Victorian Netball League

The Victorian Netball League (VNL) is a state netball league featuring teams from Victoria, Australia. The league is organised by Netball Victoria, with the modern league beginning in 2009. It replaced an earlier state league as the top level netball competition in Victoria. On a national level, the VNL is effectively a third-tier league, below Suncorp Super Netball and the Australian Netball Championships.

From 2009-2011, due to sponsorship and naming rights arrangements, the VNL was known as the Holden Cruze Cup. Between 2018-2020, the league was sponsored by Bupa and was known as the Bupa Victorian Netball League.

A change at the end of the 2023 season saw three divisions (Championship, Division 1 and 19 & Under) become two - with Division 1 and 19 & Under replaced with a 23 & Under division. It also saw the inclusion of new clubs Bendigo Strikers, Gippsland Stars and Western Warriors. The Stars will initially field a 23 & Under team, before entering the Championship division by 2027.

Nine existing clubs (Boroondara, Casey, City West, Geelong, Hawks, Lightning, Blaze, Waves and Saints) had their licenses renewed, with foundation club Ariels a casualty of the restructure.

The league's most successful team, City West Falcons (originally known as Hume City Falcons), have won seven Championship titles and 17 premierships in total, to the end of 2023.

History

Foundation

The modern league began in 2009, replacing an earlier Netball Victoria state league as the top level netball competition in Victoria. The earlier league featured eighteen teams but, after restructuring, the number was reduced to ten. The founding ten members of the new league were Ballarat Pride, Boroondara Genesis, Geelong Cougars, Hume City Falcons, Monash University Central, North East Blaze, Peninsula Waves, Southern Saints, VU Western Lightning and Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels. The league featured three divisions – Championship, Division 1 and 19 & Under. The ten teams entered a team in each of the three divisions. The new structure was designed to encourage player development.

City West Falcons

The league's most successful team has been City West Falcons, who have won seven Championship titles and 17 premierships in total, across three divisions. As Hume City Falcons, they won the inaugural Championship in 2009 and claimed it again the following year With a team that included Kathleen Knott, they won their first Championship as City West Falcons in 2012 and again in 2013. In 2018, Falcons won their fifth Championship title. Falcons won their sixth Championship title in 2022, also winning the 19 & Under Grand Final.

Victorian Fury

The Australian Netball League team Victorian Fury is effectively the representative team of the VNL. In turn, Fury is the reserve team of Melbourne Vixens.

Teams

2023 teams

Notes

• ^1 Ariels VCNA previously played as Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels.
• ^2 Boroondara Express previously played as Boroondara Genesis.
• ^3 Casey Demons are affiliated to both the VFL Casey Demons and Melbourne Football Club.
• ^4 City West Falcons previously played as Hume City Falcons.
• ^5 Hawks Netball previously played as Melbourne Central, Monash University Central, Monash University Storm. In 2018 they adopted their current name after forming a partnership with Hawthorn Football Club.
• ^6 Between 2009 and 2014, Melbourne University Lightning had a partnership with Victoria University and played as VU-Western Lightning.

Source:

Former teams

Championship Grand Finals

Notable players

The VNL is effectively a feeder league for the Suncorp Super Netball teams Melbourne Vixens and Collingwood Magpies. VNL players have also played for the Australia national netball team and other international teams.

Internationals

 Australia

 Malawi

• Mwai Kumwenda

 Scotland

• Fiona Themann

 Sri Lanka

• Tharjini Sivalingam

Melbourne Vixens

Collingwood Magpies

Source:

Award winners

Margaret Caldow Trophy

The Championship MVP award is named after Margaret Caldow.

Notes

• ^1 2012 award was shared.
• ^2 2013 award was shared.
• ^3 2021 award was shared.

Player of the Championship Grand Final

Main sponsors

References