North Western Football Association

North Western
Football Association
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2025
SportAustralian rules football
Founded1894 (1894)
Official websitenwfa.net.au

The North Western Football Association is an Australian rules football competition based on the North West Coast of Tasmania, Australia.

Origins

The North Western Football Association was formed at a meeting at the Formby Hotel in 1894 and is the oldest continuously running football competition in the state of Tasmania. The first clubs were Devonport, Latrobe, Mersey and Ulverstone.

The NWFA was the senior football body on the coast until a break away group of teams formed the NWFU in 1910.
The NWFA was then looked upon as a junior competition feeding the NWFU and later the TFL Statewide League until their demise and later the NTFL teams.[1]

The competition has seen more than fifty teams participate in its history from all parts of the North West Coast indicating the rise and fall and changing fortunes of many towns throughout history. Clubs such as Burnie Tigers, Cooee, Penguin, Mole Creek, Wilmot, Barrington, Don, East Devonport, Moriarty, Sassafras, Melrose and Gowrie Park are among many to have played in the NWFA.

From mid-1938 until it went into recess during World War II, the NWFA played under VFA rules, a code of rules established by the Victorian Football Association as a rival to the national rules. This most notably meant that throwing the ball was legal during those years. The NWFA was one of the highest level competitions outside the VFA to play under those rules.[2] Upon its resumption after World War II, the NWFA returned to playing under the traditional rules.[3]
The Association currently operates as a nine club competition and the medal awarded to the Association's Best & Fairest player is the Les Hicks Medal.

Clubs

Current

Club Colours Nickname Home Ground Former League Est. Years in NWFA NWFA Premierships
Total Years
East Ulverstone
Crows Haywoods Reserve, Ulverstone – 2000 2000- 1 2002
Forth
Magpies Forth Recreation Ground, Forth NWFU, LFA 1904 1905, 1907-1923, 1927, 1929, 1931-1932, 1934-1940, 1946-1953, ?-present day 21 1922, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1948, 1950, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1965, 1972, 1974, 1980, 2005, 2007, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2022
Motton Preston
Demons Preston Recreation Ground, Preston LFA 1967 1976- 10 1985, 1986, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2021, 2023
Rosebery-Toorak
Hawks Rosebery Park Oval, Rosebery WTFA 1987 1990- 2 1998, 1999
Sheffield
Robins Sheffield Football Ground, Sheffield KFA c.1910 1939, 1956- 8 1964, 1973, 1987, 1988, 1994, 2000, 2003, 2024
Spreyton
Eagles Maidstone Park, Spreyton – 1921 1921-1925, 1945- 9 1954, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1990, 2001, 2011
Turners Beach
Seagulls Turners Beach Football Ground, Turners Beach LFA 1971 1976- 5 1981, 1982, 1983, 1994, 2014
Wesley Vale
Roos Pipers Park, Wesley Vale NWFU 1903 1903-1906, 1908-1940, 1946-1949, 1951- 21 1910, 1921, 1925, 1926, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1949, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1979, 1989, 1996, 1997, 2008, 2009, 2017, 2019

Former

Club Colours Nickname Home Ground Former League Est. Years in NWFA NWFA Premierships Fate
Total Years
Aberdeen 1936-1937 0 - Folded after 1937 season
Albion 1903 0 - Folded after 1903 season
Barrington
KFA 1895-1897, 1901, 1909, 1956-1962 2 1895, 1896 Moved to Wilmot FA in 1921. Merged with Sheffield in 1963
Barrington Rovers
1909 0 - Moved to Wilmot FA after 1909 season
Burnie 1907 0 - Moved to East Wellington FA in 1908
Devonport    Devonport Oval, Devonport – 1881 1894-1908 2 1894, 1898 Formed NWFU in 1910
Devonport Cadets 1921-1923 0 - Folded after 1923 season
Devonport Cobbers 1945 0 - Moved to Devonport Junior FA in 1946
Devonport Juniors 1906-1909, 1926-1928, 1930-1933 1 1933 Left league
Don Tigers 1902-1903, 1906, 1909, 1924-1925, 1927-1928, 1931-1936, 1939 0 - Folded after 1939 season
East Devonport    (1931-32)

   (1933-40)

