The Goulburn Valley Football Association (GVFA) is an
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
competition that was first established in 1888 in the
Goulburn Valley
The Goulburn Valley is a sub-region, part of the Hume region of the Australian state of Victoria. The sub-region consists of those areas in the catchment of the Goulburn River and other nearby streams, and is part of the Murray-Darling Basin. T ...
of
Victoria, Australia
Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in Au ...
, with the foundation clubs being Cobram, Muckatah, Nathalia, Numurkah, Wunghnu and Yarroweyah.
This football competition was separate to the
Goulburn Valley District Football Association that was formed in 1893, that is still active today and now called the
Goulburn Valley Football League
The Goulburn Valley Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball competition based in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia. It is a member of the Victorian Country Football League and has won the Victorian Co ...
.
History
The original GVFA was a football association that catered for the smaller rural towns of the Goulburn Valley region until 1931, when it was superseded by the
Murray Football League
The Murray Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball league affiliated with the Victorian Country Football League. The league covers a large area of northern Victoria and southern New South Wales from Shepparton in the ...
when it was first established in 1931.
There was another Goulburn Valley Football Association, in 1890 and 1891, comprising the following teams – Baldwinsville, Mooroopna, Shepparton, Tatura and Undera, with Mooroopna winning the title in 1890 and Undera defeating Mooroopna to win the 1891 – Elder's Hotel (Undera) Medals.
Between 1901 and 1906,
Drumanure Football Club won six consecutive premierships.
In 1911,
Muckatah went through the season undefeated when the Muckatah Bombers defeated Numurkah in the grand final on "the pretty tree embowered Drumanure ground" and Muckatah player, George Grant had the distinction of playing in three premiership teams in 1911, with
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their A ...
VFA team,
Tocumwal
Tocumwal ( ) is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Berrigan Shire local government area, near the Victorian border. The town is situated on the banks of the Murray River, north of the city of Melbourne ...
and Muckatah!
In 1911, a Goulburn Valley Junior Football Association was established with the following clubs competing – Boomanoomana, Burramine South, Cobram, Katamatite and Muckatah.
Between 1904 and 1920, the GVFA comprised enough teams to divide it into two divisions (North and South) to minimise travel for clubs to away matches, which was a big issue around 1900. At its peak the GVFA comprised 14 teams in 1906.
The GVFA went into recess from 1916 to 1918 due to World War I.
In 1932, an attempt was made to revive the GVFA, but a lack of interest from clubs meant the association permanently closed down.
Goulburn Valley Second Eighteens Football Association (1926–1936) and renaming
The
Goulburn Valley Second Eighteens Football Association
The Goulburn Valley Football Association (GVFA) is an Australian rules football competition that was first established in 1888 in the Goulburn Valley of Victoria, Australia, with the foundation clubs being Cobram, Muckatah, Nathalia, Numurkah ...
(GVSEFA) superseded the Ardmona Central Junior Football Association, and was established in 1926 from the following
Goulburn Valley
The Goulburn Valley is a sub-region, part of the Hume region of the Australian state of Victoria. The sub-region consists of those areas in the catchment of the Goulburn River and other nearby streams, and is part of the Murray-Darling Basin. T ...
clubs – Ardmona, Dookie, Mooroopna, Shepparton East and Undera, with Mr Brophy as president and Mr J Pearson as secretary as the initial office bearers.
This competition ran for eleven seasons, from 1926 to 1936 and was a completely separate competition to the Goulburn Valley Football Association.
Sir John Gladstone Black McDonald, who would later become the 37th
Premier of Victoria
The premier of Victoria is the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Victorian Legislative Assembly ...
, was President of the GVSEFA from 1927 to 1933.
The GVSEFA was a Saturday afternoon competition, while the
Goulburn Valley Football League
The Goulburn Valley Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball competition based in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia. It is a member of the Victorian Country Football League and has won the Victorian Co ...
was a Wednesday afternoon competition.
At the AGM of the GVSEFA in 1937 it was proposed to change the name of the association to just the Goulburn Valley Football Association and this was approved at the next delegates meeting in March, where it was also agreed to retain the junior status of the competition in favour of a senior football competition. 1937.
During this era, the "new" GVFA was played on Saturdays and the
Goulburn Valley Football League
The Goulburn Valley Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball competition based in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia. It is a member of the Victorian Country Football League and has won the Victorian Co ...
was played on Wednesdays, with the new GVFA a more Shepparton based competition, with the grand final being played on the Shepparton Recreation Reserve (now
Deakin Reserve
Deakin Reserve is a cricket ground in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia. The first recorded match held on the ground came in 1962 when Victoria Country played the Marylebone Cricket Club. A Youth Test match was held in December 1986 when Austra ...
) each year.
