Central Victoria Football League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Founded | 2018 |
|---|---|
| No. of teams | 7 |
| State |  Victoria |
| Region | Central Victoria |
| Current premiers (2025) | Castlemaine (4th premiership) |
| Most premierships | Castlemaine (4) |
| Official website | cvfl.com.au |
The Central Victoria Football League (CVFL or CVFLW) is a women's Australian rules football competition based around the Central Victoria region. It includes senior and junior competitions.
The Central Victoria Football League was established in 2018, splitting from the Northern Country Women's League (NCWL) which had been formed one year prior.[1] Five teams competed in the inaugural season – Bendigo Thunder reserves, Kangaroo Flat, Kyneton, North Bendigo and Strathfieldsaye.[2] Bendigo Thunder won the 2018 grand final, defeating Strathfieldsaye by 87 points.[3]
In 2019, Eaglehawk and Golden Square joined the CVFL, while Bendigo Thunder withdrew to compete solely in the Northern Football Netball League (NFNL).[4][5]
No season was held in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[6][7] The 2021 season – which saw Bendigo Thunder rejoin and Kerang compete for the first time – was also impacted by COVID-19 and curtailed without a finals series being held.[8][9]
The CVFL introduced junior football in 2022 with a six-team under-14s competition, featuring clubs from the North Central Victoria region. Castlemaine formed its first senior women's team and joined the competition for the 2022 season, while Kangaroo Flat withdrew.[10][11] The newly formed Mount Alexander Falcons applied to join but were rejected, although they played several CVFL practice matches throughout the year.[12][13]
Woorinen joined the CVFL in 2023, while Kyneton moved to the Riddell District Football Netball League (RDFNL) and Kerang withdrew.[14][15] The CVFL reached nine teams for the first time during the 2024 season, when three clubs – Marong, Sandhurst and White Hills – joined the senior competition, with Strathfieldsaye having withdrawn.[16] Woorinen's senior women's team entered recess in 2025.[17][18]
In October 2025, the CVFL Advisory Committee unanimously supported an application from the Kyneton Women's Football Club (KWFC) – a breakaway from the Kyneton Tigers – to affiliate with the CVFL for the 2026 season.[19] The RDFNL appealed the decision and AFL Victoria upheld the appeal on 11 December 2025, preventing the KWFC from entering the CVFL.[20]
Clubs
Current
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former league(s) | Est. | CVFL seasons | CVFL senior premierships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Most recent | |||||||
| Bendigo |  |
Thunder | Weeroona Oval, Bendigo | NFNL | 2011 | 2021–[a] | 0 | – |
| Castlemaine |  |
Magpies | Camp Reserve, Castlemaine | – | 1859 | 2022– | 4 | 2025 |
| Eaglehawk |  |
Hawks; Two Blues | Canterbury Park, Eaglehawk | – | 1880 | 2019– | 0 | – |
| Golden Square |  |
Bulldogs | Wade Street Recreation Reserve, Golden Square | – | 1932 | 2019– | 1 | 2019 |
| Marong |  |
Panthers | Malone Park, Marong | – | 1900s | 2024– | 0 | – |
| Sandhurst |  |
Dragons | Queen Elizabeth Oval, Bendigo | – | 1861 | 2024– | 0 | – |
| Wedge-Tailed Eagles |  |
Eagles; Wedgies | Racecourse Reserve, Woodend | EDFL[b] | 2024 | 2026– | 0 | – |
| White Hills |  |
Demons | White Hills Recreation Reserve, White Hills | – | 1924 | 2024– | 0 | – |
Former
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former league(s) | Est. | CVFL seasons | CVFL senior premierships | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Most recent | ||||||||
| Bendigo reserves | |
Thunder | Weeroona Oval, Bendigo | NCWL | 2017[c] | 2018[a] | 1 | 2018 | Withdrew in 2019 |
| Kangaroo Flat |  |
Kangaroos | Dower Park, Kangaroo Flat | – | 1890 | 2018–2021 | 0 | – | Withdrew in 2022 |
| Kerang |  |
Blues | Riverside Park, Kerang | NCWL | 1996 | 2020–2022 | 0 | – | Withdrew in 2023 |
| Kyneton |  |
Tigers | Kyneton Showgrounds, Kyneton | NCWL | 1868 | 2018–2022 | 0 | – | Moved to RDFNL |
| North Bendigo |  |
Bulldogs | North Bendigo Recreation Reserve, North Bendigo | NCWL | 1945 | 2018–2025 | 0 | – | Entered recess in 2026 |
| Woorinen | |
Tigers | Woorinen Recreation Reserve, Woorinen | – | 1919 | 2023–2024 | 0 | – | Entered recess in 2025 |
Premiers
Seniors
| Year | Premiers | Runners-up | Venue | Date | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Score | Club | Score | ||||
| 2018 | Bendigo reserves (1) | 15.12 (102) | Strathfieldsaye (1) | 2.3 (15) | Weeroona Oval | 26 August 2018 | [21] |
| 2019 | Golden Square (1) | 4.6 (30) | Kangaroo Flat (1) | 0.5 (5) | Weeroona Oval | 1 September 2019 | |
| 2020 | Season not contested due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||
| 2021 | Premiership not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||
| 2022 | Castlemaine (1) | 5.8 (38) | Golden Square (1) | 2.7 (19) | Queen Elizabeth Oval | 9 September 2022 | |
| 2023 | Castlemaine (2) | 5.2 (32) | Woorinen (1) | 1.9 (15) | Queen Elizabeth Oval | 1 September 2023 | |
| 2024 | Castlemaine (3) | 8.5 (53) | Golden Square (2) | 3.4 (22) | Queen Elizabeth Oval | 6 September 2024 | |
| 2025 | Castlemaine (4) | 4.12 (36) | Golden Square (3) | 1.3 (9) | Queen Elizabeth Oval | 5 September 2025 | |