AFL Victoria Country 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 ...

governing body with jurisdiction over the state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

outside metropolitan

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

on behalf of

AFL Victoria AFL Victoria (formerly Football Victoria) is the state-level sport governing body for Australian rules football in the state of Victoria, Australia. Under the organisation's jurisdiction fall 115 leagues — including the Victorian Football Le ...

. As well as administering and promoting the code in the regions, it often arbitrates disputes in areas such as player clearances and club movements between country leagues, and may also be called upon as a higher authority of appeal. The organisation was formed as a result of a merger between Victorian Country Football League (VCFL) and AFL Victoria in November 2012. The then-VCFL aired telecasts beginning in 2010 on

C31 Melbourne C31 Melbourne is a free-to-air community television channel in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its name is derived from UHF 31, the frequency and channel number reserved for analogue television, analogue broadcasts by metropolitan community tele ...

, along with

Geelong Football League The Geelong Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball league in Victoria, Australia. It is widely regarded as the highest standard Australian rules football league in regional Victoria, with several former AFL players n ...

and

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

. The women's netball coverage also was broadcast on community TV in 2010.

Victorian Country Championships

The VCFL originally organised the interleague Victorian Country Football Championships back in 1954. In 1958, the VCFL initiated the Centenary Championships, to mark the 100th anniversary of the inception of Australian Rules football. The 15 major leagues of Victoria and southern NSW were divided into four districts, with each pool conducting a championships. Caltex had the naming rights of the Victorian Country Championships matches in the 1960's. The 16 league series would run over a two year period, with knock out matches in the first season, followed by semi finals and a grand final in the following season. The Country Championship were discontinued from 1975 before being re-established in 1978. From 2004 to 2006 the championships were decided at a carnival round-robin competition at one venue over a single weekend, with each of the four sides playing the others in matches of two twenty-minute halves. The team on top of the ladder, based on points (4 for a win, 2 for a draw) and then percentage (points scored over points conceded) after these three matches, were declared the winner. Leagues not represented in the top four pools of four participated in other interleague matches organised by the VCFL. In 2007, there was no statewide VCFL Championships, just a rivalry round was played between close by leagues, (with the O&MFL playing the GVFL), with the round robin format returning in 2008. In 2009, the championships reverted to head-to-head full matches on a rankings scale per year. The Ash - Wilson Trophy was formed in 2001 and is only for matches involving 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 ...

and the

Ovens & Murray Football League The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray are ...

, In honour of former players, Stephen Ash and Mick Wilson. VCFL - Division 1 Champions *1954: Ovens & Murray FL d Bendigo FL at Ballarat *1955: Ovens & Murray FL d Ballarat FL at Albury *1956: Ballarat FL d Ovens & Murray FL at Bendigo *1957: Ovens & Murray FL d Ballarat FL at Albury *1958: ? *1959: ? *1960: ? *1961/62: Bendigo FL d Wimmera FL at Horsham *1963/64: South Western DFL (Riverina) d Hampden FL at Narrandera *1965/66: Hampden FL d Ovens & Murray FL at Wangaratta *1967/68: Ovens & Murray FL d Wimmera FL at Horsham *1969/70: Hampden FL d Ovens & Murray FL *1971/72: Bendigo FL d Murray FL at Cobram *1973/74: North Central FL d Hampden FL *1975: VCFL Country Championships discontinued in 1975. Re-established in 1978. *1976: N/A *1977: N/A *1978: Goulburn Valley FL d Hampden FL at Colac. *1979: Latrobe Valley FL d Bendigo FL at Bendigo *1980: Latrobe Valley FL d Ovens & Murray FL at Sale *1981: Ballarat FL *1982: Ballarat FL d Ovens & Murray FL *1983: Ballarat FL *1984: Goulburn Valley FL d Geelong FL *1985: Ovens & Murray FL d Ballarat FL at Wangaratta *1986: Ballarat FL *1987: Ovens & Murray FL d Sunraysia FL at Mildura *1988: Geelong FL d Bendigo FL at Geelong *1989: Bendigo FL d Geelong FL at Bendigo *1990: Latrobe Valley FL d Bendigo FL at Sale *1991: Hampden FL d Geelong FL *1992: Geelong FL d LaTrobe FL at Geelong *1993: Geelong FL d Bendigo FL at Bendigo *1994: Goulburn Valley FL d ? *1995: Gippsland Latrobe FL d Mid Murray FL at Swan Hill *1996: Ovens & Murray FL d Geelong FL at Wodonga *1997: Ovens & Murray FL d Geelong FL at Geelong *1998: Ovens & Murray FL d Geelong FL at Wodonga *1999: Ovens & Murray FL d Gippsland LaTrobe FL at Moe *2000: Geelong FL d Gippsland Latrobe FL at Geelong *2001: Ovens & Murray FL d Goulburn Valley FL at Lavington, NSW *2002: Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL d Hampden FL *2003: Geelong FL d Goulburn Valley FL at Shepparton *2004: 1st: Geelong FL at Shepparton *2005: 1st: Goulburn Valley FL at

Kardinia Park Kardinia Park is a major public park located in South Geelong, Victoria. A number of public and sporting facilities are located in the park: a major AFL stadium, a secondary football oval, a cricket field, an open air swimming pool, a number of ...

