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The Horsham District Football League is an amateur Australian rules football league based in the Wimmera area of Western Victoria.

History

The league in its present form was created in 1946. Prior to World War 2 a number of local leagues existed around Horsham, shrinking to one in 1934. The clubs that played in the previous incarnation in 1934 were Green Park (which won the premiership), CYMS, Quantong, Adelphians, Church of England, Longerenong and Pimpinio Seconds. The clubs that played in 1946 were Kalkee (which won the premiership), Horsham Homers, Wonwondah, Jung, Wail, Laharum, RSL, Longerenong College, Taylors Lake and YCW.

In 1982 the league expanded after the West Wimmera Football League disbanded and five clubs joined: Goroke, Noradjuha, Douglas-Harrow-Miga Lake, Gerang - Kiata, and Netherby-Lorquon. This brought the total to sixteen clubs. Since then all of these West Wimmera clubs have gone into recess, and Imperials-Wonwondah moved to the Wimmera Football League in 1983.

In 2000, after the folding of the Ararat & District Football Association, Stawell Swifts and Great Western joined the competition.

Edenhope-Apsley joined from the Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara Football League in 2007. Natimuk and Horsham Diggers (Wimmera Football League) voted on a merger for 2014 season and beyond under the banner of Natimuk United Football Netball Club. The club wore the Natimuk jumper for home games and Horsham Diggers jumper for away games. They kept scheduling a match on Anzac Day.

Swifts were premiers in 2014 after defeating the previously undefeated Laharum in the grand final.

Laharum defeated Kalkee in the 2015 grand final.

Jeparit-Rainbow transferred from the Mallee Football League for the 2015 season. This caused the Mallee League to fold at the end of the 2015 season.

Consequently, Hopetoun and Beulah merged to form the Southern Mallee Giants and transferred to the Horsham & District League in 2016. They dominated the competition for two seasons without losing a game before transferring to the Wimmera Football League.

The league did not play any games in 2020 due to Victorian restrictions for the COVID-19 pandemic. Kaniva-Leeor United joined the Horsham & District League in 2020 from the Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara League, as state border restrictions made it difficult for Kaniva, a Victorian club, to play in the South Australian league. Some of the season was played in 2021; however, there were no finals due to lockdowns in August.

Jeparit Rainbow left the league at the end of 2023 after merging with the Southern Mallee Giants in the Wimmera Football Netball League, leaving the Horsham & District League with 11 clubs.

Clubs

Current

Club	Colours	Nickname	Home Ground	Former League	Est.	Years in comp	HDFNL Senior Premierships
							Total	Years
Edenhope-Apsley		Saints	Edenhope Showgrounds, Edenhope	KNTFL	1999	2007–	0	-
Harrow Balmoral		Kangaroos	Harrow & District Recreation Reserve, Harrow and Balmoral Recreation Reserve, Balmoral	–	1997	1997–	8	1999, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024
Kalkee		Kees	Kalkee Recreation Reserve, Kalkee	CWFL	1890	1945–1948, 1954–1958, 1960–	15	1946, 1947, 1948, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1989, 2000, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Kaniva Leeor United		Cougars	Kaniva Recreation Reserve, Kaniva	KNTFL	1996	2020–	0	-
Laharum		Demons, Mountain Men	Cameron Oval, Laharum	CWFL	1923	1936–	10	1938, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1987, 1995, 2013, 2015
Natimuk United		Rams	Natimuk Showgrounds, Natimuk	–	2014	2014–	0	-
Noradjuha-Quantong		Bombers	Quantong Recreation Reserve, Quantong	–	1997	1997–	0	-
Pimpinio		Tigers	Pimpinio Sporting Complex, Pimpinio	CWFL	1909	1968–	2	2005, 2006
Rupanyup		Panthers	Rupanyup Recreation Reserve, Rupanyup	WFNL	1870s	1981–	8	1985, 1986, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2022
Swifts		Baggies	North Park, Stawell	ADFA	1913	2000–	2	2003, 2014
Taylors Lake		Lakers	Dock Lake Recreation Reserve, Drung	–	1946	1946–	1	1952

