The Wimmera Football League is a major Australian rules country league based in Western Victoria, with clubs located in towns in the Wimmera region: the regional centres along the Western Highway from Ararat to Nhill as well as Minyip-Murtoa and Warracknabeal.
History
A Wimmera Football Association was first formed in 1902, with teams from Ararat, Horsham and Stawell as the founding clubs.
When Ararat won the 1912 premiership, the winning team was presented with 20 combination sets of a jam spoon, bread fork and a butter knife.
Collingwood (11.10 - 76) defeated Wimmera DFA (8.13 - 61) at Stawell in August 1913.
The 1915 season commenced, but was abandoned in July due to player shortages from enlistments into the Australian Armed Forces.
In 1920 the Wimmera District Football League was reformed and played for the May Cup. The four clubs involved in 1920 were Ararat, Horsham, Murtoa, Stawell. Dimboola joined in 1923 and Nhill in 1925; Ararat spent six years in the Ballarat Football League from 1924 to 1929.
Many Wimmera FL club's actively sought the services of VFL players in the 1920's, who where offered way more money in country football than what they were earning from their VFL clubs.
In 1926, the Victorian Football League played the Wimmera Football League at Horsham, with the VFL side defeating Wimmera by three points in heavy conditions.
The Wimmera FL defeated the Gippsland FL in 1928 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, lead by captain-coach, Artie Wood.
In August 1929, Perth defeated the Wimmera FL in a match at Stawell.
In 1930, the Wimmera FL defeated Essendon in heavy conditions at Ararat with many former VFL players representing the Wimmera FL in the 1930's.
In June 1930, the Wimmera FL (19.17 - 131) defeated the Western District FA (19.10 - 124) at Hamilton, with Dimboola's Jimmy Lawson kicking ten goals.
In 1932, during the height of the Great Depression, the small town clubs were suffering from financial pressures, and tried to get the league to change the way the gate taking were distributed to the clubs. The larger town clubs, knowing that they would be disadvantaged, blocked the motion. Subsequently, Nhill and Dimboola both went into recess while Minyip and Murtoa replaced their junior sides in the Dunmunkle FL.
In 1931, Stawell's Horrie Hunt kicked 105 goals for the season.
The WDFL approached the Ballarat Football League to merge hoping that greater interest and better football would cause larger gate takings, so in January 1934 the Wimmera FL and the Ballarat FL merged to form the Ballarat Wimmera FL. After three years, in which the Wimmera clubs faced with greater costs and were constantly losing on the field, feelers were put out to the smaller clubs, now playing in the Mid Wimmera FL. A peace deal was settled in September 1936 and the Wimmera Football League was reformed in February 1937 at the Annual General Meeting with Mr. P J Toohey elected as President and a nine team competition was formed.
The Wimmera FL went into recess between 1941 and 1943 due to World War Two, but football in the Wimmera was revived in 1944 with a competition that involved six teams.
In 1945, Dimboola and Warracknabeal joined the Wimmera Football Association, which formed a six team competition.
In 1946 Rupanyup Football Club joined the Wimmera FL and that made it a ten team competition.
John Ledwidge was captain-coach of the Bendigo Football League representative team that won the 1962 VCFL Caltex Country Football Championships by defeating the Wimmera Football League at Horsham.
As a ten team competition the league remain stable until Rupanyip decided the level of football was too hard for them and they opted to drop to the local district competition in 1981. The numbers returned to ten when local district club Imperials-Wonwondah joined in 1983. After fifty fruitless years Jeparit Football Club decided to try their luck in the South Mallee FL from 1990.
St Michaels from the district competition joined in 1993. Founding clubs Minyip and Murtoa decided to merge in 1995.
2000 saw local Horsham clubs change their names, St Michaels became Horsham Saints and Imperials-Wonwondah became the Horsham Diggers.
Horsham Diggers later merged with Natimuk FNC under the banner Natimuk United at the start of 2014; following an exodus of players in the 2008 pre-season, the Diggers had struggled on and off-field, and had won three matches in the previous four seasons. The merged club plays home games at Natimuk and City Oval.
Southern Mallee transferred from the Horsham District Football League in 2018 after dominating the competition.
Following the 2023 season Southern Mallee merged with Jeparit Rainbow from the Horsham District Football League to form the Southern Mallee Thunder.
Clubs
Current
Former clubs
Senior Football Grand Finals
The best on ground award in the Wimmera FNL senior football grand final receives the Greg Binns Memorial Award, which was first awarded in 1990. Greg passed away in 1987 from a rare blood disease, aged 27 years old. Greg and the Binns family have had a very long association with football in the Wimmera and the Binns family were associated with the Jeparit FNC.
