Essendon District Football League
The Essendon District Football League is a professional Australian rules football league competition based in Essendon, Victoria, and consisting of teams based in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne. Founded in 1930, the men's competition consists of three leagues: Premier Division, Division 1 and Division 2, with 10 clubs in the Premier Division and nine each in Division 1 and 2. The league is governed by AFL Victoria.
Promotion and relegation between these divisions occurs, with the lowest-placed clubs in the Premier Division and Division 1 being relegated at the end of each season. Clubs which win the Division 1 and Division 2 premierships are automatically promoted. Each men's team also fields a reserves side and an under-19 side that play a fixture mirroring that of the senior side.
Since 2017, the League has also run a competition for women's Australian rules football. In its inaugural year, this was a joint competition featuring teams from the EDFL as well as the Western Region Football League. In 2018, 13 teams competed in a single division season, expanding to 19 teams and two divisions in 2019.
Clubs
Current
Former
Premiers
Year | A Grade | B Grade |
2011 | Strathmore | Pascoe Vale |
2010 | Maribyrnong Park | Taylors Lakes |
2009 | Maribyrnong Park | Oak Park |
2008 | Keilor | Glenroy |
2007 | Greenvale | Maribyrnong Park |
2006 | Strathmore | West Coburg |
2005 | Strathmore | Craigieburn |
2004 | Greenvale | Avondale Heights |
2003 | Oak Park | Tullamarine |
2002 | Oak Park | Greenvale |
2001 | Keilor | Keilor Park |
2000 | Keilor | West Coburg |
1999 | Doutta Stars | Moonee Valley |
1998 | Strathmore | Doutta Stars |
1997 | Keilor | Glenroy |
1996 | Keilor | West Coburg |
1995 | Keilor | Aberfeldie |
1994 | East Keilor | Moonee Valley |
1993 | Airport West | Tullamarine |
1992 | Airport West | East Keilor |
1991 | Doutta Stars | West Coburg |
1990 | Doutta Stars | Keilor Park |
1989 | Strathmore | Hadfield |
1988 | Keilor | Pascoe Vale |
1987 | Avondale Heights | West Coburg |
1986 | Glenroy | Moonee Valley |
1985 | Keilor | Airport West |
1984 | Strathmore | Westmeadows |
1983 | Glenroy | Oak Park |
Year | A Grade | B Grade | C Grade |
1982 | Glenroy | Aberfeldie | Gladstone Park |
1981 | Strathmore | Tullamarine | Essendon Youth Centre |
1980 | Doutta Stars | Glenroy | Brunswick City |
1979 | Essendon Tullamarine | Hadfield | Moonee Ponds |
1978 | Essendon Tullamarine | East Keilor | Brunswick City |
1977 | Essendon Tullamarine | Ascot Vale | West Coburg |
1976 | Essendon Tullamarine | Avondale Heights | |
1975 | Essendon Tullamarine | Moonee Valley | Essendon Youth Centre |
1974 | Aberfeldie | Glenroy | Brunswick Presbyterians |
1973 | Keilor | Strathmore | Tullamarine Ascot Presbyterians |
1972 | Doutta Stars | Ascot Vale | Riverside Stars |
1971 | West Coburg | Strathmore | Hadfield |
1970 | West Coburg | Broadmeadows | Moonee Valley |
1969 | Doutta Stars | Ascot Vale | St. Davids |
1968 | West Coburg | Keilor | Batman |
1967 | West Coburg | Strathmore | Riverside Stars |
1966 | Glenroy | West Coburg | Ascot Youth Centre |
1965 | West Coburg | Essendon High School Ex-Students | Essendon Baptist St Johns |
1964 | Doutta Stars | Ascot Vale Presbyterians | Pascoe Vale |
1963 | Doutta Stars | West Coburg Seniors | Glenroy |
1962 | Doutta Stars | Broadmeadows | Moonee Imperials |
1961 | Doutta Stars | North Essendon Methodists | Doutta Stars |
EDFL Women's
History
In partnership with the Western Region Football League, in 2016 the two leagues established the Western Region & Essendon District Women's Football League, an eleven-team open-age competition for women. Five EDFL clubs fielded teams in the competition –,,, and – with prevailing against WRFL side Manor Lakes in the grand final.In 2018, the EDFL established its own Women's competition, consisting of 13 teams. Of those 13 teams, two came from outside of the League – the Ballarat Football League-side ; and, at the time competing in the Riddell District Football League., despite competing in the 2017 joint competition, did not field a side, while and fielded a joint team under the Avondale Heights–Taylors Lakes moniker.
In 2019, the competition expanded to 19 teams and was split into two divisions – a 10-club Premier Division and a nine-club Division 1. became the first team to field two sides, one in each division.
Clubs
Juniors matches
The juniors consist of: Under 9s, Under 11s, Under 13s, Under 15s and Under 17s. There are also youth girls teams in the junior divisions. There are eight junior divisions at this level and each team listed in the senior section has at least one junior team in divisions 1, 2 or 3 for each age group, however many clubs have more in divisions 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.AFL players
EDFL players who have gone on to play in the VFL/AFLThe following is an incomplete list of EDFL players who later played in the VFL or AFL:
- Luke Ryan
- Touk Miller
- Paddy Giblin
- Rory Atkins
- Jeremy Laidler
- Ahmed Saad
- Jake Melksham
- Jake Carlisle
- Tom Allison
- Zac Dawson
- Michael Talia
- Brandon Ellis
- Matthew Watson
- Michael Rischitelli
- Peter Faulks
- Ryan O'Keefe
- Shaun McKernan
- Addam Maric
- Aaron Kite
- Brent Hartigan
- Lynden Dunn
- Jim Gutterson
- Paul Koulouriotis
- Ivan Maric
- Steven Alessio
- Paul Chapman
- David Dench
- Ron Evans
- Mark Harvey
- Matthew Lloyd
- Wes Lofts
- Glenn Manton
- Corey McKernan
- Brock McLean
- Mark Mercuri
- Joe Misiti
- Daryl O'Brien
- Dean Limbach
- Jesse W. Smith
- Jesse D. Smith
- David Calthorpe
- David Rodan
- Dane Swan
- Jake Howells
- Mark Thompson
- Andrew Welsh
- Damien Peverill
- Adam Pickering
- Dale Morris
- Dick Reynolds
- Adam Contessa
The following is an incomplete list of VFL and AFL players who later played in the EDFL:
- John Barnes
- Jason Cloke
- Cameron Cloke
- Jon Hassall
- Stephen Paxman
- Anthony Aloi
- Sedat Sir
- Paul Barnard
- Mark Mercuri
- Tony Liberatore
- Dean Laidley
- Justin Madden
- Simon Minton-Connell
- Damien Peverill
- Winis Imbi
- Aaron James
- Scott Lucas
- Chris Johnson
- Brodie Holland
- Digby Morrell
- Hayden Skipworth
- Jason Akermanis
- Lance Whitnall
- Barry Brooks
- Steven Baker
- Patrick Veszpremi
- Andrew Browne
- Patrick Rose
- Ryan Gale