In 1940, Shepparton Imperials' committee decide to drop the "Imperials" from its name and would be known as just the
Shepparton Football Club
The Shepparton Football Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Bears'', is an Australian rules football and netball club in the Goulburn Valley Football League. The Shepparton Bears, a local football team, play their home games at Deakin Reserve, Shep ...
.
The GVFA went into recess between 1942 and 1944 due to World War II. During the late stages of World War II, the GVFA was revived in 1945, with the following teams competing – Ardmona, Dookie, Dookie College, Katandra, Mooroopna, Shepparton, Shepparton East, SPC and Tatura. Sheppparton East defeated SPC in the grand final and
John McLeish
John McLeish (19 December 1926 – 10 December 2005) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL). McLeish's father, Maurie, played VFL football for St Kilda.
After a season and a ha ...
from Dookie College won the 1945 – GVFA Best and Fairest /
Shepparton Advertiser
Shepparton () ( Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Shepparton, ...
Trophy.
The GVFA changed its name to the
Central Goulburn Valley Football League
The Central Goulburn Valley Football League (CGVFL) was established on Monday, 11 March 1946 at the Annual General Meeting of the Goulburn Valley Football Association, when a name change of this Australian rules football competition took place.
Hi ...
at the 1946 GVFA – AGM, when the
Goulburn Valley Football League
The Goulburn Valley Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball competition based in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia. It is a member of the Victorian Country Football League and has won the Victorian Co ...
was re-established in 1946.
The
Central Goulburn Valley Football League
The Central Goulburn Valley Football League (CGVFL) was established on Monday, 11 March 1946 at the Annual General Meeting of the Goulburn Valley Football Association, when a name change of this Australian rules football competition took place.
Hi ...
officially went into recess at their AGM, in March, 1953, but was never reformed.
Former GVFA Clubs:1888 to 1930
Participating Football Clubs in the GVSEFA (1926–1936)
The following clubs competed in the GVSEFA in the following years –
*
Ardmona: 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 & 1936 (11). Joined the Goulburn Valley Football Association in 1937.
*Benbatha: 1928, 1929, 1930 (3)
*Cosgrove: 1927, 1928, 1929 (3)
*
Dookie
''Dookie'' is the third studio album and the major label debut by American rock band Green Day, released on February 1, 1994, by Reprise Records. The band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo, it was recorded in late 1993 at Fantasy ...
: 1926 (1). Joined the
Dookie Football Association
''Dookie'' is the third studio album and the major label debut by American rock band Green Day, released on February 1, 1994, by Reprise Records. The band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo, it was recorded in late 1993 at Fantas ...
in 1927.
*
Dookie College: 1927, 1928 (2). Did not play any competition football until 1939, when they joined the
Tatong Thoona Football League.
*
Dookie / Cosgrove: 1930 (1). Both club's joined the
Katandra Football Association in 1931, as separate clubs.
*
Katandra: 1936 (1). Joined the Goulburn Valley Football Association in 1937.
*Lemnos: 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 & 1936 (9). Joined the Goulburn Valley Football Association in 1937.
*
Mooroopna
Mooroopna is a rural town located north of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the banks of the Goulburn River opposite the larger town of Shepparton. The Midland Highway crosses the river between the two towns. At the 2016 census, Moor ...
: 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 & 1936 (11). Joined the Goulburn Valley Football Association in 1937.
*
Shepparton East: 1926 (1). Club went into recess in 1927.
*Shepparton Imperials: 1927, 1928, 1929, (1930 – GVFA), 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 & 1936 (9). Joined the Goulburn Valley Football Association in 1937.
*Tallygaroopna: 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 & 1936 (7). Joined the Goulburn Valley Football Association in 1937.
*Tatura: 1933, 1934, 1935 (3)
*Toolamba: 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 & 1936 (6). Joined the Goulburn Valley Football Association in 1937.
*
Undera
Undera is a town in the Goulburn Valley region of northern Victoria, Australia. The town in the City of Greater Shepparton local government area, north of the state capital, Melbourne and north-west of the regional centre of Shepparton. At th ...
: 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 & 1936 (11). Joined the Goulburn Valley Football Association in 1937.
*Wunghnu: 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 (6). Joined the Goulburn Valley Football Association in 1937.
;Number of teams in the GVSEFA per year
*1926: 5
*1927: 6
*1928: 8
*1929: 7
*1930: 7
*1931: 8
*1932: 8
*1933: 9
*1934: 9
*1935: 9
*1936: 9
GVFA Clubs: 1937 to 1945
The following clubs participated in the GFVA between 1937 and 1945. The GVFA was in recess between 1942 & 1944, due to World War II.
GVFA Grand Final Results
References
{{Reflist
Defunct Australian rules football competitions in Victoria (Australia)