Warrnambool District Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the region of rural of Warrnambool. It is a ten team competition starting in April and finishing in September. The league was founded in 1946.^[1]

History

While the history of Warrnambool & District FL commenced in 1946 there were several other leagues that fulfilled the needs for senior age players before the WW2.

When the Warrnambool DFA merged with the Corangamite FA in 1924 to form the Western District FL it created a void for young footballers who were not able to play for the major town teams.

In 1924 they organised ward football, Warrnambool was divided into four wards, Albert, Merri, Hopkins and Victoria wards.this lasted four years before being replaced by Warrnambool City Association. In 1931 the Warrnambool Junior Football Association came into being and lasted until the hostilities of WW2

Clubs

Current

Club	Colours	Nickname	Home Ground	Former League	Est.	Joined	WDFL Premierships	Years
Allansford		Cats	Allansford Recreation Reserve, Allansford	–	1971	1971 (West End-Allansford until 2002)	7	1971, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1987
Dennington		Dogs	Dennington Recreation Reserve, Dennington	WCFA	1900s	1953	4	1966, 1982, 1988, 2015
Kolora Noorat		Power	Noorat Recreation Reserve, Noorat	–	2003	2003	5	2009, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2019
Merrivale		Tigers	Merrivale Recreation Reserve, Warrnambool	WCFA	1931	1946	7	1958, 1979, 1991, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2014
Nirranda		Blues	Nirranda Recreation Reserve, Nirranda	HFL	1900s	1992	5	1999, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2023
Old Collegians		Warriors	Davidson Oval, Warrnambool	–	1951	1951	8	1956, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1984, 1989, 1992
Panmure		Bulldogs	Panmure Recreation Reserve, Panmure	HMFNL	1919	1997	5	1997, 2001, 2002, 2012, 2013
Russells Creek		Kangaroos	Mack Oval, Warrnambool	–	1931	1946	9	1946, 1947, 1957, 1963, 1973, 1974, 1990, 1998, 2000
South Rovers		Lions	Walter Oval, Warrnambool	WDJFA	1919	1946	5	1975, 1985, 1986, 1993, 2007
Timboon		Demons	Timboon Recreation Reserve, Timboon	–	2002	2003	1	2008

Former

Club	Jumper	Nickname	Home Ground	Former League	Est.	Years in comp	WDFL Premierships	Premiership Years	Notes
Allansford (Original)		Cats	Allansford Recreation Reserve, Allansford	ADFA	1900s	1941–1945	0	-	Merged with West End in 1970 to form West End-Allansford
Bushfield			Bushfield Recreation Reserve, Bushfield	HFL	1900s	1959–1985	1	1977	Merged with Grassmere to form Northern Districts in 1986
Deakin University		Sharks	The Pond, Warrnambool DC Farran Oval, Mortlake	–	1977	1977–2016 (Known as W.I.A.E pre 1991)	0	-	Folded in 2017
East Warrnambool		Bombers	Reid Oval, Warrnambool	WCFA	1900s	1900s–2019	2	1967, 1995	Folded in 2020 due to COVID
Grassmere				HFL	1900s	1959–1985	3	1960, 1968, 1972	Merged with Bushfield to form Northern Districts in 1986
Koroit		Saints	Victoria Park, Koroit	PFFL	1886	1943-1945	2	1943, 1944	Returned to Port Fairy Football League in 1946
Northern Districts		Eagles	Bushfield Recreation Reserve, Bushfield	–	1986	1986–1997	1	1994	Moved to Hampden Football Netball League in 1997 under the name North Warrnambool
Tower Hill		Demons	Killarney Recreation Reserve, Killarney	PFFL	1919	1958–1983	2	1959, 1961	Folded in 1984
Wangoom				HFL	1919	1949	0	-	Folded in 1950s
West End				–	1920s	1943–1970	9	1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1962	Merged with Allansford to form West End-Allansford in 1971
Yambuk		Blues	Yambuk Recreation Reserve, Yambuk	SWDFNL	1920s	1981–1987	0	-	Folded in 1988

Founding

• West End (merged with Allansford in 1971)
• South Warrnambool Juniors (now known as South Rovers)
• Merrivale
• Russells Creek

