History
History of AFL Riverina
The first recorded game of Australian Football in the Riverina was played in Wagga Wagga in 1881, when local sides Wagga Wagga and Albury faced off in what would become a historic moment for the region.
From that point forward, organised football steadily grew, with competitions continuing across the Riverina through to the present day. Over the decades the league structure has evolved, shaped by new clubs, shifting boundaries and a number of name changes and amalgamations that reflected the growth of the game in the area.
What follows is a brief overview of the key changes and developments that have helped form the competitions we know today…
The Farrer Football League commenced in 1930 and, in that format, remained in existence until 1981 — a total of 51 years. They also went into recess from 1941 to 1945 during World War II. The first premiership was won by Henty, who defeated Albury Rovers in 1930, and the last premiership was won by Wagga Tigers, who defeated Mangoplah-Cookadinia United in 1981.
Mangoplah (later MCU) won fourteen premierships over that time, and Wagga Tigers won ten premierships.
In 1982, there was a major reshuffle of all clubs in the area. The South Western District Football League, the Farrer Football League and the Central Riverina Football League were combined into two groups: the Riverina Football League and the Riverina District Football League.
The Riverina Football League comprised most of the old South West clubs, along with North Wagga, Wagga Tigers and East Wagga-Kooringal from the Farrer League, and Barellan from the Central Riverina League. A number of changes and restructuring took place from 1982 to 1995, at which point both leagues came under one umbrella: the Murrumbidgee Valley Australian Football Association.
The South Western District Football League commenced in 1894, when Coolamon defeated Methul in the grand final. With the exception of 1915 to 1917 (World War I) and 1941 and 1942 (World War II), the competition was played until 1981, when Narrandera defeated Ariah Park in the grand final.
Sunday football commenced in the South West in 1947. With five years lost to the world wars and two more years where no competition was held (1930 and 1937), the South Western District Football League existed for eighty-seven years. During that time, Ganmain won twenty-seven premierships — by far the most successful club.
The Murrumbidgee Valley Australian Football Association stretches from Griffith in the west to Wagga in the east, and from The Rock–Yerong Creek in the south to Ariah Park in the north. Fifteen clubs make up the association, with a total of 1,246 registered players. Combined with the netball competitions running in both leagues, and the strong junior affiliations held by the majority of clubs, this results in a significant participation rate in Australian Football and associated activities.
The first game was in 1881. A competition formed in 1884 and was played in Wagga Wagga over the next eleven years, from 1884 to 1896. There was no competition in 1888 or 1893.
In 1897, for just one year, a competition named the Murrumbidgee District Football Association was formed. The premiers for that year were Federals Football Club.
In 1898, this became the Wagga United Football Association and remained so for the next twenty-four years, finishing in 1921.
From 1922 to 1924, the competition was renamed the Riverina Mainline Competition.
Rock and District Association
Another change came for just two years, 1925 and 1926, when it became the Rock and District Association.
This name lasted just one year, 1927, when Mangoplah defeated The Rock in that year’s premiership.
The Wagga Football Association began in 1928, with Mangoplah again defeating The Rock. This competition continued, with some changes in name and format, up until the amalgamation of all local football at the end of 1981.