Yarra Junior Football League

Yarra Junior Football League
Formerly	Doncaster & Districts Junior Football League + Hawthorn Districts Junior Football League
Sport	Australian rules football
Founded	1997
CEO	Tim Murray
President	Jeff Hooper
No. of teams	30
Country	Australia
Venue(s)	AFL Victoria
Sponsor(s)	Hiredepot, VRGF, TAC, Collingwood FC
Official website

Last updated April 17, 2024

The Yarra Junior Football League (YJFL) is the largest junior Australian rules football league in Australia.^[1]^[2]^[3] The league has a total of 30 clubs, who are based around northern, eastern and north-eastern Melbourne.^[4] There is a total of 66 divisions throughout the league.^[5]

History

The Yarra Junior Football League was first formed through the merging of the old Doncaster & Districts and the Hawthorn Districts Junior Football Leagues in 1997.^[6] The league began with a total of 4628 registered players. They were spread out between 180 teams and 25 foundation clubs.^[7] Since then, the number of players is over double the original number, with 10,614 players participating in 2019. It has also grown to 508 teams between 30 clubs, as per data gathered in 2019.^[8]

In 2000, the Heidelberg Tigers moved into the YJFL after a major club reform. Over the next ten years, 5 teams joined the league, those teams being the Preston Bullants in 2001, the North Brunswick Giants in 2005 (at that time known as the 'Bulls'), the Parkside Devils and certain divisions from the Ashburton Redbacks in 2006, the Boroondara Hawks and the rest of the divisions from the Ashburton Redbacks in 2008, and the Brunswick Dragons in 2010.

In 2011, the first Youth Girls divisions were launched, with some teams given the support of the AFL.^[9]

In 2015 and 2016, the league witnessed spikes in growth after they introduced an Under 8s competition and the new South Yarra Junior Football Club.

In January 2020, the presidents from the former Greythorn Falcons and Balwyn Tigers decided to merge their clubs into the Balwyn Greythorn Jets Junior Football Club, to create a more powerful club, as they were already located very close together.^[10]

Clubs

Current

Club	Moniker	Location	Home Ground	Est.	Joined YJFL	Associated senior club
Aquinas	Bloods	Wantirna	JW Manson Reserve	2013	2015	Aquinas - VAFA
Ashburton	Redbacks	Glen Iris	Burwood Reserve, Ferndale Reserve	1971	2006	None
Balwyn	Tigers	Balwyn	Balwyn Park, Gordon Barnard Reserve	2023	2024	Balwyn - EFNL
Banyule	Bears	Heidelberg	Beverley Road Reserve, AJ Burkitt Oval	1967	1997	Banyule - NFNL
Beverley Hills	Lions	Doncaster East	Zerbes Reserve	1967	1997	Doncaster East - EFNL
Brunswick	Dragons	Brunswick	Gillon Oval	2008	2010	Brunswick - VAFA
Bulleen Templestowe	Bullants	Templestowe Lower	Ted Ajani Reserve	1990	1997	Bulleen Templestowe - VAFA
Bundoora	Bulls	Bundoora	N J Telfer Reserve	1961	1997	Bundoora - NFNL
Camberwell	Sharks	Camberwell	Lynden Park	1997	1997	None
Canterbury	Cobras	Canterbury	Canterbury Sportsground	1997	1997	Canterbury - VAFA
Doncaster	Cats	Doncaster	Schramms Reserve	1968	1997	Doncaster - EFNL
Fitzroy	Lions	Fitzroy	Cox Oval, Olney Oval, Alfred Crescent Oval, W.T. Peterson Oval, Ramsden Street Reserve, Victoria Park	1993	1997	Fitzroy - VAFA
Glen Iris	Gladiators	Glen Iris	T.H. King Oval, Righetti Oval	1987	1997	None
Hawthorn Citizens	Citz	Hawthorn East	Victoria Road Reserve, Rathmines Road Reserve, Glenferrie Oval	1992	1997	Hawthorn AFC - VAFA
Heidelberg	Tigers	Heidelberg	Heidelberg Park, Warringal Park	2000	2000	Heidelberg - NFNL
Ivanhoe	Hoes	Ivanhoe	Ivanhoe Park	1966	1997	Ivanhoe - NFNL
Kew	Comets	Kew	Victoria Park	1971	1997	Kew - VAFA
Kew Rovers	Rovers	Kew East	Stradbroke Park	1971	1997	Kew - VAFA
Macleod	Eagles	Macleod	Macleod Reserve, Greensborough College, De Winton Reserve	1968	1997	Macleod - NFNL
Northcote	Cougars	Northcote	McDonnell Park	1962	2020	Northcote Park - NFNL
North Brunswick	Giants	Brunswick East	Allard Park	2005	2005	North Brunswick - VAFA
Parade St Damians	Saints	Watsonia North	Binnak Park	1979	1997	None
Park Orchards North Ringwood Parish	Sharks	Park Orchards	Domeney Reserve, Stintons Reserve	1991	1997	Park Orchards - EFNL
Parkside	Devils	Alphington	Pitcher Park	2005	2006	Parkside - VAFA
Preston Bullants	Bullants	Preston	H P Zwar Park	2000	2001	Preston Bullants - VAFA
Richmond	Tigers	Richmond	Citizens Park, Kevin Bartlett Complex	1973	1997	Richmond Central - VAFA
St Marys Greensborough	Burras	Greensborough	Whatmough Park	1973	1997	St Marys - NFNL
Surrey Park	Panthers	Box Hill	Surrey Park	1994	1997	Surrey Park - EFNL
Templestowe	Dockers	Templestowe	Templestowe Reserve	1969	1997	Templestowe - EFNL
Warrandyte	Bloods	Warrandyte	Warrandyte Reserve	1975	1997	Warrandyte - EFNL
Whitehorse	Colts	Box Hill North	Springfield Reserve	1997	1997	Whitehorse Pioneers - EFNL