Notable Players

Dave Hughes Old Collegians

Luke Thompson Timboon

Hugh McCluggage Allansford

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan East Warrnambool

Ben Cross East Warrnambool

Nick Bourke Kolora Norat

Premiers

• 1946 Russell Creek 9 6 60 def South Juniors 8 8 56
• 1947 Russell Creek 7 12 54 def West End 6 8 44
• 1948 West End 8 16 64 def South Rovers 6 12 48
• 1949 West End 10 4 64 def East Stars 4 12 36
• 1950 West End 10 12 72 def Merrivale 1 10 16
• 1951 West End 10 8 68 def Merrivale 7 9 51
• 1952 West End 8 5 53 def Merrivale 5 15 45
• 1953 West End 19 7 121 def Russell Creek 8 12 60
• 1954 West End 13 14 92 def Merrivale 6 18 54
• 1955 West End 7 8 50 def Old Collegians 4 13 37
• 1956 Old Collegians 13 16 94 def South Rovers 8 10 58
• 1957 Russell Creek 10 11 71 def South Rovers 6 2 38
• 1958 Merrivale 13 15 93 def Russell Creek 13 13 91
• 1959 Tower Hill 9 10 64 def Grassmere 3 3 21
• 1960 Grassmere 11 8 74 def South Rovers 9 7 61
• 1961 Tower Hill 5 12 42 def Old Collegians 3 5 23
• 1962 West End 7 10 52 def Old Collegians 6 9 45
• 1963 Russell Creek 9 14 68 def Old Collegians 3 7 25
• 1964 Old Collegians 7 13 55 def Russell Creek 6 11 47
• 1965 Old Collegians 8 11 59 def Bushfield 8 9 57
• 1966 Dennington 12 15 87 def Old Collegians 9 7 61
• 1967 East Warrnambool 10 12 72 def Old Collegians 10 7 67
• 1968 Grassmere 7 11 53 def Merrivale 7 8 50
• 1969 Old Collegians 9 6 60 def Merrivale 7 12 54
• 1970 Old Collegians 16 10 106 def Dennington 10 14 74
• 1971 WE Allansford 13 15 93 def Merrivale 12 18 90
• 1972 Grassmere 15 15 105 def Dennington 11 11 77
• 1973 Russell Creek 15 11 101 def Dennington 11 12 78
• 1974 Russell Creek 9 7 61 def Merrivale 5 9 39
• 1975 South Rovers 15 11 101 def Russell Creek 11 11 77
• 1976 WE Allansford 16 15 111 def East Warrnambool 12 10 82
• 1977 Bushfield 12 16 88 def East Warrnambool 9 6 60
• 1978 WE Allansford 16 14 110 def Dennington 8 14 62
• 1979 Merrivale 12 10 82 def WE Allansford 10 13 73
• 1980 WE Allansford 12 18 90 def Dennington 5 9 39
• 1981 WE Allansford 18 14 122 Defeated Dennington 13 15 93
• 1982 Dennington 19 14 128 def WE Allansford 16 15 111
• 1983 WE Allansford 21 19 145 def Dennington 9 7 61
• 1984 Old Collegians 14 11 95 def WE Allansford 8 13 61
• 1985 South Rovers 18 11 119 def WE Allansford 8 18 66
• 1986 South Rovers 14 12 96 def Dennington 4 5 29
• 1987 WE Allansford 16 12 108 def Old Collegians 13 9 87
• 1988 Dennington 10 14 74 def Old Collegians 6 8 44
• 1989 Old Collegians 19 18 132 def Dennington 8 11 59
• 1990 Russell Creek 12 11 83 def Institute 10 15 75
• 1991 Merrivale 16 16 112 def Old Collegians 14 9 93
• 1992 Old Collegians 8 9 57 def Northern Districts 3 10 28
• 1993 South Rovers 14 10 94 def Nirranda 8 16 64
• 1994 Northern Districts 19 16 130 def East Warrnambool 9 13 67
• 1995 East Warrnambool 33 10 208 def Merrivale 10 5 65
• 1996 Merrivale 24 20 164 def Russell Creek 16 6 102
• 1997 Panmure 16 8 104 def Merrivale 11 13 79
• 1998 Russell Creek 15 7 97 def Panmure 11 10 76
• 1999 Nirranda 10 7 67 def Russell Creek 5 5 35
• 2000 Russell Creek 10 8 68 def Deakin Uni 9 7 61
• 2001 Panmure 16 3 99 def Deakin Uni 11 11 77
• 2002 Panmure 11 8 74 def Merrivale 6 8 44
• 2003 Merrivale 19 7 121 def Russell Creek 17 8 110
• 2004 Russell Creek 22 12 144 def Allansford 4 12 36
• 2005 Russell Creek 19 13 127 def Old Collegians 14 12 96
• 2006 Merrivale 20 16 136 def Dennington 12 9 81
• 2007 South Rovers 19 10 124 def Timboon 17 16 118
• 2008 Timboon 18 12 120 def Kolora-Noorat 17 9 111
• 2009 Kolora-Noorat 12 11 83 def Timboon 5 3 33
• 2010 Kolora-Noorat 11 6 72 def Dennington 9 10 64
• 2011 Kolora-Noorat 15 12 102 def Old Collegians 12 15 87
• 2012 Panmure 9 4 58 def Kolora-Noorat 7 12 54
• 2013 Panmure 13 13 91 def Dennington 5 11 41
• 2014 Merrivale 11 9 75 def Panmure 6 12 66
• 2015 Dennington 12 15 87 def Merrivale 12 7 79
• 2016 Nirranda 6 9 46 def Old Collegians 5 8 38
• 2017 Kolora Noorat 17 7 109 def Old Collegians 8 7 55
• 2018 Nirranda 10 11 71 def Old Collegians 5 10 40 (3 GFs in a row)
• 2019 Kolora-Noorat 10 8 68 def Nirranda 3 14 32
• 2020 League in recess due to COVID19 pandemic
• 2022 Nirranda 16 22 118 def Panmure 4 7 31
• 2023 Nirranda 9 8 62 def Merrivale 6 5 41

Changing teams

1947

• East Stars
• Koroit Seconds (one season only)
• South Warrnambool Juniors become South Rovers

1949

• Wangoom (one season only)

1951

• YCW (renamed Old Collegians in 1953)

1953

• Dennington

1957

• Tower Hill joined from Port Fairy FL

1959

• Bushfield joined from Purnim FL
• Grassmere joined from Purnim FL

1965

• East Stars become East Warrnambool

1970

• West End and Allansford from (Purnim FL) merged to form West End Allansford

1977

• W.I.A.E. (Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education) joined

1981

• Yambuk joined

1984

• Tower Hill folded

1986

• Northern Districts created from (merger of Bushfield and Grassmere)

1988

• Yambuk folded

1992

• Nirranda
• W.I.A.E change name to Deakin University

1997

• Northern Districts joined the Hampden League as North Warrnambool
• Panmure

2003

• Timboon Demons
• Kolora-Noorat

2017

• Deakin University Folded

2019

• East Warrnambool went into recess

2021 Ladder

• Season incomplete and Finals cancelled due to State Government lockdown

2022 Ladder

2023 Ladder