Wellington Australian Football League

Wellington Australian Football League (WAFL)
FormerlyWellington Australian Football Association (WAFA)
SportAustralian rules football
Founded1974 (1974)
No. of teams4
CountryNew Zealand
Sponsor(s)Pelorus Trust, NZ Community Trust and Infinity Foundation
Official websitehttps://wellingtonafl.co.nz/

Wellington AFL is an Australian rules football competition in Wellington, New Zealand consisting of 4 men's and 2 women's clubs and is one of the Leagues governed by AFL New Zealand. It was founded in 1974. The current Wellington women's league was founded in 2021.

Clubs

All games are played at Hutt Park, Lower Hutt

Men

Club Colours Nickname Est. Years in WAFL WAFL Premierships
Total Years
Eastern Suburbs
Bulldogs 1973 1973- 11 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2022
Hutt Valley Eagles (Upper Hutt)
Eagles ?-present 2 2010, 2011

Women

Club Colours Nickname Est. Years in WAFL WAFL Premierships
Total Years
Ngā Manu Rere
2021 2021- 0 -
South Coast Swell
Swell 2021 2021- 4 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Former

Club Colours Nickname Home Ground Est. Years in WAFL WAFL Premierships
Total Years
Lower Hutt
Tigers Hutt Park, Lower Hutt ? 0 - Merged with Upper Hutt to form Hutt Valley Eagles
North City Demons Demons ?-2022 0 - Folded after 2022 season
Upper Hutt
Eagles ? 1 1995 Merged with Lower Hutt to form Hutt Valley Eagles
Wellington City
Saints Kelburn Park, Kelburn 1994 1994-2022 1 2018 Folded after 2022 season

Results

Men's

Year Premier Runner up Result
2024
2023
2022 Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs Hutt Valley Eagles
2019 Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs Wellington City Saints 53-23
2018 Wellington City Saints Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs 37-34
2014 Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs North City Demons 84-40[1]
2011 Hutt Valley Eagles Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs 75-52
2010 Hutt Valley Eagles Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs
2009 Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs
2008 Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs
2007 Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs
2005 Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs
2001 Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs
2000 Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs
1998 Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs
1996 Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs
1995 Upper Hutt Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs

Women's

Year Premier Runner up Result
2024 South Coast Swell Ngā Manu Rere
2023 South Coast Swell Ngā Manu Rere 68-27
2022 South Coast Swell Ngā Manu Rere 44-9
2021 South Coast Swell Ngā Manu Rere

Historic League

The Wellington League of Australian Football ran from 1904 until the end of 1909. The league was formed in May 1904 at a meeting in Wellington, with the secretary being J.T. Kelly and had two founding clubs: Lefroy and Federal[2] and played its first match at Seatoun Park.[3] The league expanded to five clubs in its first season.[4] Despite substantial growth it finally folded due to ongoing access issues with the Football Association to its primary venue the Basin Reserve due to a lack of alternative venues.[5][6]

Clubs

Club Location Formed Colours
City Football Club (formerly Lefroy) Wellington 1903 Dark and light blue
Federal Football Club Carlton Hall grounds, Vivian Street Wellington 1903
Petone Football Club Petone 1904[7]
Newtown Football Club Newtown, New Zealand 1904
Wanderers Football Club (formerly Imperial) Sports Club, Wellington 1904

References

  1. ^ Doggies day out in Wellington by Rod Shaw for World Footy News 16 February 2014
  2. ^ EVENING POST, VOLUME LXVII, ISSUE 126, 28 MAY 1904, PAGE 2
  3. ^ NEW ZEALAND TIMES, VOLUME LXXVI, ISSUE 5288, 28 MAY 1904, PAGE 5
  4. ^ EVENING POST, VOLUME LXVII, ISSUE 131, 3 JUNE 1904, PAGE 2
  5. ^ EVENING POST, VOLUME LXXV, ISSUE 78, 1 APRIL 1908, PAGE 8
  6. ^ NEW ZEALAND TIMES, VOLUME XXXI, ISSUE 6817, 13 MAY 1909, PAGE 6
  7. ^ EVENING POST, VOLUME LXVII, ISSUE 141, 15 JUNE 1904, PAGE 5