Girdlestone Park, East Devonport 1901 1931-1936, 1938-1940 0 - Moved to NWFU in 1945
Elizabeth-Railton
Eagles Railton Recreation Reserve, Railton – 1986 1986-1989 0 - Folded after 1989 season
Emu Bay 1901 0 - Moved to East Wellington FA in 1902
Ex Servicemen
– 1950 1950-? 3 1951, 1952, 1953 Folded
Eugenana
DJFA 1950-1951 0 - Folded after 1951 season
Federal 1903-1904 0 - Folded
Gowrie Park
Saints ?-1970 4 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 Folded after 1970 season due to the completion of the Mersey-Forth Hydro project
Harford    1905 0 - Moved to East Devon Junior FA in 1906
High School 1921-1931, 1936-1937 0 - Folded before end of 1937 season
Kindred 1920 0 - Formed Wilmot FA in 1921
Latrobe
Diehards Latrobe Football Ground, Latrobe – 1881 1894-1897, 1903-1908 1 1907 Formed NWFU in 1910
Latrobe Rovers – 1939 1939-1949 1 1945 Became seconds team of Latrobe
Latrobe YCW – 1938 1938 0 - Folded after 1938 season
Melrose – 1907, 1920-1923, 1925-1926, 1929-1932 1 1920 Folded after 1932 season
Mersey
– 1894 1894-1909, 1920-1940, 1948-1949 13 1898, 1899, 1901, 1902, 1904, 1905, 1908, 1909, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1928, 1932 Formed NWFU in 1910, returned in 1919, recess in 1940, re-formed in 1948 and folded after 1949 season.
Mole Creek
Bulldogs Mole Creek Recreation Ground, Mole Creek EDFA 1998-2003 0 - Moved to Leven FA after 2003 season
Moriarty    1905, 1922-1923, 1945-1950 0 - Moved to East Devon Junior FA in 1906. Moved to Latrobe FA in 1951
North Devonport 1904 0 - Folded
Old Devonians – 1935 1935-1939 0 - Folded after 1939 season
Penguin
Two Blues Penguin Recreation Ground, Penguin – 1890 1907 0 - Formed NWFU in 1910
Railton
Tigers Railton Recreation Reserve, Railton 1939-1940, 1946-1985 6 1933, 1946, 1947, 1955, 1961, 1966 Merged with Elizabeth Town to form Elizabeth-Railton in 1986
Sassafras
LFA 1905, 1946, 1948-1950 0 - Moved to East Devon Junior FA in 1906. Moved to Latrobe FA in 1951
Spreyton Shamrocks Shamrocks Medcraft's Paddock, Lower Barrington – 1906 1906 0 - Folded after 1906 season
Sprent
Tigers Sprent Recreation Ground, Sprent DFA 1997-2000 0 - Merged with Ulverstone Districts to form East Ulverstone in 2000
Ulverstone
Robins Ulverstone Football Ground, Ulverstone – 1888 1894, 1900-1904, 1906-1908 3 1900, 1903, 1906 Formed NWFU in 1910
Ulverstone District
Rebels Haywoods Reserve, Ulverstone LFA 1971-1999 4 1971, 1991, 1992, 1993 Merged with Sprent to form East Ulverstone in 2000
West Ulverstone
Lions West Ulverstone Football Ground, West Ulverstone DFA 1973 2002-2023 0 - Entered recess following 2023 season
Wilmot
Robins Wilmot Football Ground, Wilmot KFA 1946, 1956-? 0 - Moved to Kentish FA in 1947

Premiers

List of NWFA Seniors Premiership teams.[4]

