The Eastern Suburban Football League (ESFL) was an Australian rules football competition based in Melbourne's eastern suburbs that ran for 30 years between 1932 and 1962.

History The Eastern Suburban Football League was first proposed in January 1932 when representatives from Balwyn, Box Hill City, Canterbury, Deepdene and Hartwell met at the Hawthorn Football Club with the intention of forming a local football league. It was officially founded in March when representatives from Balwyn, Box Hill City, Canterbury, Glen Iris, South Camberwell and Tooronga met and drew up a constitution for the new league. Many of these clubs had previously competed in the VFL Sub-Districts competition, which they felt favoured clubs based in northern Melbourne over eastern clubs and also contained some clubs with unsavoury supporters. It was felt that forming a local eastern league would be a favourable solution to this problem. The first games of the new competition occurred on April 30, 1932, with Caulfield City also entering the ESFL. South Camberwell won the first premiership, defeating Canterbury in a challenge final.

The ESFL expanded quickly, adding 5 new clubs (Hartwell, Deepdene, Surrey Hills, East Hawthorn and Glen Waverley) in 1933 and another 4 (Ormond, East Malvern, Box Hill East and Kew District) in 1934. After Auburn joined for the 1935 season, South Camberwell and Glen Waverley departed and Box Hill East merged with Box Hill City, the league was left with 17 clubs - an unwieldy number which saw it divide into two grades for the first time.

The ESFL became the first league to cancel its affiliation with the Victorian Football Union midway through the 1939 season, as they felt the VFU did not do enough to prevent star ESFL players from being poached by other leagues. The league did not officially resign from the VFU, however, which allowed it to keep using VFU umpires and ignore any player clearances submitted. This was not discovered until midway through the 1940 season, whereupon the VFU banned the ESFL, preventing any VFU players from transferring to the ESFL. This ban was mostly ignored by the ESFL, which went into recess after the 1941 season due to World War II.

Upon reforming in 1945 the ESFL split into an East and West section, as petrol rationing meant that it was difficult for clubs to travel over the large area the league had come to cover. By 1950 the league had returned to a more traditional A-B-C grade system.

The 1950s proved to be trying times for the ESFL. The growing Croydon Ferntree Gully Football League began picking off clubs - first Ringwood in 1954, then Surrey Hills and Mitcham in 1955, Vermont in 1958, Blackburn and East Burwood in 1960 and Doncaster and Nunawading in 1961. With only 12 clubs left in 1962 the ESFL was left with no choice but to look for a merger, and after the season joined with the Caulfield-Oakleigh District Football League to form the South East Suburban Football League for 1963.

Clubs

Final

First Division ClubJumperNicknameHome GroundFormer LeagueEst.Years in ESFLESFL Senior PremiershipsFateTotalMost recentAuburnVictoria Road Reserve, Hawthorn EastVSDFLc.19201935–196261950Folded after 1962 seasonBalwyn (1932–40) (1956–62)TigersBalwyn Park, BalwynVSDFL, VAFA19091932–1940, 1956–196221934Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 seasonBurnleyBurnley Oval, BurnleyVJFA1920s1940–196261962Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 seasonBurwoodWoodsBurwood Reserve, Glen IrisESPCFA1940s1959–19620 -Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 seasonCanterburyCobrasCanterbury Sports Ground, Surrey HillsVSDFL18811932–196211956Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 seasonGlen IrisGladiatorsEric Raven Reserve, Glen Iris–19321932–196231956*Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 seasonHawthorn AmateursVictoria Road Reserve, Hawthorn EastVAFA19541958–19620 -Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 seasonNorth KewBearsStradbroke Park, Kew East–19321945–196221960*Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 seasonToorongaJohnson Oval, Tooronga Park, MalvernVSDFL19191932–19620 -Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 season *won in lower division

Second Division ClubJumperNicknameHome GroundFormer LeagueEst.Years in ESFLESFL Senior PremiershipsFateTotalMost recentBalwyn B (1932–40) (1956–62)TigersBalwyn Park, BalwynVSDFL, VAFA19091932–1940, 1956–196221934Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 seasonBennettswoodSwansBennettswood Reserve, Burwood–19591959–196211962Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 seasonBurwood BWoodsBurwood Reserve, Glen IrisESPCFA1940s1959–19620 -Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 seasonCanterbury BCobrasCanterbury Sports Ground, Surrey HillsVSDFL18811932–196211956Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 seasonCaulfield AmateursCaulfield Park, Caulfield North194619620 -Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 seasonDeepdeneDark with lighter veeDeepdene Park, Deepdene–19331933–19620 -Folded after 1962 seasonGlen Iris BGladiatorsEric Raven Reserve, Glen Iris–19321932–196231956*Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 seasonTooronga BJohnson Oval, Tooronga Park, MalvernVSDFL19191932–19620 -Formed South East Suburban FL after 1963 season

