The final siren has sounded for the Victorian Country Football League after a motion to cancel the league was passed at the annual general meeting on Saturday.
The decision comes after the VCFL Board put forward a special resolution to its affiliate members to close the VCFL after the successful integration with AFL Victoria in 2012.
The board determined the VCFL’s role in controlling country football in Victoria had diminished, with all operations previously undertaken now conducted by AFL Victoria and its region commissions.
“The VCFL’s successful integration with AFL Victoria has led to the positive establishment of regional commissions and importantly a revamped staffing structure,” VCFL president Nicholas Rolfe said.
“(This structure) now includes 28 football development managers and 10 region general managers as opposed to the four area managers the VCFL previously had.”
Founded in 1927, the VCFL began facilitating Australian Rules football across eight different regions including Ballarat, Bendigo, Gippsland, Gippsland South, Goulburn Valley, Ovens and Murray, Western and Wimmera.
Today, country football has grown to 13 regional commissions which service more than 81,000 footballers across Victoria.
The final chapter of the association’s integration into AFL Victoria was completed with the induction of three new life members: Gerard Lucas, Brett Fitzpatrick and Steven Reaper.