, Geelong *2006: 1st: Ovens & Murray FL at

Lavington Sports Ground Lavington Sports Ground (known as "Lavington Panthers Oval" between 2001 and 2009) is a sports ground located in the suburb of Hamilton Valley near Lavington on the north-west fringe of the city of Albury, Australia. The oval is nestled in ...

NSW ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

*2007: No VCFL Championships in 2007. A rivalry round was played. *2008: 1st: Ovens & Murray FL at Shepparton *2009: Ovens & Murray defeated Goulburn Valley FL at Shepparton *2010: Goulburn Valley FL defeated Ovens & Murray FL at Lavington *2011: Goulburn Valley FL defeated Ballarat FL at Shepparton *2012: Goulburn Valley FL defeated Mornington Peninsula FL at Shepparton *2013: Geelong FL defeated Goulburn Valley FL at Geelong *2014: Geelong FL defeated Peninsula FL at Geelong *2015: Geelong FL defeated Goulburn Valley FL at Shepparton *2016: Geelong FL defeated Eastern FL at Geelong *2017: Geelong FL defeated Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL at MCG, Jolimont *2018: Eastern FL defeated Geelong FL at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne *2019: Northern FL d Geelong FL at KFC Oval, Geelong ;Most Division 1 Country Championship wins / Runners Up *Country Championships: Division 2 *1985 - Western Border FL *1986 - Sunraysia FL *1987 - Western Border FL *1988 - Wimmera FL *1989 - Hampden FL *1990 - Riverina FL d North Central *1991 - Ballarat FL *1992 - Mid Murray FL *1993 - Hampden FL *1994 - Ovens & Murray FL d North Central FL *1995 - Ballarat FL *1996 - Murray FL *1997 - Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL *1998 - Western Border FL *1999 - West Gippsland FL *2000 - Bendigo FL *2001 - Ballarat FL d Central Murray FL *2002 - Bendigo FL d Central Murray FL *2003 - Ballarat FL d Central Murray FL *2004 - Ballarat FL *2005 - West Gippsland LaTrobe FL *2006 - Hampden FL *Country Championships: Division 3 *1994 - Bellarine FL *1995 - Riddell FL *2004 - Wimmera FL *2005 - Bellarine FL *2006 - Bendigo FL *Country Championships: Division 4 / Pool D *2004 - Bellarine FL *2005 - Murray FL *2006 - Sunraysia FL

Representative Sides

On occasion, a Victoria Country representative side may be selected to play in one-off fixtures against other representative teams such as interstate counterparts or the

Victorian Amateur Football Association The Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) is the largest senior community Australian rules football competition in Victoria. It consists of seven senior men's and women's divisions ranging from Premier to Division 4. In addition there ...

, as well as the Australian Country Football Championships. VCFL v VAFA matches *1984: VAFA: 15.10 - 100 d VCFL: 11.15 - 81 at the QE Oval, Bendigo *1985: VCFL: 18.9 - 117 d VAFA: 7.15 - 57 at Mildura Oval *1987: VCFL: 18.11 - 119 v VAFA: 7.13 - 55 at Lavington, NSW. 21/06/87 *1993: VAFA: 13.14 - 92 d VCFL: 13.12 - 90 at Elsternwick Park Oval *1995: VAFA: 11.12 - 78 d VCFL: 10.10 - 70 at Morwell *1997: VCFL: 23.16 - 154 d VAFA: 8.9 - 57 at Elsternwick Park Oval *1999: VCFL: 19.14 - 128 d VAFA: 13.12 - 90 at Shell Stadium, Geelong *2001: VAFA: 23.14 - 152 d VCFL: 14.8 - 92 at Elsternwick Park *2003: VAFA: 14.11 - 95 d VCFL: 10.9 - 69 at Barooga, NSW *2005: VCFL: 13.13 - 91 d VAFA: 8.14 - 62 at Elsternwick Park *2007: VCFL: 11.11 - 77 d VAFA: 11.10 - 76 at Eastern Oval, Ballarat *2009: VCFL: 17.8 - 110 d VAFA: 15.16 - 106 at Junction Oval, St. Kilda *2011: VAFA: 13.14 - 92 d VCFL: 13.8 - 86 at Deakin Reserve, Shepparton *2013: VAFA: 11.16 - 82 d AFL Victorian Country: 11.13 - 79 at Junction Oval, St. Kilda *2015: AFL Victorian Country: 17.15 - 117 d VAFA: 8.7 - 55 at QE Oval, Bendigo *2017: VAFA: 24.8 - 152 d AFL Victorian Country: 10.10 - 70 at Frankston City Oval *2019: AFL Victorian Country: 11.15 - 81 d VAFA: 9.10 - 64 at Ikon (Princes) Park, Carlton *2021: No rep football due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

*2023: ? VCFL v VFA *1992: VFA: 32.7 - 199 d VCFL: 15.7 - 97. At the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...