  • 1894 Devonport
  • 1895 Barrington
  • 1896 Barrington
  • 1897 Devonport
  • 1898 Mersey
  • 1899 Mersey
  • 1900 Ulverstone
  • 1901 Mersey
  • 1902 Mersey
  • 1903 Ulverstone
  • 1904 Mersey
  • 1905 Mersey
  • 1906 Ulverstone
  • 1907 Latrobe
  • 1908 Mersey
  • 1909 Mersey
  • 1910 Wesley Vale
  • 1911 no details
  • 1912 Don
  • 1913 no details
  • 1914 no details
  • 1915 Competition in Recess Due to WWI
  • 1916 Competition in Recess Due to WWI
  • 1917 Competition in Recess Due to WWI
  • 1918 Competition in Recess Due to WWI
  • 1919 Competition suspended due to Influenza Epidemic[5]
  • 1920 Melrose
  • 1921 Wesley Vale
  • 1922 Forth
  • 1923 Mersey
  • 1924 Mersey
  • 1925 Wesley Vale
  • 1926 Wesley Vale
  • 1927 Mersey
  • 1928 Mersey
  • 1929 Wesley Vale
  • 1930 Wesley Vale
  • 1931 Wesley Vale
  • 1932 Mersey
  • 1933 Devonport Juniors
  • 1934 Wesley Vale
  • 1935 Forth
  • 1936 Wesley Vale
  • 1937 Forth
  • 1938 Forth
  • 1939 Forth
  • 1940 Forth
  • 1941 Competition in Recess Due to WWII
  • 1942 Competition in Recess Due to WWII
  • 1943 Competition in Recess Due to WWII
  • 1944 Competition in Recess Due to WWII
  • 1945 Latrobe Rovers
  • 1946 Railton
  • 1947 Railton
  • 1948 Forth
  • 1949 Wesley Vale
  • 1950 Forth
  • 1951 Ex Servicemen
  • 1952 Ex Servicemen
  • 1953 Ex Servicemen
  • 1954 Spreyton
  • 1955 Railton
  • 1956 Forth
  • 1957 Forth
  • 1958 Forth
  • 1959 Wesley Vale
  • 1960 Wesley Vale
  • 1961 Railton
  • 1962 Sheffield
  • 1963 Wesley Vale
  • 1964 Sheffield
  • 1965 Forth
  • 1966 Railton
  • 1967 Gowrie Park
  • 1968 Gowrie Park
  • 1969 Gowrie Park
  • 1970 Gowrie Park
  • 1971 Ulverstone District
  • 1972 Forth
  • 1973 Sheffield
  • 1974 Forth
  • 1975 Spreyton
  • 1976 Spreyton
  • 1977 Spreyton
  • 1978 Spreyton
  • 1979 Wesley Vale
  • 1980 Forth
  • 1981 Turners Beach
  • 1982 Turners Beach
  • 1983 Turners Beach
  • 1984 Spreyton
  • 1985 Motton Preston
  • 1986 Motton Preston
  • 1987 Sheffield
  • 1988 Sheffield
  • 1989 Wesley Vale
  • 1990 Spreyton
  • 1991 Ulverstone District
  • 1992 Ulverstone District
  • 1993 Ulverstone District
  • 1994 Sheffield
  • 1995 Turners Beach
  • 1996 Wesley Vale
  • 1997 Wesley Vale
  • 1998 Rosebery Toorak
  • 1999 Rosebery Toorak
  • 2000 Sheffield
  • 2001 Spreyton
  • 2002 East Ulverstone
  • 2003 Sheffield
  • 2004 Motton Preston
  • 2005 Forth
  • 2006 Motton Preston
  • 2007 Forth
  • 2008 Wesley Vale
  • 2009 Wesley Vale
  • 2010 Motton Preston
  • 2011 Spreyton
  • 2012 Motton Preston
  • 2013 Motton Preston
  • 2014 Turners Beach
  • 2015 Forth
  • 2016 Forth
  • 2017 Wesley Vale
  • 2018 Forth
  • 2019 Wesley Vale
  • 2020 Motton Preston
  • 2021 Motton Preston
  • 2022 Forth
  • 2023 Motton Preston
  • 2024 Sheffield

Records

NWFA Record Score

  • Sheffield Seniors – 69.29 (443) vs Rosebery Toorak 0.0 in 2021. Rosebery-Toorak set an unfortunate new NWFA benchmark with an all-time low percentage in the 2021 season of 1.635% (68 points scored, 4160 points conceded in 15 games). 60% of their points were scored in one match against West Ulverstone, when they only lost by five goals. For the other 14 games, they kicked 1.0.6 four times, 0.1.1 three times, and went scoreless seven times. Their leading goalkicker was Nick McElwee with two goals, both against West Ulverstone. It was the only time he played for the club all year.[6]
  • Forth Reserves – 66.24 (420) vs Spreyton 0.0 in 2013.

NWFA Individual Goalkicking Record (Match)

  • Ben Holland – (36) – Wesley Vale v Rosebery Toorak in 2024.
  • Note: This is a current Tasmanian state record.[7]