Wimmera District FL - Seniors
- 1920 Ararat d Stawell
- 1921 Warracknabeal d Horsham
- 1922 Minyip d Warracknabeal
- 1923 Warracknabeal d Stawell
- 1924 Horsham d Warracknabeal
- 1925 Stawell d Horsham
- 1926 Stawell d Warracknabeal
- 1927 Warracknabeal d Dimboola
- 1928 Dimboola d Horsham
- 1929 Dimboola d Nhill
- 1930 Stawell d Dimboola
- 1931 Stawell d Ararat
- 1932 Horsham d Ararat
- 1933 Stawell d Ararat
Ballarat / Wimmera Football League
- 1934 South Ballarat d Horsham
- 1935 Ballarat Imperial d Golden Point
- 1936 Ballarat Imperial d Ballarat
Wimmera Football League
- 1937 Dimboola d Stawell
- 1938 Horsham d Stawell
- 1939 Stawell d Nhill
- 1940 Stawell d Dimboola
- 1941-1943 In recess > World War 2
Wimmera Football Association
- 1944 Nhill RAAF d Horsham
- 1945 Warracknabeal d Dimboola
Wimmera Football League
- 1946 Dimboola d Warracknabeal
- 1947 Warracknabeal d Dimboola
- 1948 Stawell d Minyip
- 1949 Ararat d Stawell
- 1950 Stawell d Ararat
- 1951 Ararat d Minyip
- 1952 Minyip d Warracknabeal
- 1953 Warracknabeal d Minyip
- 1954 Minyip d Jeparit
- 1955 Ararat d Horsham
- 1956 Ararat d Minyip
- 1957 Ararat d Horsham
- 1958 Ararat d Dimboola
- 1959 Dimboola d Warracknabeal
- 1960 Horsham d Stawell
- 1961 Rupanyup d Stawell
- 1962 Horsham d Warracknabeal
- 1963 Rupanyup d Nhill
- 1964 Nhill drew Ararat
- 1964 Nhill d Ararat (reply)
- 1965 Nhill d Warracknabeal
- 1966 Warracknabeal d Stawell
- 1967 Horsham d Stawell
- 1968 Horsham d Stawell
- 1969 Nhill d Stawell
- 1970 Horsham d Warracknabeal
- 1971 Ararat d Warracknabeal
- 1972 Horsham d Ararat
- 1973 Rupanyup d Murtoa
- 1974 Horsham d Ararat
- 1975 Ararat d Stawell
- 1976 Horsham d Warracknabeal
- 1977 Warracknabeal d Murtoa
- 1978 Stawell d Horsham
- 1979 Horsham d Murtoa
- 1980 Murtoa d Stawell
- 1981 Nhill d Horsham
- 1982 Horsham d Dimboola
- 1983 Horsham d Dimboola
- 1984 Minyip d Horsham
- 1985 Dimboola d Horsham
- 1986 Ararat d Horsham
- 1987 Stawell d Horsham
- 1988 Horsham United d Warracknabeal
- 1989 Horsham d Ararat
- 1990 Horsham d Warracknabeal
- 1991 Minyip d Stawell
- 1992 Minyip d Warracknabeal
- 1993 Minyip d Ararat
- 1994 Warracknabeal d Horsham United
- 1995 Stawell d Horsham United
- 1996 Minyip-Murtoa d Stawell
- 1997 Minyip-Murtoa d St Michaels
- 1998 Minyip-Murtoa d St Michaels
- 1999 Ararat d Minyip-Murtoa
- 2000 Stawell d Ararat
- 2001 Ararat d Horsham Saints
- 2002 Warrack Eagles d Ararat
- 2003 Horsham d Stawell
- 2004 Horsham d Horsham Saints
- 2005 Horsham d Dimboola
- 2006 Horsham d Dimboola
- 2007 Horsham d Stawell
- 2008 Horsham d Horsham Saints
- 2009 Horsham d Warrack Eagles
- 2010 Horsham d Nhill
- 2011 Horsham d Warrack Eagles
- 2012 Horsham d Warrack Eagles
- 2013 Dimboola d Horsham Saints
- 2014 Horsham d Horsham Saints
- 2015 Horsham Saints d Horsham
