ck
 * 1952	Lara
 * 1953	Geelong Amateurs
 * 1954	St Albans
 * 1955	North Geelong
 * 1956	North Geelong
 * 1957	North Geelong
 * 1958	North Geelong
 * 1959	North Geelong
 * 1960	Modewarre
 * 1961	Inverleigh
 * 1962	Torquay
 * 1963	Drysdale
 * 1964	Thomson
 * 1965	Lara
 * 1966	Drysdale
 * 1967	Anakie
 * 1968	St Albans
 * 1969	Drysdale
 * 1970	Drysdale
 * 1971	St Albans
 * 1972	St Albans
 * 2nd Division
 * 1973	Modewarre
 * 1974	Modewarre
 * 1975	Grovedale
 * 1976	Modewarre
 * 1977	Grovedale
 * 1978	Geelong West C&FC


 * 1979–1983 single division
 * 1984	Werribee Central
 * 1985	Anakie
 * 1986	Thomson
 * 1987	Geelong West C&FC
 * 1988	North Geelong
 * 1989	Modewarre
 * 1990	Bannockburn
 * 1991	Thomson
 * 1992	Leigh Districts
 * 1993	Eastern Suburbs
 * 1994	Modewarre
 * 1995	Thomson
 * Jarman Cup
 * 1952	Modewarre
 * 1953	Portarlington
 * 1954	Modewarre
 * 1955	Drysdale
 * 1956	Geelong West C&FC
 * 1957	Barwon Heads Ocean Grove
 * 1958	Portarlington
 * 1959	Portarlington
 * 1960	Torquay
 * 1961	Torquay
 * 1962	Drysdale
 * 1963	Marshall-Grovedale
 * 1964	St Albans
 * 1965	Newtown & Chilwell
 * 1966	East Geelong
 * 1967	Barwon
 * 1968	St Marys
 * 1969	Bell Park
 * 1970	Bell Park
 * 1971	Newtown & Chilwell
 * 1972	St Marys