Derwent Valley Football Association
| Most recent season or competition: 1954 | |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1904 |
| First season | 1904 |
| Folded | 1954 |
| No. of teams | 4 (1954), 18 (historical) |
| Country | Australia |
Last champion | Hamilton (1954) |
| Most titles | Hamilton, Upper Derwent (3) |
| Related competitions | Tyenna FA |
The Derwent Valley Football Association was a minor Australian rules football competition based in the Derwent Valley of southern Tasmania.
History
The first incarnation of the Derwent Valley Football Association was formed in 1904, when New Norfolk, Railway and Upper Derwent established an association to allow for regular competition. Upper Derwent won the first premiership, however the deciding game against Railway was marred by poor behaviour from both teams and a lack of respect towards the umpires show by Railway.[1]
The DVFA appears to have lapsed after its initial season, and the competition would not reappear until 1920 when New Norfolk, Upper Derwent, Molesworth and Plenty re-established it.[2] This era of the competition featured a constantly changing line-up of clubs. Upper Derwent left after 1920 and the 1922 season saw Plenty and New Norfolk replaced by Lachlan and New Norfolk's B grade side.[3] The DVFA did not form in 1923 but returned in 1924 with Westerway, Plenty and Upper Derwent competing.[4] After this season the competition lapsed again and would not return for a decade.
1934 saw the DVFA re-formed as basically a continuation of the Lower Derwent Football Association. LDFA clubs Lachlan, Molesworth and Lower Derwent were joined by Upper Derwent.[5] Rosegarland played in 1936 and 1937, while Plenty played in 1935 and 1938. 1937 saw Bothwell and Ouse join the competition, which was re-named the Southern Country Football Association, although this name would only last one season.[6] Molesworth, Plenty and Lachlan departed to re-form the Lower Derwent FA in 1939, which left the competition with only 3 clubs.[7] The DVFA would go into recess after the 1940 season due to WWII.
The competition was re-formed in 1946 with Hamilton, New Norfolk Rovers, Upper Derwent and Plenty competing.[8] The line-up of clubs changed yearly during the late 1940s, with Butlers Gorge joining and New Norfolk Rovers leaving in 1947, while ANM played one season in 1948. The biggest change occurred in 1949 when the decision was made to merge the Tyenna Football Association with the DVFA, leading to the creation of an 8-club competition.[9] By 1952 Butlers Gorge had merged with Ouse and Westerway and Upper Derwent Juniors both departed, leaving only 5 clubs in the DVFA. The Tyenna FA was re-formed in 1952 and the departure of clubs from the DVFA to the TFA eventually saw its demise after the 1954 season, which saw Bronte Park and Ouse move to the Tyenna FA while Hamilton and Upper Derwent joined the Southern Districts FA.
Clubs
Final
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | Years in DVFA | DVFA Senior Premierships | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Years | ||||||||
| Bronte Park | Bronte Park Football Ground, Bronte Park | – | 1949 | 1949-1954 | 2 | 1951, 1953 | Joined Tyenna FA in 1955 | ||
| Hamilton | .svg.png) |
Hamilton Showgrounds, Hamilton | TFA | 1886 | 1946-1954 | 3 | 1947, 1950, 1954 | Joined Southern Districts FA in 1955 | |
| Ouse (Butlers Gorge-Ouse 1951-53) |  |
Magpies | Ouse Football Ground, Ouse | SCJFA, TFA | 1935 | 1937-1940, 1949-1954 | 2 | 1937, 1939 | Joined Tyenna FA in 1955 |
| Upper Derwent | (1904) |
Bushy Park Recreation Ground, Bushy Park | SCFA, SDFA | 1904 | 1904, 1920, 1924, 1934-1940, 1946-1947, 1953-1954 | 3 | 1904, 1936, 1946 | Played in Southern Districts FA between 1948-52, returned there in 1955 | |
Former
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | Years in DVFA | DVFA Senior Premierships | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Years | ||||||||
| ANM | Boyer Oval, New Norfolk | – | 1947 | 1948 | 0 | - | Joined Southern Districts FA in 1949 | ||
| Bothwell |  |
Rabbits | Bothwell Recreation Reserve, Bothwell | SCJFA | 1880 | 1937-1940 | 2 | 1938, 1940 | Joined Southern Districts FA in 1946 |
