The VFL Development League, officially known as the AFL Victoria Development League and formerly known as the VFL reserves, VFA seconds/reserves and VFA Second Eighteens, was an Australian rules football competition that operated as a second-tier competition to the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(originally known as the

Victorian Football Association The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

) from 1928 until 2017.

History

The VFA Second Eighteens emerged from the Victorian Junior Football Association, the first successful junior football competition in Melbourne which was founded in 1883. Although formally operating as the VFA's reserves competition starting in 1928, the VJFA name was retained until the end of the 1932 season. Coinciding with the seniors VFA competition, a second reserves division was established in

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

. Clubs played in the same division as their senior teams, until the separate divisions were abolished for both grades at the end of

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

. From its inception until 1979, the seconds team played on Saturday afternoons, playing at home when the senior team played away and vice versa. Starting in 1980, seconds matches were played as curtain-raisers to senior matches, on Saturdays or Sundays as necessary. The competition was later renamed the VFA reserves (becoming the VFL reserves when the competition changed its name in 1996), and then from the beginning of the 2012 season it became the VFL Development League, a move that coincided with the introduction of the AFL Victoria Development Academy which provides development opportunities for up to 25 selected VFL players per year. Fielding a team in the reserves competition was mandatory for all senior VFA teams for most of the competition's history. Since the changes to the VFL in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, all AFL clubs fielding their reserves teams in the VFL seniors opted not to contest the minor grade. Several regional clubs were unable to sustain teams, with and North Ballarat leaving the competition at the end of the 2009 and

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seasons respectively. The Development League was abolished after the 2017 season.

Clubs

Eight different clubs competed in the VFL Development League's final season. They were Box Hill, Casey,

Coburg Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it ...

, Northern Blues,

Port Melbourne Port Melbourne is an inner-city List of Melbourne suburbs, suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cities of ...

, Sandringham,

Werribee Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham Local government areas of Victoria, local government a ...

and Williamstown.

Premiers

won the most reserves premierships, with a total of 18. The competition's final premiership was won by Casey.

References

{{reflist Australian rules football in Australia History of Australian rules football Australian rules football competitions in Victoria (state) 1928 establishments in Australia 2017 disestablishments in Australia Sports competitions in Melbourne Sports leagues established in 1928 Development League