- 2016 Horsham Saints d Minyip Murtoa
- 2017 Horsham d Minyip Murtoa
- 2018 Horsham d Southern Mallee
- 2019 Minyip Murtoa d Southern Mallee
- 2020 In recess > COVID-19
- 2021 <small>1st: Minyip Murtoa. No finals > COVID-19</small>
- 2022 Minyip Murtoa d Ararat
- 2023 Ararat d Southern Mallee
- 2024 Ararat d Southern Mallee
- 2025 Ararat d Southern Mallee
- 2026
Reserves Premiers / Runners Up
Wimmera Football League - RESERVES
- 1951 Nhill d Jeparit
- 1952 Nhill d Stawell
- 1953 Jeparit d Warracknabeal
- 1954 Jeparit d Horsham
- 1955 Jeparit
- 1956 Warracknabeal
- 1957 - 1968: No 2nds competition
- 1969 Warracknabeal d Horsham
- 1970 Murtoa d Warracknabeal
- 1971 Murtoa
- 1972 Warracknabeal d Horsham
- 1973 Ararat d Horsham
- 1974 Murtoa d Warracknabeal
- 1975 Warracknabeal d Nhill
- 1976 Nhill d Murtoa
- 1977 Horsham
- 1978 Ararat
- 1979 Horsham d Ararat
- 1980 Horsham d Ararat
- 1981 Ararat d Horsham
- 1982 Horsham
- 1983 Dimboola d Horsham
- 1984 Horsham d Nhill
- 1985 Dimboola d Horsham
- 1986 Murtoa d Dimboola
- 1987 Ararat d Murtoa
- 1988 Horsham
- 1989 Warracknabeal
- 1990 Horsham
- 1991 Horsham Saints
- 1992 Horsham Saints
- 1993 Ararat
- 1994 Ararat
- 1995 Stawell
- 1996 Minyip-Murtoa
- 1997 Horsham
- 1998 Minyip-Murtoa
- 1999 Ararat
- 2000 Horsham
- 2001 Horsham United
- 2002 Ararat
- 2003 Horsham United
- 2004 Horsham
- 2005 Horsham United
- 2006 Ararat
- 2007 Stawell
- 2008 Stawell
- 2009 Stawell d Horsham Saints
- 2010 Stawell d ? (no scores)
- 2011 Horsham d Warrack Eagles
- 2012 Warrack Eagles d Horsham
- 2013 Horsham d Dimboola
- 2014 Dimboola d Horsham Saints
- 2015 Horsham Saints d Minyip Murtoa
- 2016 Stawell d ? (no scores)
- 2017 Horsham Saints d Minyip Murtoa
- 2018 Horsham Saints d Minyip Murtoa
- 2019 Ararat d Horsham
- 2020 in recess > COVID-19
- 2021 <small>1st: Minyip Murtoa. No finals > COVID-19</small>
- 2022 Horsham d Minyip
- 2023 Ararat d Horsham
- 2024 Horsham Saints d Horsham
- 2025 Minyip-Mortoa d Ararat
- 2026
- In 2010 and 2016, the Wimmera FNL did not enter any Reserves finals scores, teams, goalkickers & best players on the Gameday website.
Under 16 / Under 17 Premiers / Runners Up
Wimmera Football League - UNDER 16's
- 1965 - Murtoa d Warracknabeal
- 1966 - Dimboola
- 1967 - Dimboola
- 1968 - Dimboola
- 1969 - Nhill
- 1970 - Rupanyup
- 1971 - Dimboola
- 1972 - Dimboola
- 1973 - Warracknabeal
- 1974 - Jeparit
- 1975 - Dimboola d Warracknabeal
- 1976 - Rupanyup d Murtoa
- 1977 - Stawell
- 1978 - Ararat
- 1979 - Ararat d Dimboola
- 1980 - Stawell
- 1981 - Dimboola d Ararat
- 1982 - Ararat
- 1983 - Nhill
- 1984 - Stawell d Jeparit
- 1985 - Nhill
- 1986 - Horsham
- 1987 - Murtoa d Horsham
- 1988 - Horsham
- 1989 - Stawell
- 1990 - Horsham
- 1991 - Nhill
- 1992 - Horsham
- 1993 - Horsham
Wimmera FL - Under 17's (around 1994?)