Former ClubJumperNicknameHome GroundFormer LeagueEst.Years in ESFLESFL Senior PremiershipsFateTotalMost recentAshburtonDragonsAshburton Reserve, Ashburton–1940s1946–196011953Moved to Caulfield-Oakleigh District FL after 1960 seasonBlackburn(?-1950-?)(1936-?,?-1960)PanthersMorton Park, BlackburnRDFL18901936–196031952Moved to Croydon-Ferntree Gully FL after 1960 seasonBox Hill White HorsesWhitehorse Reserve, Box Hill–19361936–195011939Moved to VFA after 1950 seasonBox Hill CityWhitehorse Reserve, Box HillESPCFA1920s1932–19350 -Merged with Box Hill East to form Box Hill after 1935 seasonBox Hill East1934–19350 -Merged with Box Hill City to form Box Hill after 1935 seasonCaulfield CityCaulfield Park, Caulfield NorthCODJFA19241932–194111940Moved to Caulfield-Oakleigh District FL in 1946 after WWIIDoncaster(1941)(?-1961)SharksSchramms Reserve, DoncasterRDFL19021938–196111939Moved to Croydon-Ferntree Gully FL after 1961 seasonEast BurwoodRamsEast Burwood Reserve, East BurwoodVFDFL19101939–196011954Moved to Croydon-Ferntree Gully FL after 1960 seasonEast Caulfield1935–19370 -Unknown after 1937. Played in VAFA between 1946 and 1953.East HawthornHawksSt. James Park, HawthornESPCFA19311933–195451954Moved to Metropolitan FL after 1954 seasonEast Malvern DemonsWaverley Oval, Malvern East–19341934–19450 -Moved to Caulfield-Oakleigh District FL after 1945 seasonEast KewVictoria Park, Kew–19371937–1940, 194511938Moved to CYMSFA in 1947East RingwoodRoosEast Ringwood Reserve, East RingwoodCDFL192919500 -Moved to Croydon-Ferntree Gully FL after 1950 seasonGlenferrie DistrictGlenferrie Oval, Hawthorn–19361936–19410 -U18 side connected with Hawthorn. Did not reform after WWII.GlenhuntlyHuntersGlen Huntly Park, Caulfield EastESFL1900s1950–19520 -Moved to Caulfield-Oakleigh District FL after 1945 seasonGlen-OrmeKoornang Park, CarnegieVFDFL19461951–19530 -Folded after 1953 seasonGlen WaverleyCentral Reserve, Glen WaverleyVSDFL19081933–19340 -Moved to Victorian Federal Districts FL after 1934 seasonGreat EasternDeepdene Park, Deepdene–194719470 -Folded after 1947 seasonHartwellWellersHartwell Sports Ground, Glen IrisESPCFA1920s1933–193711936Returned to Eastern Suburban Protestant Churches FA after 1937 seasonHawthorn Boys Club–19491949–19500 -Folded after 1950 seasonKew DistrictDistrictsVictoria Park, KewVSDFL19221934–19380 -Folded after 1938 seasonMitchamTigersWalker Park, MitchamRDFL18881938–195511952Moved to Croydon-Ferntree Gully FL after 1955 seasonNoble ParkTigersPat Wright Senior Oval, Noble ParkDDFA191819540 -Moved to Caulfield-Oakleigh District FL after 1954 seasonNunawadingLionsNunawading Recreation Reserve, NunawadingRDFL19271946–196111955Moved to Croydon-Ferntree Gully FL after 1961 seasonOrmond secondsMondersEE Gunn Reserve, Ormond–19321934–19390 -Disbanded due to loss of players to WWII enlistments.ParkfieldParkfield Reserve, Noble Park–19541954–19570 -Moved to Caulfield-Oakleigh District FL after 1957 seasonRichmond CityCitizens Park, RichmondVJFA1890s1940–19410 -Merged with Burnley after WWII.RingwoodMagpiesJubilee Park, RingwoodRDFL18991945–195411951Moved to Croydon-Ferntree Gully FL after 1954 seasonRuwoltsSMIL19400 -Folded after 1940 seasonSouth CamberwellHoward Dawson Reserve, Glen IrisVSDFL1920s1932–193611932Moved to VAFA after 1936 seasonState Electricity CommissionSMIL1941, 19460 -Moved to VAFA after 1947 seasonSurrey HillsSurrey Park, Box HillMAFA18871933–195511937Moved to Croydon-Ferntree Gully FL after 1955 seasonTemplestoweStowers, MaroonsTemplestowe Reserve, TemplestoweDVFL18921946, 1955–19610 -Moved to Diamond Valley FL after 1946 and 1961 seasonVermontEaglesVermont Recreation Reserve, VermontVFDFL19191937–195821958Moved to Croydon-Ferntree Gully FL after 1958 season

Premierships Year1st Division2nd DivisionC grade1962BurnleyBennettswoodNo comp (1961–621961BurnleyDoncaster B1960East RingwoodNorth KewDoncaster B1959BurnleyHawthorn AmateursBlackburn B1958BurnleyVermontCanterbury B1957North KewBurnleyCanterbury B1956CanterburyGlen IrisCanterbury B1955VermontNunawadingVermont B1954East HawthornEast BurwoodAshburton B1953East HawthornAshburtonTooronga B1952MitchamBlackburnCanterbury B1951RingwoodGlen IrisCanterbury B1950AuburnBlackburnDeepdene BOverall premierEastWestNo comp (1945–1949)B grade/2nd Eighteens1949AuburnRingwoodAuburnCanterbury B1948?RingwoodAuburnCanterbury B1947AuburnMitchamAuburnRingwood B1946East HawthornBox HillEast HawthornGlen Iris B1945Glen IrisBox HillGlen IrisNo comp (1945)1944ESFL in recess during WWII194319421941East HawthornBlackburn1940Caulfield CityBurnley1939Box HillDoncaster1938East HawthornEast Kew1937AuburnSurrey Hills1936AuburnHartwell1935Auburn1934Balwyn1933Balwyn1932South Camberwell References