Central Victoria Football League
| 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.
History
The Central Victoria Football League was established in 2018, splitting from the Northern Country Women's Football League (NCWFL) which had been formed one year prior.[1] Five teams competed in the inaugural season – Bendigo Thunder, 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when three clubs – Marong, Sandhurst and White Hills – joined the senior competition, with Strathfieldsaye having withdrawn.[16] Woorinen's senior women's team entered recess in 2025.[17][18]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 | NCWFL | 2011 | 2018– | 1 | 2018 | |
| 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 | – | |
| North Bendigo | Bulldogs | North Bendigo Recreation Reserve, North Bendigo | – | 1945 | 2018– | 0 | – | |
| Sandhurst | Dragons | Queen Elizabeth Oval, Bendigo | – | 1861 | 2024– | 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 | ||||||||
| Kangaroo Flat | Kangaroos | Dower Park, Kangaroo Flat | – | 1890 | 2018–2021 | 0 | – | Withdrew in 2022 | |
| Kerang | Blues | Riverside Park, Kerang | – | 1996 | 2021–2022 | 0 | – | Withdrew in 2023 | |
| Kyneton | Tigers | Kyneton Showgrounds, Kyneton | NCWFL | 1868 | 2018–2022 | 0 | – | Moved to RDFNL | |
| 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 Thunder (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 | |
References
- ^ "Five teams signed up for AFLCV Senior Women's Football League". Bendigo Advertiser. 25 January 2018. Archived from the original on 14 May 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ Murray, Tara (12 February 2018). "New season, new challenges as Kyneton looks to future". Star Weekly. Archived from the original on 17 October 2025. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ "Country footy premiers 2018". The Weekly Times. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Pinda, Anthony (7 June 2019). "CVFLW: 2019 mid-season review, everything you need to know". Bendigo Advertiser. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "Another tough day for Bendigo Thunder in NFLW division one competition". Bendigo Advertiser. 16 June 2019. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "2020 Bendigo Bank Junior Football League Back in Action". AFL Central Victoria. 23 July 2020. Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ "I'm in, are you?". AFL Central Victoria. 2 November 2020. Archived from the original on 14 December 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ Pinda, Anthony (23 August 2021). "AFL Central Victoria to meet BJFL, CVFLW committees to discuss remainder of season". Bendigo Advertiser. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ Pinda, Anthony (10 September 2021). "Central Victoria Football League Women season finals cancelled". Bendigo Advertiser. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ Pinda, Anthony (18 October 2021). "Castlemaine FNC joins Central Victoria Football League Women for 2022 season". Bendigo Advertiser. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "Senior women's football". Castlemaine Football Netball Club. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ Price, Kimberley (19 October 2021). "Two clubs but only one winner for women's football in Castlemaine". ABC News. Archived from the original on 24 July 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ Dole, Nathan (30 May 2022). "Castlemaine soars to victory on Golden Square's ground". AFL Central Victoria. Archived from the original on 17 November 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "Kyneton junior teams, senior women's side moving into Riddell District competitions". Bendigo Advertiser. 18 November 2022. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ "Woorinen Tigers FNC to play 2023 CVFLW season". AFL Central Victoria. 8 March 2023. Archived from the original on 18 November 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ King, Tom (16 February 2024). "CVFL announces 2024 fixtures". AFL Central Victoria. Archived from the original on 20 April 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "CLUB STATEMENT". Facebook. Woorinen Football Netball Club. 24 March 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Jones, Shane (25 March 2025). "Woorinen enters recess in seniors this season". CODE Sports. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "KWFC Application – Full Story". Riddell District Football Netball League. 6 February 2026. Archived from the original on 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ "AFL Victoria Appeal Panel Decision – Kyneton Women's Football Club Application". AFL Central Victoria. 11 December 2025. Archived from the original on 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ "Bendigo Thunder 15.12-102 def. 2.3-15 Strathfieldsaye". Central Victoria Football League. 26 August 2018. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.