Bass Valley Wonthaggi District Football League

The Bass Valley-Wonthaggi District Football League was formed from a merger of the Bass Valley Football Association and the Wonthaggi District Football League before the 1955 season. The founding clubs were Bass, Bena, Dalyston, East Wonthaggi, Glen Alvie, Inverloch, Korumburra Butter Factory, Loch, Nyora, Phillip Island and Shop Assistants. The early years of the competition were marked by change. After the inaugural season, the Butter Factory team disbanded and East Shops (later Wonthaggi Rovers) was formed by way of a merger of East Wonthaggi and Shop Assistants.^[1] Prior to the 1957 season Nyora were forced into recess due to their inability to field a reserve-grade side. Inverloch merged with Kongwak due to a lack of club officials^[2] and Bass merged with Kilcunda.^[3]

The BVWDFL entered a period of stability after the 1957 season. The league's numbers were boosted by the addition of Lang Lang from the West Gippsland Football League in 1967^[4] and Wonthaggi Blues from the South Gippsland Football League in 1969.^[5] The 1971 grand final between Wonthaggi Blues and Wonthaggi Rovers - the first grand final meeting between the two crosstown rivals - was drawn, with the Blues winning the replay.^[5]

Lang Lang returned to the West Gippsland FL in 1981, with Korumburra taking their place a few years later in 1984. An increasing gap between the larger towns and smaller, rural areas proved to be the league's downfall. Glen Alvie folded after the 1987 season and Loch after 1993. Wonthaggi Blues sought to join the higher-standard Gippsland Latrobe Valley Football League, a request which was granted in 1994, leaving the BVWDFL with only 7 teams. Following a VCFL review, the BVWDFL was disbanded after the 1995 season. Phillip Island and Kilcunda-Bass joined the West Gippsland FL and the remaining 5 clubs joined the Alberton Football League.^[6]