. 26th May, 1992.

Affiliated Boards & Leagues

Note:http://www.aflvic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Review_of_Country_Football_Report_Master_FINAL1.pdf Page 12 "Major Leagues" are shown in "Bold" / ''"District Leagues" are shown in "Italic"''.

Ballarat

Ballarat Football League The Ballarat Football League (BFL) is an Australian rules football competition that operates in the Ballarat region of Victoria, Australia. The competition formed in 1893 as the Ballarat Football Association and was renamed Ballarat Football ...

(Est. 1893) * ''

Central Highlands Football League The Central Highlands Football League is an Australian Rules Football League in the Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, B ...

(Est. 1979)''

Bendigo

Bendigo Football League The Bendigo Football Netball League (previously known as the Sandhurst Football Association, Bendigo and District Football Association, Bendigo Football Association and Bendigo Football League) is an Australian rules football and netball compe ...

(Est. 1880) * ''

Heathcote District Football League The Heathcote District Football League (HDFL) is an Australian rules football league based in the Heathcote region and major Bendigo area with clubs based in the regions of City of Greater Bendigo, Shire of Campaspe, and Shire of Gannawarra ...

(Est. 1907)'' * ''

Loddon Valley Football League The Loddon Valley Football Netball League is an Australian rules football league based in Central Victoria. History The league was formed in 1903 by the Inglewood, Bridgewater, Newbridge and Arnold’s Bridge clubs. Inglewood and Bridgewater ...

(Est. 1903)'' * ''

Maryborough Castlemaine District Football League The Maryborough Castlemaine District Football Netball League is an Australian rules football league based in central Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, Brit ...

(Est. 1907)''

Central Murray and North Central

Central Murray Football League The Central Murray Football Netball League (CMFNL) is a major country Australian rules football and netball competition based in northern Victoria and southwest New South Wales in Australia. History The league was formed in 1997, combining all e ...

(Est. 1997) * ''

Golden Rivers Football League The Golden Rivers Football Netball League (GRFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball organisation with clubs in north central Victoria and the western Riverina district of New South Wales. The League formed in 1919 and was known as th ...

(Est. 1919)'' *

North Central Football League The North Central Football League is an Australian rules football league based in North Central Victoria, Australia. The League was formed in 1930. Previous leagues in the area were the Birchip Football Association (as it was last called until i ...

(Est. 1930)

East Gippsland

* ''

East Gippsland Football League The East Gippsland Football League is an Australian rules football League in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. History The East Gippsland FL in its present incarnation began in 1974 with the merger of the Gippsland Football Leag ...

(Est. 1974)'' * ''

Mid Gippsland Football League The Mid Gippsland Football League is an Australian rules football and netball league in the Latrobe Valley and South Gippsland regions of Victoria, Australia. History The Mid Gippsland Football League (MGFL) was founded in April, 1935. The MG ...

(Est. 1935)'' * ''

North Gippsland Football League The North Gippsland Football League (NGFL) is an Australian rules football league in the Central Gippsland area of Victoria, Australia. History The NGFL was formed in 1955 through the merger of the Cowwarr Football League and the Sale Distric ...

(Est. 1955)'' * ''

Omeo & District Football League The Omeo and District Football League (ODFL) is an Australian rules football League based on the Omeo Region of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. The ODFL has existed in some form since 1893, and operates under the auspices of the Victoria ...

(Est. 1893)''

Geelong

Bellarine Football League The Bellarine Football Netball League (BFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition based in the Bellarine Peninsula region of Victoria, Australia. Established in 1971 as the Bellarine & District Football League, the competition ...

(Est. 1971) *

(Est. 1979) * ''

(Est. 1879)''

Goulburn Murray

(Est. 1894) * ''

Kyabram & District Football League The Kyabram District Football League (KDL) is an Australian rules football league in Victoria. It is made up of 15 teams; the most recent additions include Dookie United in 2018 and Shepparton East in 2019. The KDL is made up of smaller country ...

(Est. 1932)'' *

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 ...

(Est. 1931) * ''

Picola & District Football League The Picola & District Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball league affiliated with the AFL Victoria Country. The league covers a large area of northern Victoria, Australia, Victoria and southern New South Wales f ...