Leading Goal Kickers

Year Player H&A goals Finals goals Total Goals
1975 Ron Mansfield (Spreyton) 0 0 0
1976 Royce Miles (Spreyton) 0 0 0
1977 Royce Miles (Spreyton) 76 0 76
1978 G Smith 66 0 66
1979 B Johnson 65 0 65
1980 Lloyd Dixon (Turners Beach) 110 0 110
1981 Brian Cole (Spreyton) 0 0 0
1982 Brian Hickey (Turners Beach) 122 0 122
1983 Brian Eade (Ulverstone District) 86 0 86
1984 Chris Reynolds (Spreyton) 72 0 72
1985 Brian Eade (Ulverstone District) 102 0 102
1986 David Frenshaw (Sheffield) 88 0 88
1987 Mike Brocksopp (Turners Beach) 102 0 102
1988 Shane Harris (Ulverstone District) 77 0 77
1989 Les Davidson (Spreyton) 49 0 49
1990 Michael Bramich (Spreyton) 58 0 58
1991 Les Davidson (Spreyton) 55 0 55
1992 Robert Cole (Forth) 60 0 60
1993 Robert Cole (Forth) 83 10 93
1994 Tom Honner (Rosebery Toorak) 66 3 69
1995 Iaon Drake (Rosebery Toorak) 80 0 80
1996 Iaon Drake (Rosebery Toorak) 110 11 121
1997 Paul Hampton (Sheffield) 100 0 100
1998 Paul Hampton (Sheffield) 81 3 84
1999 Jason Fellows (Rosebery Toorak) 75 15 90
2000 Craig Muir (Wesley Vale) 111 0 111
2001 Andrew Stretton (Sheffield) 57 0 57
2002 Jason Foley (East Ulverstone) 81 0 81
2003 Andrew Stretton (Sheffield) 0 0 0
2004 Jamie Auton (East Ulverstone) 0 0 0
2005 Jamie Auton (East Ulverstone) 96 2 98
2006 Jamie Auton (East Ulverstone) 127 4 131
2007 Paul Hampton (Spreyton) 101 0 101
2008 Todd Bryan (Spreyton) 120 0 120
2009 Jamie Auton (West Ulverstone) 79 0 79
2010 Jamie Auton (West Ulverstone) 101 0 101
2011 Mathew Smedley (Motton Preston) 70 0 70
2012 Shannon Mulvey (Sheffield) 104 0 104
2013 Claye Sculthorpe (Motton Preston) 137 0 137
2014 Nick Milbourne (Forth) 138 8 146
2015 Nick Milbourne (Forth) 108 0 108
2016 Brodie Dennis (Rosebery Toorak)) 113 0 113
2017 Nick Veal (Forth) 79 2 81
2018 Tristan Weeks (Wesley Vale) 112 8 120

Ladders

2009

North West FA Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts
Motton Preston 15 0 1 0 2617 865 302.54% 60 Elimination Spreyton 26 18 174 West Ulverstone 6 9 45
Wesley Vale 14 0 2 0 2810 1081 259.94% 56 Qualifying Wesley Vale 10 12 72 Turners Beach 8 12 60
Turners Beach 12 0 4 0 2450 1120 218.75% 48 1st Semi Spreyton 25 7 157 Turners Beach 20 9 129
Spreyton 11 0 5 0 2516 1275 197.33% 44 2nd Semi Motton Preston 17 18 120 Wesley Vale 10 6 66
West Ulverstone 7 0 9 0 1580 2266 69.73% 28 Preliminary Wesley Vale 17 16 118 Spreyton 10 14 74
East Ulverstone 6 0 10 0 1282 2007 63.88% 24 Grand Wesley Vale 16 11 107 Motton Preston 12 10 82
Sheffield 4 0 12 0 1292 1972 65.52% 16
Rosebery/Toorak 2 0 14 0 698 2958 23.60% 8
Forth 1 0 15 0 972 2673 36.36% 4

2010

North West FA Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts
Motton Preston 16 2 0 0 2126 711 299.02% 64 Elimination Forth 14 16 100 East Ulverstone 14 15 99
Turners Beach 11 2 5 0 2009 1186 169.39% 44 Qualifying Turners Beach 9 13 67 Spreyton 19 12 126
Spreyton 11 2 5 0 1800 1194 150.75% 44 1st Semi Turners Beach 19 11 125 Forth 13 11 89
Forth 8 2 8 0 1784 1402 127.25% 32 2nd Semi Motton Preston 20 8 128 Spreyton 11 11 77
East Ulverstone 8 2 8 0 1519 1290 117.75% 32 Preliminary Turners Beach 9 15 69 Spreyton 5 8 38
West Ulverstone 8 2 8 0 1832 1585 115.58% 32 Grand Motton Preston 17 12 114 Turners Beach 10 11 71
Sheffield 5 2 11 0 1358 1571 86.44% 20
Rosebery/Toorak 5 2 11 0 1383 1780 77.70% 20
Wesley Vale 0 2 16 0 345 3529 9.78% 0

