The Yarra Junior Football League is the largest junior

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 ...

league in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. The league has a total of 32 clubs, who are based around northern, eastern and north-eastern

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 metro ...

. There is a total of 66 divisions throughout the league.

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. The league began with a total of 4628 registered players. They were spread out between 180 teams and 25 foundation clubs. 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 32 clubs, as per data gathered in 2019. 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 AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

. 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.

Clubs

Current

Former

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. 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. 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. The number of teams in these divisions nearly doubled in 2014, rising from 17 to 31.

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. 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.

Community

North East Link Controversy

The Yarra Junior Football League community rallied against the controversial

North East Link The North East Link is an under construction 26–kilometre tolled motorway scheme in Melbourne, Australia. Its stated objective is to connect the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough with the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen, where the freeway ...

project, due to the removal of their headquarters, which was in the path of the proposed road. The North East Link Authority proposed a new headquarters location at Ford Park,

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting ...

, 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 The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The 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.

AFL Talent

The Yarra Junior Football League has been home to many players who went on to play in the AFL. Players who played in the Yarra Junior Football League who made it to the

are listed by club below:

Adelaide Football Club The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since ...

* Jake Kelly * David Mackay *Ayce Taylor * Ben Crocker

Brisbane Lions Football Club The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL ...

*Toby Wooller

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Me ...

Marc Murphy Marc Murphy may refer to: * Marc Murphy (footballer) Marc Murphy (born 19 July 1987) is a retired Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited with the first over ...

Matthew Kreuzer Matthew Kreuzer (born 13 May 1989) is a retired professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was selected first overall pick in the 2007 AFL Draft. He announced hi ...

* Jack Silvagni *

Sam Philp Sam Philp (born 4 August 2001) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited by the Carlton Football Club with the 20th draft pick in the 2019 AFL draft. Ear ...

*Ben Silvagni * Marc Pittonet *

Jack Newnes Jack Newnes (6 June 1895 – 3 February 1969) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a half-back. He played amateur football while working as a collier and a steel worker prior to entering professional football with Bolton Wanderers ...

* Dylan Buckley

Tom Langdon Thomas Langdon (born 9 June 1994) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). State football Langdon played junior football with Prahran and with G ...

Jordan De Goey Jordan De Goey (born 15 March 1996) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). State football De Goey played his junior football with the Ashburton United ...

Darcy Moore Darcy Moore (born 25 January 1996) is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for the Collingwood Football Club. The son of former Collingwood captain Peter Moore, he played for the Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup before he was dr ...

* Tom Phillips * Brayden Sier * Rupert Wills * Callum Brown *

Josh Daicos Josh Daicos (born 26 November 1998) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Son of Peter Daicos, who played for Collingwood in the VFL/AFL, he played for th ...

* Tyler Brown *

Isaac Quaynor Isaac Quaynor (born 15 January 2000) is a professional Australian rules footballer with Ghanaian descent who plays for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Quaynor participated in the Auskick program ...

* Finlay Macrae * Trent Bianco *

Atu Bosenavulagi Atunaisa "Atu" Bosenavulagi (born 17 September 2000) is an Australian rules football, Australian rules footballer who plays for the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early football Bosenavulagi played junio ...

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 ...

* Michael Hurley * Patrick Ambrose * Kyle Langford *

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality ...

Tom Cutler Tom Cutler (born 8 November 1995) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Brisbane Lions between 2014 and 2019. Early life Cutle ...

Gold Coast Football Club The Gold Coast Suns is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club is based on Queensland's Gold Coast in the suburb of Carrara. The club has been playing in the AFL since the ...

* Matthew Rowell *

Noah Anderson Noah Anderson (born 17 February 2001) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Anderson was born in Melbourne to mother Fiona and father Dean Anderson (t ...

Greater Western Sydney Football Club The Greater Western Sydney Giants (officially the Greater Western Sydney Football Club and colloquially known as the GWS Giants or simply GWS) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Sydney Olympic Park, which represents the ...

Toby Greene Toby Greene (born 27 December 1993) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited by the Greater Western Sydney Giants with the 11th overa ...

* Aidan Corr

Hawthorn Football Club The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawt ...

* Blake Hardwick * Tom Mitchell

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria, and plays its home g ...

* Adam Tomlinson *

Jack Viney Jack Viney (born 13 April 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A midfielder, tall and weighing , Viney is capable of contributing as both an insid ...

* Christian Petracca *

Ed Langdon Ed Langdon (born 1 February 1996) is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Langdon participated in the Auskick program at Glen Iris, Victoria. He ...

North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Kangaroos also ...

* Jamie MacMillan * Luke McDonald *

Ed Vickers-Willis Ed Vickers-Willis (born 28 March 1996) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted by North Melbourne with their third selection and thirty-s ...

* Nick Larkey *

Dom Tyson Dom Tyson (born 8 June 1993) is a former professional Australian rules footballer playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). A midfielder, tall and weighing , Tyson is capable of contributing as both an inside and outside midfielder. H ...

Port Adelaide Football Club Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed ...

Darcy Byrne-Jones Darcy Byrne-Jones (born 20 September 1995) is an Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He attended Scotch College, Melbourne with fellow draftees Jack Bill ...

Dan Houston Daniel Houston (born 12 May 1997) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted by the Port Adelaide Football Club with their third selection and forty-fif ...

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football team playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Between its inception in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 1885 and 1907, the club competed in the Victo ...

* Jason Castagna * Kane Lambert *

Patrick Naish Patrick Naish (born 15 January 1999) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Box Hill Hawks Football Club, Box Hill Hawks in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Naish previously played for the West Coast Eagles and Richmond Footba ...

St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club's name originates ...

Jack Billings Jack Billings (born 18 August 1995) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Billings played TAC Cup with Oakleigh Chargers and played for Vic Metro in Under 18 Championshi ...

* Jack Sinclair * Dan Hannebery *

Nick Coffield Nicholas John Coffield (born 23 October 1999) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted by St Kilda with their second selection and eighth overall ...

Sydney Swans Football Club * Josh Kennedy *

James Rowbottom James Rowbottom (born 19 September 2000) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited by the Sydney Swans with the 25th draft pick in the 2018 AFL draft, 2 ...

* Justin McInerney West Coast Football Club *

Luke Shuey Luke Shuey (born 2 June 1990) is an Australian rules footballer and the captain of the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Shuey was recruited from the Oakleigh Chargers with pick 20 in the 2008 National Draft. After a ...

Andrew Gaff Andrew Gaff (born 16 June 1992) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He plays predominantly as a midfielder. Gaff was recruited from the Oakleigh Chargers with ...

Western Bulldogs Football Club * Jack Macrae * Billy Gowers * Ed Richards

References

{{Aussie Rules in Victoria Australian rules football clubs established in 1997 Australian rules football competitions in Victoria (Australia)