Past Clubs

Club	Colours	Nickname	Home Ground	Former League	Est.	Years in comp	HDFNL Senior Premierships		Fate
							Total	Years
Adelphians				HJFA	c.1930s	1936	0	-	Folded
Ararat Eagles		Eagles	Alexandra Oval, Ararat	–	2000	2000	0	-	Moved to Lexton Plains FL in 2001
Armoured Car				–	1939	1939	0	-	Folded when HDFL went into recess during WWII
Cannum				LSFA	c.1880s	1969–1970	0	-	Folded in 1971
Dimboola Seconds		Roos	Dimboola Recreation Reserve, Dimboola	DDFA	1880s	1936-1937	1	1937	Moved to Wimmera FL in 1938
Douglas-Harrow-Miga Lake		Cats	Harrow Recreation Reserve, Harrow and Wombelano Recreation Reserve Wombelano	WWFL	1970	1982–1996	0	-	Merged with Balmoral in 1997 to form Harrow Balmoral
Gerang-Kiata	(1982-90s) (Late 90s)	Highway Men	Kiata Recreation Reserve, Kiata	WWFL	1962	1982–1999	0	-	Folded in 2000
Goroke		Magpies	Goroke Recreation Reserve, Goroke	WWFL	c.1890s	1982–1998	0	-	Folded in 1999 and absorbed by Border Districts in Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara FL
Great Western		Lions	Great Western Recreation Reserve, Great Western	ADFA	1880s	2000–2010	0	-	Recess in 2011, re-formed in Mininera & District FL in 2012
Green Park				HJFA	c.1890s	1936-1938	1	1936	Folded
Haven			Haven Recreation Reserve, Haven	HJFA	c.1920s	1939, 1948–1955	1	1939	Folded in 1956
Homers (North Horsham in 1998)		Pigeons	Oatlands Park, Horsham	–	1945	1945–1998	2	1965, 1992	Folded in 1999
Horsham RSL		Diggers		–	1945	1946–1961	0	-	Folded in 1962
Horsham Imperials			Horsham City Oval, Horsham	–	c.1890s	1962–1975	1	1966	Merged with Wonwondah in 1976 to form Imperials-Wonwondah
Horsham YCW				–	1945	1945-1946	0	-	Folded
Imperials–Wonwondah		Diggers	Horsham City Oval, Horsham	–	1976	1976–1982	1	1980	Moved to Wimmera FL in 1983 as Horsham United
Jeparit Rainbow		Storm	Sir Robert Menzies Park, Jeparit and Rainbow Recreation Reserve, Rainbow	MFL	1996	2015–2023	0	-	Merged with Southern Mallee Giants to form Southern Mallee Thunder in the Wimmera FL in 2024
Jung			Jung Recreation Reserve, Jung	–	c.1890s	1946–1973	2	1954, 1968	Folded in 1974
Longerenong College		The College	Longerenong College, Longerenong	HJFA	c.1900s	1945–1986	4	1951, 1967, 1970, 1971	Folded in 1987
Murtoa Seconds		Magpies	Murtoa Recreation Reserve, Murtoa	DFL	1880s	1938, 1948	1	1938	Moved to Central Wimmera FL in 1939, returned to South Wimmera FL in 1949
Natimuk		Rams	Natimuk Showgrounds, Natimuk	WWFL	c.1900s	1973–2014	1	1975	Merged with Horsham United in 2014 to form Natimuk United
Netherby-Lorquon		Saints	Netherby Memorial Park, Netherby	WWFL	1962	1982	0	-	Folded in 1983
Noradjuha		Grass Parrots	Noradjuha Recreation Reserve, Noradjuha	WWFL	c.1900s	1982–1996	1	1984	Merged with Quantong in 1997 to form Noradjuha-Quantong
Quantong		Bombers	Quantong Recreation Reserve, Quantong	CWFL	c.1910s	1950–1996	10	1955, 1956, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1993, 1994	Merged with Noradjuha in 1997 to form Noradjuha-Quantong
Southern Mallee Giants		Giants	Beulah Memorial Park, Beulah and Hopetoun Recreation Reserve, Hopetoun	–	2016	2016–2017	2	2016, 2017	Moved to Wimmera FL in 2018
St Michael's		Saints	Coughlin Park, Horsham	–	1945	1945–1954, 1957–1962, 1967–1992	5	1950, 1969, 1981, 1988, 1991	Known as YCW in 1945–1946. Moved to Wimmera FL in 1993, now known as Horsham Saints
Wail				DDFA	c.1920s	1945–1948	1	1945	Folded in 1949
Wonwondah			Wonwondah Recreation Reserve, Wonwondah	CWFL	c.1920s	1946–1975	3	1949, 1953, 1957	Merged with Horsham Imperials in 1976 to form Imperials-Wonwondah

Senior Football Premiership Winners

League Awards

Notable Players

Edenhope-Apsley

• Tom McDonald
• Oscar McDonald

Harrow Balmoral

• Tim Houlihan
• Michael Close

Jung

• Mike Delahunty

Kalkee

• Shayne Breuer
• Tanner Smith

Longerenong College

• John Gill

Homers

• Shane Heard

Horsham Imperials

• Bryan Pirouet

2014 Ladder

2015 Ladder

2016 Ladder

2017 Ladder

References

1. "Horsham, Natimuk football clubs may merge". Dimboola Courier. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
2. "Natimuk and Horsham Diggers Merge". AFL Victoria. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
3. ^ Venosta, Jeremy (12 September 2015). "Laharum v Kalkee: 2015 HDFNL grand final". Dimboola Courier. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

External links

• Horsham & District Football League's Official Website

• Australian rules football competitions in Victoria (state)