The Tallangatta and District Football League (TDFL) is an Australian rules football competition in north-eastern Victoria and the southern border area of the Riverina region of New South Wales. The clubs compete across four competitions, two of which are age restricted (under-17s and under-14s).
Since 1980, the Tallangatta & District Netball Association (TDNA) has run in conjunction with TDFL. The clubs compete across six competitions, three of which are age restricted (18 & Under, 15 & Under, and 13 & Under).
Today all of the 12 clubs across both the TDFL & TDNA are joint football–netball clubs, with the overall best club across all football and netball competitions for the season awarded the Club Championship.
History
Origins The very first Tallangatta Football Association was formed in 1907, with Granya taking out the premiership then in 1908, Sandy Creek defeated Granya in the grand final by two points.
There was a Tallangatta & District Football Association in 1922, with Tallangatta defeating Bethanga in the grand final and in 1923, Kiewa won the premiership by defeating Granya.
In 1929, the Tallangatta & District Football Association was reformed with Granya winning premierships in 1929 and 1933 and were runners up to Mitta Mitta in 1930. In 1931, Mitta Mitta gained premiership honours by defeating Tallangatta. In 1932, it appears that there was no T&DFA, with most local teams playing in the Yackandandah & District Football League.
The Dederang & District Football Association ran from 1932 to 1939, which included many of the clubs that had previously played in the above football competitions.
In 1934 there was a Tallangatta & District Junior Football Association, which was won by Sandy Creek FC in 1934.
The Dederang & District Football Association ran from 1932 to 1939, comprising the following teams - Eskdale, Happy Valley, Kergunyah, Kiewa, Mudgegonga, Tallangatta, Tawonga, Yackandandah.
Then in 1940, the Kiewa & Mitta Valleys Football Association was established from the following teams - Bethanga, Granya, Kiewa, Mitta Valley, Sandy Creek and Tallangatta, but the Association then went into recess in 1941, due to World War Two.
In 1944, the Mitta Valley Patriotic Football Association was established from the following clubs - Eskdale, Fernvale, Mitta Mitta, Sandy Creek and Tallangatta and the Fernvale Football Club were the 1944 Premiers, defeating Sandy Creek Football Club by 51 points at Eskdale.
The Mitta Valley Patriotic Football Association was then superseded by the current Tallangatta & District Football League in 1945.
Founding The Tallangatta and District Football League was officially formed in 1945 comprising six teams and kicked off on 21 April 1945. The final ladder positions for the 1945 season were as follows, with the top four clubs playing finals: 1st: Tallangatta Football Club 2nd: Mitta Football Club 3rd: Fernvale Football Club 4th: Granya Football Club 5th: Sandy Creek Football Club 6th: Bethanga Football Club
The 1945 Grand Final took place on Saturday 21 July, and saw the Tallangatta Magpies (4.7.31) defeat Fernvale (2.9.21) at the Sandy Creek Recreation Reserve (Sandy Creek, Victoria) to become the League's first official Premiers.
In 1952, Eskdale and Mitta merged to form Mitta United Football Club.
New millennium, new clubs Following the exodus by two clubs (Culcairn Lions in 1992 and Holbrook Brookers in 1999) to the Hume Football League, the league's number of clubs remained at eight to start the new millennium. At this time of the seven Indigo Shire based clubs only three competed in the Tallangatta & District Football League (Barnawartha, Kiewa-Sandy Creek, and Yackandandah ). While of the four remaining clubs three competed in the Ovens & King Football League (Beechworth, Chiltern, and Rutherglen-Corowa) and one in the Coreen & District Football League (Wahgunyah).
Chiltern joined the league from the 2003 season, they were the first new club to join the league since the Thurgoona Bulldogs since 1988. The Swans had spent the past 49 years with the Ovens & King Football League, during this time they had won a total of 10 senior football premierships (1957, 1958, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1982, 1983, 1994, 1996, 1998).
In 2003 both the Beechworth Bombers & Rutherglen Cats applied for an application to join the Tallangatta & District Football League but were refused by their current league's board, Ovens & King Football League. Seeking a new home the clubs took their appeal to the Victoria Country Football League and won the right to join the Tallangatta & District Football League from the 2004 season. While Rutherglen were unable to achieve the ultimate success in the Ovens and King Football League they were allowed to keep the Cats as their moniker along with the "Geelong-Style" Navy & White home jumper. Beechworth claimed the O&K flag on 14 occasions (1912, 1913, 1914, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1950, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1974, 1979, 2000, 2001) but were left with no choice then to find a new moniker and jumper, because the Dederang-Mt. Beauty Football Club already used the Bombers as their moniker along with the "Essendon-Style" Red & Black home jumper. Prior to the start of the 2004 season the club unveiled their new identity, they adopted the Bushrangers as their moniker along with the "Port Melbourne-Style" Blue & Red home jumper.
