The VFL Development League, officially known as the AFL Victoria Development League and formerly known as the VFL reserves, VFA seconds/reserves and VFA Second Eighteens, was an

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 that operated as a second-tier competition to the

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 ...

(VFL, originally known as the VFA) from 1928 until 2017.

History

The VFA Second Eighteens emerged from the

Victorian Junior Football Association The Victorian Junior Football Association (VJFA), sometimes known simply as the Victorian Junior Association (VJA), was an open age Australian rules football competition and administrative body. It was the first successful junior football competit ...

(VJFA), the first successful junior football competition in Melbourne which was founded in 1883. Although formally operating as the VFA's reserves competition starting in 1928, the VJFA name was retained until the end of the 1932 season. Coinciding with the seniors VFA competition, a second reserves division was established in

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. Clubs played in the same division as their senior teams, until the separate divisions were abolished for both grades at the end of

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. From its inception until 1979, the seconds team played on Saturday afternoons, playing at home when the senior team played away and vice versa. Starting in 1980, seconds matches were played as curtain-raisers to senior matches, on Saturdays or Sundays as necessary. The competition was later renamed the VFA reserves (becoming the VFL reserves when the competition changed its name in 1996), and then from the beginning of the 2012 season it became the VFL Development League, a move that coincided with the introduction of the AFL Victoria Development Academy which provides development opportunities for up to 25 selected VFL players per year. Fielding a team in the reserves competition was mandatory for all senior VFA teams for most of the competition's history. Since the changes to the VFL in

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, all AFL clubs fielding their reserves teams in the VFL seniors opted not to contest the minor grade. Several regional clubs were unable to sustain teams, with and

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leaving the competition at the end of the

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and

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seasons respectively. The Development League was abolished after the 2017 season.

Clubs

Eight different clubs competed in the VFL Development League's final season. They were Box Hill, Casey,

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Northern Blues The Northern Bullants are a semi-professional Australian rules football club that currently competes in the Victorian Football League (VFL). The club, which is based in the Melbourne suburb of Preston, plays its home games at Preston City Ov ...

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and Williamstown.

Premiers

won the most reserves premierships, with a total of 18. The competition's final premiership was won by Casey.

References

History of Australian rules football Defunct Australian rules football competitions in Victoria (state) 1928 establishments in Australia 2017 disestablishments in Australia Sports competitions in Melbourne Sports leagues established in 1928 Development League {{VFA/VFL seasons