- 1994 - Stawell
- 1995 - Stawell
- 1996 - Ararat
- 1997 - Stawell
- 1998 - Ararat
- 1999 - Horsham United
- 2000 - Ararat
- 2001 - Stawell
- 2002 - Stawell
- 2003 - Horsham
- 2004 - Warrack Eagles
- 2005 - Warrack Eagles
- 2006 - Ararat
- 2007 - Ararat
- 2008 - Horsham
- 2009 - Ararat d Horsham
- 2010 - Ararat d ? (no scores)
- 2011 - Ararat d Minyip Murtoa
- 2012 - Ararat d Horsham
- 2013 - Horsham d Minyip Murtoa
- 2014 - Horsham d Stawell
- 2015 - Ararat d Stawell
- 2016 - Horsham d Horsham Saints
- 2017 - Ararat d Horsham Saints
- 2018 - Ararat d Stawell
- 2019 - Horsham Saints d Ararat
- 2020 - In recess > COVID-19
- 2021 - <small>1st: Horsham Saints. No finals > COVID-19</small>
- 2022 - Ararat d Horsham
- 2023 - Horsham d Horsham Saints
- 2024 - Horsham d Horsham Saints
- 2025 - Horsham Saints d Horsham
- 2026 - Horsham d Horsham Saints
Under 14 Premiers / Runners Up
Wimmera Football League - UNDER 14's
- 1998 - Horsham United
- 1999 - Stawell
- 2000 - Horsham
- 2001 - Horsham
- 2002 - Stawell
- 2003 - Stawell
- 2004 - Ararat
- 2005 - Horsham
- 2006 - Horsham
- 2007 - Horsham Saints
- 2008 - Stawell
- 2009 - Minyip Murtoa d Horsham Saints
- 2010 - ? (no scores)
- 2011 - Horsham d Ararat
- 2012 - Ararat d Horsham Saints
- 2013 - Horsham d Horsham Saints
- 2014 - Horsham Saints d Stawell
- 2015 - Ararat d Horsham
- 2016 - Ararat v Horsham Saints
- 2017 - Horsham d Horsham Saints
- 2018 - Ararat d Horsham
- 2019 - Horsham d Ararat
- 2020 - In recess > COVID 19
- 2021 - <small>1st: Ararat. No finals > COVID-19</small>
- 2022 - Horsham d Ararat
- 2023 - Horsham d Horsham Saints
- 2024 - Horsham d Ararat
- 2025 - Horsham d Nhill
- 2026 -
Best & Fairest / Leading Goalkicker
Wimmera Football League - Best & Fairest Award
The Hugh Cameron Medal was first awarded and donated by Wimmera FL President and Life Member, Hugh Cameron in 1927 for the leading goalkicker, it then became the best and fairest award in 1928. The Wimmera FNL senior football best and fairest award was initially named the Les Schneider Medal in 1948, after former Dimboola footballer and 1931 John McNeill medallist, Les Schneider donated money for the initial award in 1948.
The Pat J Toohey Trophy was named in 1949 to perpetuate the name of former Wimmera FL President and Warracknabeal barrister and solicitor, Mr. Pat J Toohey, who commenced on the Wimmera FL committee in 1930, was President when the Wimmera FL was reformed in 1937 and was President from 1937 to 1941. Mr Toohey died in 1943, aged 56.
When Ararat's Glen Antonio won the Toohey Medal in 1992, he became part of the first father and son combination to win this prestigious award, as his father, Jack won the award in 1956.
Senior Football - Most best and fairest wins
- 5 - Tony Beck: Stawell
- 4 - Wes Warrick: Nhill
- 3 - Jim Rice: Murtoa
- 3 - Arnie McIntyre: Murtoa
- 3 - Peter Morrison: Murtoa & Horsham
- 3 - Kieran Delahunty: Minyip-Murtoa
Senior Football - Century Goalkickers
- 1931 - Horrie Hunt: Stawell
- 1936 - Max Wheeler: Ballarat
- 1947 - Alex Denham: Warracknabeal
- 1949 - Nimmy Grainger: Stawell
- 1950, 1955 - Bill Smeaton: Ararat
- 1969 - David Denham: Warracknabeal
- 1970 - Graeme Schultz: Warracknabeal
- 1971 - Graeme Sladdin: Ararat
- 1975 - Richard Kalms: Dimboola
- 1976 - Gary Stenhouse: Horsham
- 1977 - Des Trotter: Warracknabeal
- 1978 - John Pollock: Stawell
- 1979 - Gary Todd: Ararat
- 1980 - Brett Thompson: Stawell
- 1983 - Drew Heard: Dimboola
- 1984 - Roger Chilton: Nhill
- 1985, 87, 1991 to 96: John Hotker: Minyip
- 1986, 88, 90 - Tony Winsell: Warracknabeal
- 1997 - Andrew Kemp: Nhill
- 1999 - Josh Burgess: St Michael's
- 2009 - Gavin Kelm: Horsham Saints
Reserves Best & Fairest
Thirds Football
VFL/AFL players
Click on the Wikipedia club page links below to view a complete list of VFL / AFL from Wimmera FNL clubs.
Horsham United
Jeparit
Minyip
Murtoa
Minyip-Murtoa
Rupanyap
Warracknabeal/Warrack Eagles
Netball
The Wimmera Netball competition was established in 1971 with A. Grade and B. Grade competitions.
The Under 16's commenced in 1977, before becoming an Under 17 competition in 1987, then Under 18 in 1991, then 17 and Under in 1993.
The 15 and Under competition commenced in 1995.
Unfortunately there are no records of past netball premierships in all grades on the WFNL website between 1971 and 2022.
Wimmera Netball Association: Premiership Table
2022 Ladder
- Dimboola stripped of 12 points for player payment breaches in 2021
2023 Ladder
2024 Ladder
2025 Ladder
Publication
Wheatbelt Warriors. A Tribute To Wimmera Football League.
References
External links