The Wahgunyah Tigers were granted permission to join from the 2008 season after the Coreen & District Football League went into recess at the conclusion of the 2007 season, having won 7 senior football premierships over their 51 years with the league (1948, 1949, 1968, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004). Because the Barnawartha Football Club already used the Tigers as their moniker along with the "Richmond-Style" Yellow & Black home jumper. Wahgunyah were left with no choice but to find a new moniker and jumper. Prior to the start of the 2008 season the club unveiled their new identity, they adopted the Lions as their moniker along with the "Brisbane Lions-Style" Maroon, Blue & Gold home jumper.
Clubs Locations
ClubColoursMonikerHome GroundFormer LeagueJoinedTDFL ChronologyTDFL Senior Premierships Total YearsTDFL History Barnawartha Tigers Barnawartha Recreation Reserve, Barnawartha CDFL 1911 1958– 3 2002, 2013, 2026 Beechworth Bushrangers Baarmutha Park, Beechworth O&KFL 1861 2004– 1 2010 Chiltern Swans Chiltern Recreation and Sports Reserve, Chiltern O&KFL 1860s 2003– 2 2022, 2023 Dederang-Mt. Beauty Bombers Dederang Recreation Reserve, Dederang and Mount Beauty Recreation Reserve, Mount Beauty – 1976 1976– 3 1999, 2001, 2003 Kiewa-Sandy Creek Hawks Coulston Park, Tangambalanga – 1969 1969– 14 1969, 1970, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2018, 2025 Mitta UnitedTeam Most Feared, History of Mitta United FC, John Scales, Mountain Men Eskdale Recreation Reserve, Eskdale and Magorra Park, Mitta Mitta – 1945 1945; 1952– 22 1952, 1953, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1967, 1968, 1973, 1975, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012 Rutherglen Cats Barkly Park, Rutherglen O&KFL 1978 2004– 0 – Tallangatta"Tallangatta Football Club" were known as the "Tallangatta Valley Football Club" from establishment in 1978 until being renamed in 2008. Hoppers Rowen Park, Tallangatta – 1978 1978– 8 1979, 1980, 1989, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2009, 2015 Thurgoona Bulldogs Thurgoona Oval, Thurgoona – 1988 1988– 3 2016, 2017, 2019 Wahgunyah Lions Wahgunyah Recreation Reserve, Wahgunyah CDFNL 1908 2008– 0 – Wodonga Saints"Wodonga Saints Football Club" were known as the "Bethanga Football Club" from establishment in 1907 until relocation in 2001. Saints Martin Park, Wodonga – 1907 1945-1947; 1949-1950; 1952-1955; 1957; 1976– 0 – Yackandandah"Yackandandah Football Club" only competed in TDFL Reserves Grades from the 1969 season until the 1971 season. Roos Butson Park, Yackandandah CDFL 1884 1957-1968; 1972– 3 1964, 2000, 2024
Former clubs
ClubColoursMonikerHome GroundFormer LeagueJoinedTDFL Senior PremiershipsFate Total Years Bandiana Dark with light BFC monogram Bandiana Recreation Reserve, Bandiana C&DFL 1947 1952; 1958–1963; 1965–1972 0 -Folded in 1973http://www.footypedia.com/00005509.htmFootypedia - Bandiana Football Club (Vic) Bogong Bombers Bogong Recreation Reserve, Bogong O&KFL 1946 1960–1963 0 -Merged with Tawonga to form Bogong-Tawonga 1964http://www.footypedia.com/00003732.htmFootypedia - Bogong Football Club (Vic) Bullioh Valley(1947-63)(1964-77) Bulldogs Wyeeboo/Bullioh Recreation Reserve, Tallangatta Valley – 1947 1947–1958; 1960–1977 1 1950Merged with Tallangatta to form Tallangatta Valley in 1977http://www.footypedia.com/00001667.htmFootypedia - Bullioh Valley Football Club (Vic) Culcairn Lions Culcairn Recreation Reserve, Culcairn FFL 1914 1981–1991 1 1990Moved to Hume FNL in 1992http://www.footypedia.com/00001627.htmFootypedia - Culcairn Football Club (NSW) Dederang Dederang Recreation Reserve, Dederang YDFL 1906 1955–1975 2 1958, 1962Merged with Mt Beauty to form Dederang-Mt Beauty in 1975http://www.footypedia.com/00001670.htmFootypedia - Dederang Football Club (Vic) Eskdale"Eskdale Football Club" were known as the "Mitta Valley Football Club" from reforming in 1947 until being renamed in 1951. (1924)