The Sunraysia Football and Netball League (SFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition in the Sunraysia district of north-west Victoria and south-west New South Wales.
The Sunraysia Football League was formed in 1945, after World War Two, which superseded the Mildura Football League.
In 1947, Melbourne: 23.18 - 156 defeated the Sunraysia FL: 8.16 - 64 at the Mildura Recreation Oval.
In 1948, Imperials FC finished last on the ladder, then went onto win the 1949 premiership.
In June 1949, Collingwood: 19.14 - 128 defeated the Sunraysia FL: 13.6 - 84.
In 1957, Curlwaa-Wentworth and Coomealla merged to form Wentworth & Districts Football Club.
Between 1951 and 1960, Mildura played in nine grand finals in ten years, winning five premierships, with former Essendon player, Les Griggs coaching the team between 1950 and 1956.
In 1965, Irymple FC finished last on the ladder, then went onto win the 1966 SFL premiership.
Between 1967 and 1986, the Sunraysia Football League was Richmond's rural VFL zoning area and provided Richmond with many good players and a period of premiership success and regular finals appearances in the late 1960's, 1970's and early 1980's.
Imperials FNC had a very successful period between 1986 and 1996, playing in 10 grand finals in 11 years, which included two lots of five consecutive grand finals. The only year Imperials missed the grand final was in 1991, when they lost the preliminary final.
Under the coaching of former VFL star player, Merv Neagle, Merbein won senior football premierships in 2002 and 2003, with some very smart recruiting, but have since struggled to be regular finalists.
The SFNL is considered a major country league. The league's grand final was traditionally played at City Oval in Mildura, however from 2022 it has played at the newly-opened Mildura Sporting Precinct in Mildura's South.
In 2023, Imperials FNC finished last (9th) on the senior football ladder, then went onto win the 2024 premiership.
Australian Rules football has been active in Sunraysia since the formation of the Mildura Football Club in 1888, with Mildura finishing on top of the ladder in the first recorded, local Australian Rules competition, the Mildura Football Association in 1891.
In 1891, Mildura FC received the Jamieson Premiership Cup, while "Best All-round Player" went to "Dot" Desailly (South Mildura) and best goalkicker award was won by W. "Bill" Bartlett (North Mildura).
There was no official competition football in 1896, as there was only two active football clubs, Irymple and North Mildura, with Wentworth Imperials FC showing some interest in joining the competition, which did not go ahead, but some friendly matches were played between these clubs.
Between 1900 and 1903, there are no newspapers references to any Australian Rules football competitions in or around the Mildura area, which was partially due to player shortages from enlistments in the Army who served Australia in the Second Boer War. There is no evidence of local football in The Mildura Cultivator newspaper until 1904. In February, 1904, there was a push get the Mildura Recreation Reserve "into immediate use and proper order" to get the games of cricket and football going again, like the good old days.
In 1904, the Mildura Football League was formed from the following teams - Irymple, Mildura and the Mildura Fire Brigade, with the Fire Brigade defeating Irymple in the grand final.
In 1907, the Fire Brigade FC disbanded and was reformed as the Mildura Rovers FC and the club initially wore a red and white guernsey and blue knickers.
In 1919, East Mildura and West Mildura Football Club's were formed when the town of Mildura was divided up into zoning areas for players to be zoned to a certain club, depending where the player lived.
In 1921, the Mildura Football League was re-formed from the following teams - Irymple, Merbein, Mildura, North Cliffs and Red Cliffs, with a new committee of management. The official new club colours were - Irymple: blue and gold jerseys and socks, blue shorts; Merbein: black and white jerseys and socks, white shorts; Mildura: black and red jerseys and socks, white shorts; Red Cliff: maroon and royal blue jerseys and socks, white shorts; Red Cliffs North: cardinal and black jerseys and socks, white shorts.
In a golden era for the town of Merbein, between 1924 and 1938, Merbein and / or South Merbein played in 16 consecutive Mildura FL grand finals, with Merbein winning seven premierships and South Merbein winning six premierships.
In 1925, Merbein Park was changed to the Kenny Memorial Park in honour of the late E J Kenny, for all the work Mr Kenny performed in Merbein as the "Father" of the Merbein settlement.
In 1927, the Mildura Rovers Junior FC (Under 18 side) wore "white knicks, dark blue guernsey, with a yellow sash".
In August 1927, Mildura FL: 11.10 - 76 defeated Essendon Reserves: 6.8 - 44.
In September 1936, St Kilda 14.18 - 102 defeated the Mildura Football League 11.20 - 86, with St Kilda's Bill Mohr kicking 10 goals.
