Victorian Netball League

The Victorian Netball League is a state netball league featuring teams from Victoria, Australia. The league is organised by Netball Victoria. The modern league was first played for during the 2009 season. It replaced an earlier state league as the top level netball competition in Victoria. On a national level, the VNL is effectively a third-level league, below Suncorp Super Netball and the Australian Netball League. Between 2009 and 2011, due to sponsorship and naming rights arrangements, the VNL was also known as the Holden Cruze Cup. Since 2018, the league has been sponsored by Bupa and, as a result, it is also known as the Bupa Victorian Netball League. The league features ten teams who enter teams in three divisions – the Championship, Division 1 and an Under-19 division. Historically, the league's most successful team has been City West Falcons. Originally known as Hume City Falcons, they have won five Championships and fourteen premierships across all three divisions.

Victorian Netball League
Founded2009
CountryAustralia
RegionVictoria
DivisionsChampionship
Division 1
Under-19
Number of teams10
Level on pyramid3
Current championsCity West Falcons
Most championshipsCity West Falcons
(6 Championships)
Websitevic.netball.com.au

History

Foundation

The modern league was first played for during the 2009 season. It replaced an earlier Netball Victoria state league as the top level netball competition in Victoria. The earlier state league featured eighteen teams but, after restructuring, this number was reduced to ten. The founding ten members of the new league were Ballarat Pride, Boroondara Genesis, Geelong Cougars, Hume City Falcons, Monash University Central, North East Blaze, Peninsula Waves, Southern Saints, VU Western Lightning and Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels. The new league featured three divisions – the Championship, Division 1 and an Under-19 division. The ten teams enter a team in each division. The new structure was designed to encourage player development.[1][2][3][4]

City West Falcons

Historically, the league's most successful team has been City West Falcons who have won six Championships and 16 premierships across all three divisions.[5] As Hume City Falcons they won the inaugural Championship in 2009 and then retained it in 2010.[2][6][7] With a team that included Kathleen Knott they won their first Championship as City West Falcons in 2012 [8][9] and then retained it in 2013.[10][11] In 2018, Falcons won their fifth Championship title.[12][13] Falcons won their sixth Championship title in 2022, also winning the U-19 grand final.

Victorian Fury

The Australian Netball League team Victorian Fury is effectively the representative team of the VNL. In turn, Fury is the reserve team of Melbourne Vixens.[14][15][16]

Teams

2023 teams
Team Home venue/base Home city/town/suburb
Ariels VCNA [17][18]Maroondah Nets [19]Heathmont, Victoria
Boroondara Express [20][21]Boroondara Sports ComplexBoroondara
Casey Demons [22][23][24]Casey StadiumCity of Casey
City West Falcons [5]Maribyrnong College[7]Maribyrnong, Victoria
Geelong Cougars [25][26]Geelong
Hawks Netball [27][28][29]
Melbourne University Lightning [30][31][32]Parkville CampusUniversity of Melbourne
North East Blaze [33][34]Community Bank StadiumDiamond Creek, Victoria
Peninsula Waves [35][36]Mornington Peninsula
Wilson Storage Southern Saints [37][38]City of Bayside
Notes

Source:[3][24][40][41][42]

Former teams
Team Home city/town/suburb Debut season Final season
Ballarat Pride [4][43][44]Ballarat20092014
ACU Sovereigns [44][45][46]Ballarat20152018

Championship grand finals
Season Winners Score Runners Up Venue
2009 [2][5][20]Hume City Falcons47–44Boroondara GenesisSNHC
2010 [5]Hume City FalconsSNHC
2011 [20][28]Monash University StormBoroondara ExpressSNHC
2012 [8][9]City West Falcons42–37VU-Western LightningSNHC
2013 [10][11]City West Falcons44–41Peninsula WavesSNHC
2014 [47][48]Southern Saints48–42City West FalconsSNHC
2015 [49][50]Boroondara Express50–44City West FalconsSNHC
2016 [51][52]Melbourne University Lightning53–52City West FalconsSNHC
2017 [53][54]North East Blaze49–46Melbourne University LightningSNHC
2018 [12][13]City West Falcons56–48Geelong CougarsSNHC
2019 [55][56][57][58]Geelong Cougars69–55Casey DemonsSNHC
2020No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021No finals series played[59]
2022[60][61]City West Falcons49–47Geelong CougarsParkville

Notable players

The VNL is effectively a feeder league for the Suncorp Super Netball teams Melbourne Vixens and Collingwood Magpies. VNL players have also played for the Australia national netball team and other international teams.[14][62]

Internationals
 Australia
 Malawi
 Scotland
 Sri Lanka

Melbourne Vixens

Collingwood Magpies

Source:[6][9][30][50][52][54][56][62]

Award winners
Margaret Caldow Trophy

The Championship MVP award is named after Margaret Caldow.

Season Player Team
2009 [2]Brooke ThompsonVU Western Lightning
2010
2011[63]Melinda CranstonBoroondara Genesis
2012 [8]Caitlyn Strachan (Note 1)Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels
Mwai KumwendaPeninsula Waves
Helen BarclayMonash University Central
2013 [10]Caitlyn Strachan(Note 2)Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels
Brooke ThompsonVU Western Lightning
2014 [47]Chloe WatsonCity West Falcons
2015 [49]Kathleen KnottCity West Falcons
2016 [51]Maggie LindCity West Falcons
2017 [53]Micaela WilsonNorth East Blaze
2018
2019[64]Julia WoolleyGeelong Cougars
2020Not awarded
2021[59]Julia Woolley (Note 3)Geelong Cougars
Maggie LindCity West Falcons
2022[65]Nyah AllenNorth East Blaze
Notes
  • ^1 2012 award was shared.
  • ^2 2013 award was shared.
  • ^3 2021 award was shared.
Player of the Championship Grand Final
Season Player Team
2009 [2]Ashlee HowardBoroondara Genesis
2010
2011
2012 [8]Christie BarnesCity West Falcons
2013 [10]Elizabeth WatsonCity West Falcons
2014 [47]Leah PercySouthern Saints
2015 [49]Sarah YuleBoroondara Express
2016 [51]Dani StewartMelbourne University Lightning
2017 [53]Micaela WilsonNorth East Blaze
2018
2019 [56]Vanessa AugustiniGeelong Cougars
2022 [66]Zoe DaviesCity West Falcons

Main sponsors
Years
GM Holden Ltd/Holden Cruze[2][67][68]2009–2011
Devine Homes [8][10]2012–2013
Bupa[12][55][69][70]2018–

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