2011

North West FA Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts
Motton Preston 16 0 0 0 2579 734 351.36% 64 Elimination Forth 18 10 118 East Ulverstone 15 13 103
Spreyton 13 0 3 0 2196 1130 194.34% 52 Qualifying Spreyton 23 18 156 Turners Beach 9 7 61
Turners Beach 10 0 6 0 2000 1252 159.74% 40 1st Semi Turners Beach 12 14 86 Forth 7 4 46
Forth 8 0 8 0 1731 1674 103.41% 32 2nd Semi Motton Preston 27 15 177 Spreyton 10 10 70
East Ulverstone 8 0 8 0 1440 1563 92.13% 32 Preliminary Spreyton 17 15 117 Turners Beach 14 9 93
Rosebery/Toorak 6 0 9 1 1238 1987 62.30% 26 Grand Spreyton 11 18 84 Motton Preston 9 7 61
Wesley Vale 6 0 10 0 1538 2109 72.93% 24
Sheffield 4 0 11 1 1383 1675 82.57% 18
West Ulverstone 0 0 16 0 1071 3051 35.10% 0

2012

North West FA Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts
Motton Preston 15 0 1 0 2390 1005 237.81% 60 Elimination Forth 17 10 112 Spreyton 15 10 100
Sheffield 12 0 4 0 2344 1059 221.34% 48 Qualifying East Ulverstone 21 11 137 Sheffield 18 21 129
East Ulverstone 12 0 4 0 2020 1144 176.57% 48 1st Semi Sheffield 20 10 130 Forth 4 15 39
Spreyton 10 0 6 0 2115 1269 166.67% 40 2nd Semi Motton Preston 17 16 118 East Ulverstone 8 7 55
Forth 7 0 9 0 1752 1400 125.14% 28 Preliminary Sheffield 17 15 117 East Ulverstone 15 9 99
Wesley Vale 7 0 9 0 1698 1426 119.07% 28 Grand Motton Preston 9 11 65 Sheffield 5 4 34
Rosebery/Toorak 7 0 9 0 1626 1370 118.69% 28
West Ulverstone 2 0 14 0 1141 2545 44.83% 8
Turners Beach 0 0 16 0 314 4182 7.51% 0

2013

North West FA Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts
Motton Preston 15 0 1 0 2496 774 322.48% 60 Elimination Rosebery Toorak 7 10 52 Forth 5 15 45
Sheffield 12 0 4 0 2667 1143 233.33% 48 Qualifying Sheffield 23 20 158 Wesley Vale 7 12 54
Wesley Vale 11 0 5 0 2299 1082 212.48% 44 1st Semi Rosebery Toorak 16 16 112 Wesley Vale 13 6 84
Forth 11 0 5 0 2251 1317 170.92% 44 2nd Semi Motton Preston 18 23 131 Sheffield 9 4 58
Rosebery/Toorak 9 0 7 0 1605 1266 126.78% 36 Preliminary Sheffield 16 13 109 Rosebery Toorak 12 18 90
East Ulverstone 7 0 9 0 1306 1657 78.82% 28 Grand Motton Preston 14 16 100 Sheffield 5 7 37
Turners Beach 5 0 11 0 1525 1926 79.18% 20
West Ulverstone 2 0 14 0 937 2679 34.98% 8
Spreyton 0 0 16 0 667 3909 17.06% 0

2014

North West FA Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts
Turners Beach 14 0 2 0 2463 856 287.73% 56 Elimination Forth 24 16 160 Rosebery Toorak 14 15 99
Sheffield 14 0 2 0 3039 1106 274.77% 56 Qualifying Motton Preston 16 10 106 Sheffield 14 16 100
Motton Preston 14 0 2 0 2354 1062 221.66% 56 1st Semi Sheffield 18 18 126 Forth 8 9 57
Forth 9 0 7 0 2271 1108 204.96% 36 2nd Semi Turners Beach 15 15 105 Motton Preston 15 10 100
Rosebery/Toorak 8 0 8 0 1587 1628 97.48% 32 Preliminary Motton Preston 17 14 116 Sheffield 13 5 83
Wesley Vale 7 0 9 0 1644 1805 91.08% 28 Grand Turners Beach 12 14 86 Motton Preston 8 10 58
East Ulverstone 4 0 12 0 963 2283 42.18% 16
West Ulverstone 2 0 14 0 1053 3023 34.83% 8
Spreyton 0 0 16 0 746 3249 22.96% 0

References

  1. ^ "North Western Football Association | NWFA Tasmania | Founded in 1894". www.nwfa.net.au. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008.
  2. ^ "Altered rules adopted at Devonport: outlined and explained". Advocate. Burnie, TAS. 14 July 1938. p. 5.
  3. ^ "Football – N.W. Association". Advocate. Burnie, TAS. 16 March 1946. p. 3.
  4. ^ "North Western FA - AustralianRulesFootball.com.au". Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  5. ^ "NORTH-WESTERN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION". The Examiner. 9 August 1919. p. 4. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  6. ^ "NWFA: 2021 Current ladder". htwebsites.mygameday.app. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Oh, sweet victory". 5 April 2009.
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