In 1937, the Mildura FC disbanded and the Mildura Working Man's Club entered a team in the Mildura FL.
In 1938, Laurie Leask won the 1938 Mildura Football League / Sunraysia Daily newspaper best and fairest award, the Snow Trophy.
In September 1938, Essendon Reserves: 16.17 - 113 defeated the Mildura Football League: 16.16 - 112 in a thrilling game.
In 1940, because of World War Two, the Mildura & DFL was reduced to a six team competition between the Imperials, Irymple, Merbein, Red Cliffs, Wentworth and Workers, with the season shortened, the grand final was played in June.
In April 1946, the Sunraysia Boys Football Association was formed with an Under 18 division and an Under 16 division from the following teams - Coomealla, Curlwaa, Gol Gol, Irymple, Merbein, Mildura Community Centre, Mildura Convent, Mildura High School, Methodists, Red Cliffs Community Centre and Wentworth.
The Mildura Wednesday FA was formed in 1921 and initially comprised the following three clubs - Fitzroys (Maroon), Imperials (blue and white) and Tigers (yellow and black). In 1929, C Whitmore (Mildura Rovers) won the MWFA best and fairest award.
Irymple Football Club is working with Kim O'Reilly to educate players around healthy relationships and violence against women. O'Reilly was seriously assaulted by former Irymple player Jake Frecker in January 2018.
Irymple Club president Dennis Mitchell called for football clubs to change their culture around violence, condemning the support Dimboola provided to Frecker after he was charged with the assault on O'Reilly. "When your sporting club is the heart of the community, then it is our responsibility to be a vehicle for [education on family violence]"
Nine clubs â Imperials, Irymple, Merbein, Mildura, Ouyen United, Red Cliffs, RobinvaleâÂÂEuston, South Mildura and Wentworth â participate in the competition, which includes senior and junior grades of football and netball.
In 1928, the Mildura Junior Football League was formed, which was a "Reserves" football competition, set up for boys too old for the Under 18 competition. In 1945, the initial seconds 18 football competition was known as the "Reserves", then between 1946 and 1954, it was referred to as the "Junior" competition, even though adults were playing in this competition. Then from 1955 onwards the Sunraysia Daily referred to it as the "Seconds" competition.
In 1914, Mr Miller agreed to donate a trophy for the best and fairest player in the Mildura FL, but later on in the year he decided to donate the trophy to the premiership team, Mildura Rovers.
The very first Sunraysia FL best and fairest award in 1946, was called the Ozone Medal as it was donated by the Ozone Picture Theatre. The first official best and fairest award presented by the Sunraysia Football League in 1947, was known as the Sunraysia Trophy for a number of years.
The Sunraysia Trophy appears to have been renamed the McLeod Memorial Medal in 1955, in honour of former Mildura footballer, Private Gregor "Jigger" Drummond McLeod, who was born on 15 April 1909 and died in 1942 while serving in the 2/21 Australian Infantry Battalion
The Sunraysia Daily sports journalist initiated a senior football Player of the Year in 1950, based on the three, two, one voting system.
In 1947, the first Reserves or "Junior" section (as they called it) best and fairest award, the Murray Linton Trophy went to W Rodgers of the Curlwaa FC.
Between 1949 and 1956, the Reserves competition had two divisions, a Junior A section and a Junior B section.
The Sunraysia Daily first donated a trophy for the Under 18 best and fairest award in 1952.
The Sunraysia Daily first donated a trophy for the Under 16 best and fairest award in 1952.
The following footballers played in either the Mildura FL and / or the Sunraysia FL prior to playing senior VFL / AFL football or drafted with the following clubs, with the year indicating their VFL debut -
The following senior VFL players came to play and or coach in the SFNL, with the year indicating their first season in the SFNL.
In 1934, Hec Shaw (Red Cliffs FC) kicked 100 plus goals, including a bag of 22 goals against Benetook FC.
Netball within the Sunraysia Football League commenced in 1991, initially with an A. Grade competition which was won by Imperials. Other netball divisions commenced in -
The official SFNL website has an extensive list of all netball premierships and best and fairest winners in all grades.
As its name states, the McIntyre final five system features five teams. From the second round the McIntyre final five system is the same as the PageâÂÂMcIntyre system; however, in the first round the lowest-two-ranked teams play to eliminate one team and the second and third-ranked teams determine which match they will play in the second round. The highest-ranked team has a bye in the first round.
In this case, if all teams have an even chance of winning each match, the highest-ranked team has a 37.5% chance, ranks two and three have a 25% chance and the lowest-two-ranked teams have a 6.25% chance of winning the competition.