Former

Club	Moniker	Location	Home Ground	Est.	Joined YJFL	Final season	Affiliated Senior Club	Current status
Balwyn	Tigers	Balwyn	Balwyn Park, Gordon Barnard Reserve		2001	2020	Balwyn - EFNL	Merged 2020 with Greythorn
Balwyn-Greythorn	Jets	Balwyn	Balwyn Park, Gordon Barnard Reserve	2019	2020	2023	Balwyn - EFNL	Merged 2023 with Boroondara
Boroondara	Hawks	Balwyn	Gordon Barnard Reserve	2008	2008	2023	None	Merged 2023 with Balwyn-Greythorn
Greythorn	Falcons	Balwyn North	Greythorn Park		2001	2020	None	Merged 2020 with Balwayn
Montmorency	Magpies	Montmorency	Montmorency Park	1968	1997	2022	Montmorency - NFNL	NFNL
South Yarra	Lions	Balwyn North	Leigh Park	2015	2016	2021	South Yarra - SFNL	Folded 2022

Girls Football

Beginnings

The first girls division was introduced in the 2011 season as a 'Youth Girls' (under 18) division, which had a total of 10 teams participating.^[11] This division also included teams from other leagues that did not have any girls-only divisions.

In 2012 a girls under 12 division was formed, with 5 clubs fielding teams in the division. The 'Youth Girls' division grew to a total of 12 teams, up two from the year before.^[12] One year later, an under 14 girls division was formed to help bridge the gap between the Youth Girls and under 12 girls divisions. It had a total of 4 teams participating in its first year.^[13] The number of teams in these divisions nearly doubled in 2014, rising from 17 to 31.^[14]

Present

After only 10 teams in the first year of female-only teams in the Yarra Junior Football League, the total spiked to 122 female-only teams in 2019. There were 2810 female players in the league in 2019, which meant that female-players made up just over a quarter of all players in the league.^[15] There are now eight female divisions: Under 10 Girls, Under 11 Girls, Under 12 Girls, Under 13 Girls, Under 14 Girls, Under 15 Girls, Under 16 Girls and the Youth Girls.^[16]

Community

North East Link Controversy

The Yarra Junior Football League community rallied against the controversial North East Link project, due to the removal of their headquarters, which was in the path of the proposed road.^[17] The North East Link Authority proposed a new headquarters location at Ford Park, Ivanhoe, but met resistance from the league due to worries that Ford Park is too far away for many teams in the league.

Partnership with Collingwood

In early July 2020, it was announced that the Collingwood Football Club would enter a 'Major Community Partnership' with the Yarra Junior Football League. This partnership was formed as a part of an initiative to support grassroots football. Six main projects were announced as part of the partnership, including junior development programs to encourage participation in junior football, sport medical programs and research, fundraising events to raise money, support for talent pathways for junior players through to the elite levels, female football development programs and the development of projects to expand community facilities.^[18]

AFL Talent

The Yarra Junior Football League has been home to many players who went on to play in the AFL.^[19] Players who played in the Yarra Junior Football League who made it to the AFL are listed by club below:

Adelaide Football Club

Brisbane Lions Football Club

Toby Wooller

Carlton Football Club

Collingwood Football Club

Essendon Football Club

Gold Coast Football Club

Greater Western Sydney Football Club

Hawthorn Football Club

Melbourne Football Club

North Melbourne Football Club

Port Adelaide Football Club

Richmond Football Club

St Kilda Football Club

Sydney Swans Football Club

West Coast Football Club

Western Bulldogs Football Club

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References

↑ "Yarra Junior Football League confirms 2020 season start". Herald Sun. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
↑ Colangelo, Anthony (27 May 2020). "Australia's biggest junior footy competition to resume in mid-July". The Age. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
↑ "To infinity and beyond…" . Retrieved 17 June 2020.
↑ "YJFL Member Clubs" . Retrieved 13 June 2020.
↑ "Fixtures YJFL" . Retrieved 13 June 2020.
↑ "Yarra Junior Football League - About" . Retrieved 20 June 2020.
↑ "YJFL Annual Report 2016" (PDF). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
↑ "YJFL Annual Report 2019" (PDF). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
↑ Kennedy, Joel (24 May 2011). "Colts at gallop". Herald Sun. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
↑ "Message From The Presidents - Balwyn and Greythorn" (PDF). Retrieved 20 June 2020.
↑ "Annual YJFL Report 2011" (PDF). Retrieved 20 June 2020.
↑ "2012 YJFL Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved 20 June 2020.
↑ "YJFL Annual Report 2013" (PDF). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
↑ "2014 YJFL Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
↑ "YJFL Annual Report 2019" (PDF). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
↑ "YJFL Girls Football- About" . Retrieved 21 June 2020.
↑ Colangelo, Anthony (30 October 2019). "Premier asked to step in to end footy league's North East Link dispute". The Age. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
↑ "Magpies support grassroots football". CollingwoodFC Media. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
↑ "YJFL Current AFL Players 2020" . Retrieved 3 July 2020.

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[1] "Yarra Junior Football League confirms 2020 season start". Herald Sun. Retrieved 17 June 2020.

[2] Colangelo, Anthony (27 May 2020). "Australia's biggest junior footy competition to resume in mid-July". The Age. Retrieved 17 June 2020.

[3] "To infinity and beyond…" . Retrieved 17 June 2020.

[4] "YJFL Member Clubs" . Retrieved 13 June 2020.

[5] "Fixtures YJFL" . Retrieved 13 June 2020.

[6] "Yarra Junior Football League - About" . Retrieved 20 June 2020.

[7] "YJFL Annual Report 2016" (PDF). Retrieved 21 June 2020.

[8] "YJFL Annual Report 2019" (PDF). Retrieved 21 June 2020.

[9] Kennedy, Joel (24 May 2011). "Colts at gallop". Herald Sun. Retrieved 20 June 2020.

[10] "Message From The Presidents - Balwyn and Greythorn" (PDF). Retrieved 20 June 2020.

[11] "Annual YJFL Report 2011" (PDF). Retrieved 20 June 2020.

[12] "2012 YJFL Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved 20 June 2020.

[13] "YJFL Annual Report 2013" (PDF). Retrieved 21 June 2020.

[14] "2014 YJFL Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved 21 June 2020.

[15] "YJFL Annual Report 2019" (PDF). Retrieved 21 June 2020.

[16] "YJFL Girls Football- About" . Retrieved 21 June 2020.

[17] Colangelo, Anthony (30 October 2019). "Premier asked to step in to end footy league's North East Link dispute". The Age. Retrieved 21 June 2020.

[18] "Magpies support grassroots football". CollingwoodFC Media. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.

[19] "YJFL Current AFL Players 2020" . Retrieved 3 July 2020.

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v t e Australian rules football in Victoria
Representative side	Victoria
Governing bodies	AFL Victoria (metropolitan) AFL Victoria Country (regional)
Professional clubs	Carlton Collingwood Essendon Geelong Hawthorn Melbourne North Melbourne Richmond St Kilda Western Bulldogs
Statewide leagues	Victorian Football League Talent League (under-19) List of Australian rules football competitions in Victoria
Metropolitan leagues	Eastern Essendon District Northern Riddell District Southern VAFA Western Region
Regional leagues (major)	Ballarat Bellarine Bendigo Central Murray Geelong Gippsland Goulburn Valley Hampden Mornington Peninsula Nepean Murray North Central Outer East Ovens & Murray Sunraysia Wimmera
Regional leagues (district)	Central Highlands Colac East Gippsland Ellinbank Geelong & District Golden Rivers Heathcote Horsham Kyabram Loddon Valley Maryborough Castlemaine Mid Gippsland Millewa Mininera North Gippsland Omeo Ovens & King Picola South West Tallangatta Upper Murray Warrnambool West Gippsland
Women's leagues	Victorian Women's Football League (1981–2016) VFL Women's (2016–present) South Eastern Women's Football (2017–2023) Talent League Girls AFL Victoria Youth Girls Competition Barwon N E Border Female FL
Other leagues	Victorian Blind Football League Yarra Junior Football League
Defunct leagues	Alberton (1945–2019) Ararat (1931-1999) Benalla (1946–2009) Benalla Tungamah/Central Goulburn (1938-2005) Central Goulburn Valley (1946-1952) Federal DFA (1897-1902) Federal FL (1909–1981) Goulburn Valley FA (1888-1931) Heytesbury Mount Noorat (1992-2002) Lexton Plains (1999–2010) Mallee (1997–2015) Northern Mallee (1979–1996) Riviera (1986–2003) South East (2015–2018) Southern Mallee (1932–1996) Tyrrell (1945–1978) VJFA (1883–1932) Walhalla (1888-1913) Yarra Valley Mountain (1966–2018) List of former Australian rules football competitions in Victoria
Principal venues	Melbourne Cricket Ground Docklands Stadium Princes Park Kardinia Park
Other articles	History (1859–1900)