The Victorian Junior Football Association ( VJFA ), sometimes known simply as the Victorian Junior Association ( VJA ), was an open age Australian rules football competition and administrative body. It was the first successful junior football competition in Melbourne, and was in existence from 1883 until 1932.
23-455: For most of its history it was a competition of independent junior level clubs, before it eventually transitioned to become the second eighteens competition for the senior Victorian Football Association (VFA) During the 1870s in Victoria, junior football – which was the term used at the time for open age football of a lower standard than senior football, rather than for under age football –
46-535: A VFA club, although that requirement was dropped in 1913. The VJFA eventually formally transitioned to become the VFA Second Eighteens during the 1920s. This began in 1924, when the competition expanded from twelve teams to eighteen in two divisions – one division set aside for clubs who played on the same grounds as their senior VFA counterparts, and one for clubs with their own grounds. All Melbourne-based senior VFA clubs were required to affiliate with
69-604: A junior team in the VJFA, and an agreement was put in place to lift some restrictions on in-season player movements between the senior or junior clubs, making the affiliated junior clubs functionally closer to seconds teams. The divisions were called Division 1 and Division 2 in 1924, but from 1925 onwards they were known as the VJFA Section and the VFA Section . In 1926, after the 1924 player transfer agreement ended,
92-466: A semi-perpetual trophy for the VJFA premiers; like many trophies of the era, it was held temporarily by the reigning premiers, then won permanently by the first team to win it three times. A total of five Wren Shields were awarded during the trophy's history. The 1912 grand final was especially controversial. Port Melbourne Railway United won the match by three points, but Yarraville successfully protested one of Railway United's second quarter goals on
115-760: The AFL Victoria Development League and formerly known as the VFL reserves , VFA seconds/reserves and VFA Second Eighteens , was an Australian rules football competition that operated as a second-tier competition to the Victorian Football League (VFL, originally known as the VFA ) from 1928 until 2017. The VFA Second Eighteens emerged from the Victorian Junior Football Association (VJFA),
138-697: The Metropolitan Junior Football Association (1892) – saw numbers in the VJFA premiership decline rapidly through the 1890s, and by 1899 only seven clubs competed in the VJFA. Eight to twelve teams typically contested the premiership thereafter. At the 1895 VJFA AGM , the competition was reduced from 20 teams to 12 teams. Those who survived were Albert-park, Albion United, Austral, Brighton, Brunswick, Collingwood Juniors, Essendon District, Fitzroy Juniors, Hawthorn, Preston, Richmond City, and West Melbourne Juniors. Some of these clubs, including Camberwell , were later readmitted to
161-536: The Victorian Football League (VFL, originally known as the VFA ) from 1928 until 2017. The VFA Second Eighteens emerged from the Victorian Junior Football Association (VJFA), the first successful junior football competition in Melbourne which was founded in 1883. Although formally operating as the VFA's reserves competition starting in 1928, the VJFA name was retained until the end of the 1932 season. Coinciding with
184-462: The 1928 season; however, the VJFA name and the Wren Shield as a premiership trophy were both retained until the end of 1932. It was only at this point that competition was formally renamed the VFA Second Eighteens and the Wren Shield was discontinued. The VFA Second Eighteens and its successors, continued to operate until the end of the 2017 season. Over 100 clubs are believed to have competed in
207-503: The VFA moved to convert its affiliated junior clubs into genuine second eighteens controlled by the senior clubs; and, starting from 1928, all other clubs were excluded and the VJFA served wholly as a VFA seconds competition, with free player interchanges between senior and junior level permitted until 1 August each year. The VJFA can be considered to have ceased to exist, replaced by the VFA Second Eighteens , starting from
230-634: The VFL seniors opted not to contest the minor grade. Several regional clubs were unable to sustain teams, with Bendigo and North Ballarat leaving the competition at the end of the 2009 and 2013 seasons respectively. The Development League was abolished after the 2017 season . Eight different clubs competed in the VFL Development League's final season. They were Box Hill , Casey , Coburg , Northern Blues , Port Melbourne , Sandringham , Werribee and Williamstown . Coburg won
253-547: The VJFA. The premiers of the VJFA from 1883 until the discontinuation of the Wren Shield in 1932 are given below. Premierships between 1928 and 1932 are included, but overlap with the commonly recognised VFA seconds premierships. From 1924 until the end of the 1927 season, the winner of the Division 2/VFA Section grand final played the Division 1/VJFA Section winner in the overall VJFA grand final. VFL Development League The VFL Development League , officially known as