| Butlers Gorge |  |
Butlers Gorge Recreation Ground, Butlers Gorge | – | 1947 | 1947-1950 | 1 | 1949 | Merged with Ouse to form Butlers Gorge-Ouse in 1951. | |
| Lachlan |  |
Tigers | Lachlan Park Oval, New Norfolk | LDFA | 1920 | 1922, 1934-1938, 1949-1953 | 2 | 1922, 1952 | Returned to Lower Derwent FA in 1939. Moved to Tyenna FA in 1954. |
| Lower Derwent | Boyer Oval, New Norfolk | LDFA | 1930 | 1934-1935 | 1 | 1934 | Folded after 1935 season | ||
| Molesworth | Molesworth Football Ground, Molesworth | LDFA | 1920 | 1920-1922, 1934-1938 | 2 | 1921, 1935 | Entered recess after 1922 season. Withdrew partway through 1938 season, joined Lower Derwent FA in 1939. | ||
| New Norfolk | .svg.png) |
Boyer Oval, New Norfolk | – | 1878 | 1904, 1920-1921 | 1 | 1920 | Left league after 1921 season | |
| New Norfolk B | |
Boyer Oval, New Norfolk | – | 1878 | 1922 | 0 | - | Left league | |
| New Norfolk Rovers | Boyer Oval, New Norfolk | – | 1940 | 1940, 1946 | 0 | - | Folded after 1946 season | ||
| Plenty | Plenty Football Ground, Plenty | LDFA | 1920 | 1920-1921, 1924, 1934-1935, 1938, 1946-1952 | 1 | 1948 | Recess in 1936-37. Withdrew partway through 1938 season, joined Lower Derwent FA in 1939. Joined Tyenna FA in 1953. | ||
| Railway | Boyer Oval, New Norfolk | – | 1904 | 0 | - | Folded | |||
| Rosegarland | Rosegarland Football Ground, Rosegarland | – | 1936 | 1936-1937 | 0 | - | Moved to Southern Country FA in 1938 | ||
| Upper Derwent Juniors | |
Bushy Park Recreation Ground, Bushy Park | TFA | 1904 | 1949-1951 | 0 | - | Left league | |
| Westerway | Ellendale Football Ground, Ellendale | RFA | 1920 | 1924, 1949-1951 | 1 | 1924 | Moved to Forest Hill Cup FA in 1925. Re-joined Tyenna FA in 1952 as Ellendale. | ||
Premierships
| Year | Premier | Score | Runners-up | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 | Upper Derwent | Railway | ||
| 1905-19 | DVFA in recess | |||
| 1920 | New Norfolk | 7.5 (47) - 5.6 (36) | Molesworth | |
| 1921 | Molesworth | |||
| 1922 | Lachlan | New Norfolk B | ||
| 1923 | ? | |||
| 1924 | Westerway | 6.10 (46) - 5.5 (35) | Upper Derwent | |
| 1925-33 | DVFA in recess | |||
| 1934 | Lower Derwent | 8.13 (61) - 3.7 (25) | Plenty | |
| 1935 | Molesworth | 10.14 (74) - 6.9 (45) | Upper Derwent | |
| 1936 | Upper Derwent | 6.9 (45) - 3.4 (22) | Lachlan | |
| 1937 | Ouse | 15.12 (102) - 11.14 (80) | Upper Derwent | |
| 1938 | Bothwell | 8.9 (57) - 6.14 (50) | Upper Derwent | |
| 1939 | Ouse | 4.8 (32) - 3.8 (26) | Upper Derwent | |
| 1940 | Bothwell | 12.20 (92) - 10.11 (71) | Ouse | |
| 1941-45 | DVFA in recess - WWII | |||
| 1946 | Upper Derwent | 9.13 (67) - 5.9 (39) | New Norfolk Rovers | |
| 1947 | Hamilton | 6.8 (44) - 5.8 (38) | Upper Derwent | |
| 1948 | Plenty | 7.4 (46) - 6.9 (45) | Hamilton | |
| 1949 | Butlers Gorge | 18.20 (128) - 10.8 (68) | Hamilton | |
| 1950 | Hamilton | 11.10 (76) - 8.6 (54) | Plenty | |
| 1951 | Bronte Park | Hamilton | ||
| 1952 | Lachlan | 10.8 (68) - 7.9 (51) | Hamilton | |
| 1953 | Bronte Park | 9.18 (72) - 7.6 (48) | Hamilton | |
| 1954 | Hamilton | 10.7 (67) - 7.9 (51) | Upper Derwent | |
References
- ↑ "21 July 1904". The Mercury. p. 6. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "DERWENT VALLEY FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION". The World (Hobart). 14 August 1920. p. 8. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "DERWENT VALLEY FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION". The Mercury. 8 May 1922. p. 10. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "NOTES FROM UPPER DERWENT". The News (Hobart). 24 June 1924. p. 2. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ "DERWENT VALLEY ASSOCIATION". Huon Times. 19 July 1934. p. 5. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "DERWENT VALLEY". The Mercury. 2 July 1937. p. 5. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Derwent Valley". The Mercury. 21 July 1939. p. 6. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Derwent Valley Association". The Mercury. 22 April 1946. p. 14. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Eight Teams In Derwent Valley". The Mercury. 29 April 1949. p. 15. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)