(Est. 1934)''

Hampden

* ''

Colac & District Football League The Colac & District Football Netball League (CDFNL) is a minor country football league based in the South West of Victoria in the city of Colac. The CDFNL has 10 clubs, all located in the Colac Otway Shire, with the exception of Lorne, whic ...

(Est. 1937)'' *

Hampden Football Netball League The Hampden Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball league based in South-Western Victoria, with clubs located in towns along or near the Princes Highway from Camperdown to Portland. The league is a major countr ...

(Est. 1930) * ''

Warrnambool District Football League Warrnambool District Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the region of rural of Warrnambool, Victoria, Warrnambool. It is an eleven team competition starting in April and finishing in September. The league was ...

(Est. 1946)''

Latrobe Valley

* '' Alberton Football Netball League (Est. 1946)'' * ''

Ellinbank & District Football League The Ellinbank and District Football League is an Australian rules football and Netball League, based in the West Gippsland region of Victoria for smaller towns and villages in the regions of Baw Baw, South Gippsland and Cardinia. There are 11 ...

(Est. 1937)'' *

Gippsland Football League The Gippsland League (formerly known as the West Gippsland Latrobe Football League) is an Australian rules football and netball league in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is considered the only AFL Victoria major league in Gippsla ...

(Est. 1902)

North East Border

* ''

Ovens & King Football League The Ovens & King Football Netball League is a minor country Australian rules football league based in North-Eastern Victoria in the vicinity of Wangaratta and more recently Benalla. History The ''Ovens & King Football League'' was formed on ...

(Est. 1903)'' *

(Est. 1893) * ''

Tallangatta & District Football League The Tallangatta and District Football League (TDFL) is an Australian rules football competition in north-east Victoria and the southern border area of Riverina region of the New South Wales. The clubs compete across four competitions, two of ...

(Est. 1945)'' * ''

Upper Murray Football Netball League The Upper Murray Football Netball League ''(UMFNL)'' is an Australian rules football, Australian Rules Football and Netball competition based in the rural town of Corryong, Victoria, Corryong, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The leagu ...

(Est. 1893)'' ** AFLNEB Youth Girls League (Est. 2014) ** Albury Wodonga Junior Football League (Est. ?) ** Wangaratta & District Junior Football League (Est. 1938)

South East

Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League The Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League (abbreviated "MPNFL") is an Australian rules football competition, governed by the AFL South East. The MPNFL contains teams near the south eastern region of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. At the ...

(Est. 1987) *

Yarra Valley Mountain District Football and Netball League The AFL Yarra Ranges was an Australian rules football and netball organisation based in the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges within Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The organisation operated the Yarra Ranges Senior Football league and the Yarra ...

(Est. 1966)

South West

* ''

Mininera & District Football League The Mininera & District Football League is based in South-western Victoria, with clubs located east of Hamilton, south of Ararat and west of Colac. The league absorbed several teams from the defunct Ararat & District Football Association in 20 ...

(Est. 1925)'' * ''

South West District Football League The South West District Football League is an Australian rules football league based in South-western Victoria (Australia), Victoria, with clubs located in the vicinity of Hamilton, Victoria, Hamilton, Heywood, Victoria, Heywood and Portland, Vict ...

(Est. 1970)'' *

Western Border Football League The Western Border Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Lower South East region of South Australia, and south-western border region of Victoria. It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Foo ...

(Est. 1964)''

Sunraysia

* ''

Millewa Football League The Millewa Football League is an Australian rules football league with teams based in north-western Victoria, Australia, Victoria and south-western New South Wales, Australia. The clubs are mostly based within the same area as the clubs in the ...

(Est. 1926)'' *

Sunraysia Football League The Sunraysia Football and Netball League, also known simply as the SFNL is an Australian rules league in the Sunraysia district of north-west Victoria and south-west New South Wales. Nine clubs – Mildura, South Mildura, Imperials, Irymple, Re ...

(Est. 1945)

Wimmera

* ''

Horsham & District Football League The Horsham & District Football League is an amateur Australian rules football league based in the Wimmera area of Western Victoria. History The league in its present form was created in 1946. Prior to World War 2 a number of local leagues ex ...

(Est. 1937)'' * ''

Mallee Football League The Mallee Football League (MFL) was an Australian rules football competition in South Australia. The league comprised teams located in south eastern South Australia and one team (Murrayville) located in western Victoria (Australia), Victoria. ...

(Est. 1997)'' *

Wimmera Football League The Wimmera Football League is a major Australian rules country league based in Western Victoria, with clubs located in towns in the Wimmera region: the regional centres along the Western Highway from Ararat to Nhill as well as Minyip-Murtoa ...

(Est. 1937)

References

External links

Official AFL Victoria Country website
VCFL History {{Aussie Rules in Victoria Australian rules football governing bodies Australian rules football in Victoria (Australia)