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#1732802396204276-541: The beginning of the 2012 season it became the VFL Development League, a move that coincided with the introduction of the AFL Victoria Development Academy which provides development opportunities for up to 25 selected VFL players per year. Fielding a team in the reserves competition was mandatory for all senior VFA teams for most of the competition's history. Since the changes to the VFL in 2000 , all AFL clubs fielding their reserves teams in
299-498: The competition. The competition typically featured smaller clubs from districts already represented in senior football, or the top clubs from other districts. Four successful VJFA clubs from growing districts – West Melbourne , Preston , Northcote and Yarraville – ultimately went on to play senior football in the Victorian Football Association . In 1905, John Wren donated a silver shield to serve as
322-431: The end of 1988 . From its inception until 1979, the seconds team played on Saturday afternoons, playing at home when the senior team played away and vice versa. Starting in 1980, seconds matches were played as curtain-raisers to senior matches, on Saturdays or Sundays as necessary. The competition was later renamed the VFA reserves (becoming the VFL reserves when the competition changed its name in 1996), and then from
345-450: The first successful junior football competition in Melbourne which was founded in 1883. Although formally operating as the VFA's reserves competition starting in 1928, the VJFA name was retained until the end of the 1932 season. Coinciding with the seniors VFA competition, a second reserves division was established in 1961 . Clubs played in the same division as their senior teams, until the separate divisions were abolished for both grades at
368-400: The grounds of goal umpire error, and the match was reversed to a three-point Yarraville victory. Although they had the right to challenge , Railway United refused to play as its own act of protest. At a special meeting of the VJFA, it was proposed that "the club, office bearers and registered players for 1912 be disqualified for life". Although Yarraville offered to play a substitute team, it
391-480: The junior premiership. At its peak in the early 1890s when it was the only top junior football competition, more than twenty-five clubs competed, and from 1892 until 1894 the competition ran in two divisions to manage its numbers. The establishment of other junior football competitions – including the Victorian Second-Rate (1890), Third-Rate (1892) and Fourth-Rate (1893) Junior Football Associations and
414-417: The most reserves premierships, with a total of 18. The competition's final premiership was won by Casey . VFL Development League The VFL Development League , officially known as the AFL Victoria Development League and formerly known as the VFL reserves , VFA seconds/reserves and VFA Second Eighteens , was an Australian rules football competition that operated as a second-tier competition to
437-510: The seniors VFA competition, a second reserves division was established in 1961 . Clubs played in the same division as their senior teams, until the separate divisions were abolished for both grades at the end of 1988 . From its inception until 1979, the seconds team played on Saturday afternoons, playing at home when the senior team played away and vice versa. Starting in 1980, seconds matches were played as curtain-raisers to senior matches, on Saturdays or Sundays as necessary. The competition
460-440: Was decided that no match would be held, and Yarraville retained the 1912 premiership. Railway United was ultimately not expelled from the VJFA, and went on to win the VJFA premiership the following season, defeating Yarraville in the 1913 grand final. The VJFA had ties to the VFA from early on, with many clubs serving as the reserves team for a senior VFA club. In 1912, a rule was in place mandating that clubs align themselves to
483-412: Was later renamed the VFA reserves (becoming the VFL reserves when the competition changed its name in 1996), and then from the beginning of the 2012 season it became the VFL Development League, a move that coincided with the introduction of the AFL Victoria Development Academy which provides development opportunities for up to 25 selected VFL players per year. Fielding a team in the reserves competition
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#1732802396204506-417: Was mandatory for all senior VFA teams for most of the competition's history. Since the changes to the VFL in 2000 , all AFL clubs fielding their reserves teams in the VFL seniors opted not to contest the minor grade. Several regional clubs were unable to sustain teams, with Bendigo and North Ballarat leaving the competition at the end of the 2009 and 2013 seasons respectively. The Development League
529-625: Was mostly administered on an ad hoc basis. A couple of short-lived junior associations had been attempted, but none were successful until the Victorian Junior Football Association was established in April 1883. Clubs represented at the inaugural meeting were Star of Carlton, South Yarra, South Park, Footscray, Brunswick, Emerald-hill, Albion, Richmond, Fortrose, Waverley and North Park. The VJFA, in addition to serving as an administrative body for junior football, ran
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