Gippsland Football League
The Gippsland League, is an Australian rules football and netball league in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is considered the only AFL Victoria major league in Gippsland.
History
The Gippsland League has roots dating back to the Central Gippsland Football League which was founded in 1902. The CGFL morphed into the Latrobe Valley Football League in 1954. The promoters of the LVFL wanted to have a league that consisted of towns along the Orbost railway line, from Warragul to Sale. Three clubs from south Gippsland towns, Leongatha, Korumburra and Mirboo North, were therefore barred from joining the new league and went on to form the South Gippsland FL.The LVFL changed its name, in 1995, to the Gippsland Latrobe FL.
At the end of 2001, The West Gippsland FL and the Gippsland Latrobe FL had an administrative merger. This created a two-division competition and a name change to "West Gippsland Latrobe FL".
From 2002 until 2004, the league comprised a premier division, consisting mainly of the former Gippsland-Latrobe clubs, and a western division, comprising most of the former WGFL clubs.
After the 2004 season, the western division was dissolved, with Warragul, Drouin and Garfield joining the premier league. The remaining clubs from the western division moved to other competitions, such as the Alberton Football League, Ellinbank & District Football League and the Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League.
In 2009 Garfield left the GFL for the Ellinbank & District Football League, whilst Wonthaggi and Bairnsdale joined the GFL in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
The Latrobe Valley area does not have a team participating in the Victorian Football League. Traralgon competed in the VFL during 1996-97, winning just four matches across those two years, before returning to the regional competition. The region does have a representative team in the TAC Cup Under-18 competition, Gippsland Power.
Clubs
As of 2019, the Gippsland League consists of the following teams:Former clubs
| Jumper | Club | Nickname | Years competed | Home Ground | Premierships | Website |
| Churchill | Kangaroos | 1984-1994 | Gaskin Park, Churchill | ' | ||
| Garfield Football Club | Stars | 2002-2009 | Garfield Recreation Reserve Beswick St | '1963-64, 1966, 1983, 1993, 1994, 2004 | ||
| Heyfield | Kangaroos | 1960-1974 | Gordon St Rec Reserve | ' | ||
| Newborough | Bulldogs | 1979-1985 | Newborough Rec Reserve Soutwell St | ' | ||
| Stratford | Swans | 1961-1964 | Stratford Rec Reserve Wellsford St | ' | ||
| Trafalgar | Bloods | 1954-1968 | Trafalgar Rec Reserve | ' 1906,,1911, 1913, 1923, 1958, 1962 | ||
| Traralgon Tyers United | The Two Blues | 1983-1988 | Tyers Rec Reserve Main Road | ' | ||
| Yallourn | The Blues | 1954-1976 | Yallourn Rec Reserve | ' 1925, 1926, 1928, 1931, 1936, 1939 | - | |
| Yallourn Yallourn North | Bombers | 1977-1985 | Yallourn Rec Reserve | ' | ||
| Yarragon | Panthers | 1954-1960 | Yarragon Football Ground Market St | ' 1908, 1921 |
Premiers and Best & Fairest Winners
| Year | Senior Premier | Senior B&F Winner | Season Summary |
| 2019 | Maffra | Jack Lipman | 2019 Season |
| 2018 | Leongatha | Tom Marriott | 2018 Season |
| 2017 | Leongatha | James Blaser, Kane Martin & Jack Blair | 2017 Season |
| 2016 | Maffra | Brad Scalzo | 2016 Season |
| 2015 | Traralgon | Bob McCallum | 2015 Season |
| 2014 | Morwell | Adam Bailey | 2014 Season |
| 2013 | Morwell | Kelvin Porter | 2013 Season |
| 2012 | Sale | Luke Collins | 2012 Season |
| 2011 | Traralgon | Andrew Soumilas | 2011 Season |
| 2010 | Maffra | Gary Jones | 2010 Season |
| 2009 | Maffra | Adrian Cox & Michael Geary | 2009 Season |
| 2008 | Sale | Nick Hider | 2008 Season |
| 2007 | Maffra | Nick Hider | 2007 Season |
| 2006 | Maffra | Desi Barr | 2006 Season |
| 2005 | Traralgon | Andrew Soumilas | 2005 Season |
Records and Statistics
Club Finishing Positions| Club | Premierships | Runners Up | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
| Traralgon | 20 | 17 | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| Sale | 10 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 2 |
| Morwell | 9 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 6 |
| Leongatha | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| Maffra | 8 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| Warragul | 3 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 2 |
| Moe | 2 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 1 |
| Bairnsdale | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Wonthaggi | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Drouin | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Recent Finishing Positions
| Club | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 |
| Bairnsdale | 8th | 7th | 9th | 10th | 8th | 5th | 6th | 8th | 8th |
| Drouin | 5th | 8th | 10th | 4th | 7th | 10th | 9th | 7th | 2nd |
| Leongatha | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 7th | 7th | 3rd | 8th |
| Maffra | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 3rd | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd |
| Moe | 3rd | 5th | 4th | 8th | 9th | 8th | 10th | 10th | 7th |
| Morwell | 9th | 9th | 5th | 9th | 6th | 1st | 1st | 5th | 9th |
| Sale | 4th | 4th | 6th | 6th | 5th | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 4th |
| Traralgon | 7th | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 1st | 6th | 5th | 4th | 1st |
| Warragul | 10th | 6th | 7th | 5th | 10th | 9th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
| Wonthaggi | 6th | 10th | 8th | 7th | 4th | 2nd | 4th | 6th | 6th |
Significant Records
| Record | Detail |
| Highest Score: | 45.22 Traralgon vs. Churchill |
| Lowest Score: | 0.0 Stratford vs. Traralgon; Bairnsdale vs. Traralgon |
| Most Goals in a Match: | Adrian Campbell |
| Most Goals in a Season: | 136 Shane Loveless |
| Record Quarter Score | |
| 1st Quarter | 13.4 Maffra vs. Newborough Warragul vs. Newborough Maffra vs. Churchill |
| 2nd Quarter | 14.3 Leongatha vs. Heyfield |
| 3rd Quarter | 15.5 Traralgon vs. Newborough |
| 4th Quarter | 16.7 Leongatha vs. Moe |