Eastern Football Netball League facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Eastern Football Netball League

Formerly	Eastern Districts Football League (1962-1997) Eastern Football League (1998-2019)
Sport	Australian rules football
Founded	1962; 63 years ago (1962)
Owner(s)	Lyle Anderson
CEO	Jy Bond
No. of teams	54 49 (men's) 34 (women's) 4 (juniors only)
Official website	efnl.org.au

The Eastern Football Netball League (EFNL) is a large sports league for Australian rules football and netball. It is located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. The league has teams for men, women, and junior players.

It was first called the Eastern Districts Football League (EDFL) and later the Eastern Football League (EFL).

History of the League

The Eastern Districts Football League officially started on February 15, 1962. However, its roots go all the way back to 1903 with a league called the Reporter District Football League. The first clubs in that league were Bayswater, Box Hill, Canterbury, Ferntree Gully, Mitcham, and Ringwood.

Over the years, several different football groups came together to form the league we know today. In 1997, the league joined with the Knox Junior Football Association. This merger created the Eastern Football League.

In 2019, the league changed its name to the Eastern Football Netball League. This was to show that netball is also a very important part of the competition.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EFNL had to cancel its 2020 season.

As of 2025, the league has grown to include 54 different clubs.

Clubs in the EFNL

The EFNL has many clubs spread across Melbourne's eastern suburbs. The teams are organized into different divisions based on their skill level.

Club Locations

Men's Teams (2025)

The men's competition has five divisions. The top division is called Premier Division.

Premier Division

Club	Jumper	Nickname	Home Ground	Years in EFNL	EFNL Senior Premierships
					Total	Most recent
Balwyn		Tigers	Balwyn Park, Balwyn	2007-	6	2024
Berwick		Wickers	Edwin Flack Reserve, Berwick	2021-	0	-
Blackburn		Panthers	Morton Park, Blackburn	1962-	3	2002
Doncaster East		Lions	Zerbes Reserve, Doncaster East	1982-	4	2019
East Ringwood		Roos	East Ringwood Reserve, East Ringwood	1962-	5	2022
Mitcham		Tigers	Walker Park, Mitcham	1962-	9	2024
Noble Park		Bulls	Pat Wright Senior Oval, Noble Park	2000-	5	2022
Rowville		Hawks	Seebeck Oval, Rowville	1965-	6	2023
South Croydon		Bulldogs	Cheong Park, South Croydon	1969-	8	2017
Vermont		Eagles	Vermont Recreation Reserve, Vermont	1962-	21	2019

Other Men's Divisions

The league also has Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, and Division 4 for men's teams. These divisions feature many other clubs from the area. Some clubs have been in the league since it started in 1962, while others have joined more recently.

Women's Teams (2025)

The women's competition is also very popular and has grown a lot. It has five divisions, from Premier Division down to Division 4.

Premier Division

Club	Jumper	Nickname	Home Ground	Years in EFNL	EFNL Senior Premierships
					Total	Most recent
Boronia		Hawks	Tormore Reserve, Boronia	2021-	1	2023
Eastern Devils		Devils	Mulgrave Reserve, Wheelers Hill	2021-	2	2023
Park Orchards		Sharks	Domeney Reserve, Park Orchards	2021-	1	2024
South Belgrave		Saints	Belgrave South Recreation Reserve, Belgrave South	2024-	0	-
South Croydon		Bulldogs	Cheong Park, South Croydon	2021-	2	2024
The Basin		Bears	Batterham Reserve, The Basin	2021-	0	-
Vermont		Eagles	Vermont Recreation Reserve, Vermont	2021-	2	2022
Whitehorse Pioneers		Pioneers (formerly Suns)	Springfield Park, Box Hill North	2021-	0	-

Junior Only Clubs

Some clubs in the EFNL focus only on junior teams for younger players. This helps kids learn the game and develop their skills.

Club	Jumper	Nickname	Home Ground	Est.	Years in EFNL
Endeavour Hills		Eagles	Singleton Reserve, Endeavour Hills	1978	2021-
Glen Waverley Rovers		Rovers	Brentwood Reserve, Glen Waverley	1970
Lysterfield		Wolves	Lakesfield Reserve, Lysterfield	2008	2011-
Rowville Knights (St. Simons)		Knights	Liberty Avenue Reserve, Rowville	1993	1999-

Recent Champions

Winning a premiership, or championship, is the biggest prize for any team in the league. Here are the recent winners for the top divisions.

Men's Recent Premiers

Women's Recent Premiers

Former Clubs

Over the years, some clubs have left the EFNL. They may have moved to a different league, merged with another club, or stopped playing.

Club	Jumper	Nickname	Years in EFNL	Fate
					Balwyn Combined		Demons	1996	Folded in 1996
Bennettswood		Swans	1968-1986	Merged with Blackburn South to form Bennettswood-Blackburn South in 1987
Bennettswood-Blackburn South		Swans	1987-1990	Folded in 1991
Blackburn South			1984-1986	Merged with Bennettswood to form Bennettswood-Blackburn South in 1987
Clayton		Clays	1985-1998	Moved to the Southern FNL in 1999
Canterbury		Cobras	2009-2013	Moved to the VAFA in 2014
East Hawthorn		Hawks	1970-1972	Moved to the Northern Metropolitan FL in 1973
Mount Evelyn		Rovers	1962-2001, 2022-2024	Moved to the Yarra Ranges FNL in 2002
Noble Park Bears		Bears	1989-1996	Folded in 1996
North Croydon		Kangaroos	1986-1990	Moved to the Yarra Ranges FNL in 1991
Olinda		Bloods	1965-1985	Moved to the Yarra Ranges FNL in 1986
Southern Cobras		Cobras	1977-2005	Moved to the Southern FNL in 2006
Surrey Hills			1962-1993	Merged with East Camberwell to form Surrey Park in 1994
SBL Wolves		Wolves	2017-2023	Split into Lysterfield and South Belgrave Junior Football Clubs
Wandin		Bulldogs	1962-1971	Moved to the Yarra Ranges FNL in 1972
Waverley		Panthers	1991-1998	Merged with Mount Waverley Burwood to form Waverley Blues in 1999
Yarra Glen		River Pigs	1962-1984	Moved to the Yarra Ranges FNL in 1985

Images for kids

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  Bayswater Women's jumper

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  The Basin Women's jumper

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  SBL Wolves jumper

• South Waverley Sandown Football Jumper.jpg

  South Waverley Sandown jumper

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  Surrey Hills jumper