The 2001
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...
season was the 120th season of the
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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
competition.
The premiership was won by the
Box Hill Football Club, after defeating
Werribee by 37 points in the Grand Final on 23 September. It was the first top division premiership won by Box Hill in its 51 seasons in the VFA/VFL.
League membership and affiliations
In a continuation of the VFL's amalgamation with the AFL reserves, which had begun in
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
, there were several changes to the
VFL-AFL reserves affiliations in 2001.
[Fiddian, Marc (2004); ''The VFA; A History of the Victorian Football Association 1877–1995''; p. 188]
* affiliated with
Coburg-Fitzroy. Under the affiliation, the team's nickname was changed from Lions to Tigers to match Richmond's nickname, and the partnership with
Fitzroy came to an end, resulting in the team becoming known as the Coburg Tigers. The financial stability brought by the affiliation saved Coburg from extinction, as the club had been
in administration since July 2000 and would have been wound up if it had not entered an AFL affiliation.
*, which had been jointly affiliated with Williamstown and
Werribee, became fully affiliated with Werribee.
* affiliated with
Williamstown
* affiliated with
Springvale
In addition to these changes, a new team from
Tasmania
Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
was admitted to the VFL; the admission was initially on a one-year trial basis, and a permanent licence was ultimately granted. Created and administered by
Football Tasmania (later
AFL Tasmania
AFL Tasmania is the Australian Football League (AFL) subsidiary in Tasmania and its Sport governing body, governing body for Australian rules football in Tasmania. The organisation is responsible for AFL-linked Australian rules football developme ...
), the Tasmanian VFL club was designed to provide an opportunity for state level football in Tasmania to fill the void left by the collapse of the
Tasmanian Statewide Football League at the end of the 2000 season.
The club came to be known as the Tasmanian Devils, and played its home games throughout Tasmania, with five games at
York Park
York Park is a sports ground in the Inveresk and York Park Precinct, Launceston, Australia. Holding 21,000 people, York Park is known commercially as University of Tasmania (UTAS) Stadium and was formerly known as Aurora Stadium under a previo ...
in Launceston, four games at
North Hobart Oval
North Hobart Oval is a Stadium, sports venue in North Hobart, Tasmania. Formerly used primarily for Australian rules football widely regarded as the traditional home of Australian football in Tasmania. However since the 1950s it has also becom ...
in Hobart, and one game at
Devonport Oval in Devonport in its first season.
Consequently, there were sixteen teams in the VFL in 2001: eight clubs with VFL-AFL affiliations, three AFL reserves teams, and five stand-alone VFL clubs.
Premiership season
Ladder
Finals Series
Grand Final
Awards
*The
Jim 'Frosty' Miller Medal was won for the third consecutive year by
Nick Sautner (
Frankston), who kicked 73 goals.
*The
J. J. Liston Trophy
The J. J. Liston Trophy is awarded annually to the best and fairest senior player in the Victorian Football League (VFL), which was formerly known as the Victorian Football Association (VFA). It is named after J. J. Liston, J.J. Liston, a busine ...
was jointly won by
Brett Backwell (
Carlton reserves) and
Ezra Poyas (
Coburg
Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...
), who each polled 19 votes. Backwell and Poyas finished ahead of
Simon Feast (
Port Melbourne
Port Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of the Melbourne central business district, located within the Cities of City of Melbourne, Melbourne and City of Port Phillip, Port Phillip Local government ...
), who was third with 15 votes.
*The
Fothergill–Round Medal was won by Kristian DePasquale (
Coburg
Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...
).
*
Werribee won the reserves premiership. Werribee 17.12 (114) defeated
Williamstown 12.15 (87) in the Grand Final, held as a curtain-raiser to the Seniors Grand Final on 23 September.
Notable events
*In Round 12, 5.11 (41) trailed 13.14 (92) by 51 points at three-quarter time, before kicking ten goals to one to win the game by five points, 15.13 (103) d. 14.14 (98). It was the largest three-quarter time deficit overcome in a VFA/VFL game since
1949
Events
January
* January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025
* January 2 – Luis ...
.
See also
*
List of VFA/VFL premiers
*
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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
*
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...
*
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...
*
2001 AFL season
The 2001 AFL season was the 105th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured sixteen clubs, ran from 30 March until 29 September, and compris ...
References
{{VFA/VFL seasons
Victorian Football League seasons
VFL