Contents

North West Football League

North West Football League

Most recent season or competition: 2022
Formerly	Northern Tasmania Football League (1987–2014)
Sport	Australian rules football
Founded	1987; 37 years ago (1987)
First season	1987
CEO	Morgan Hughes
President	Andrew Richardson
No. of teams	7
Country	Australia
Most recent champion(s)	Devonport Football Club
Most titles	Ulverstone Robins (9 titles)
Official website	nwfl.com.au

The North West Football League is an Australian rules football competition in North West Tasmania. The league was previously known as the "Northern Tasmanian Football League" from its inception in 1987 until the end of the 2014 season.

History[edit]

The Northern Tasmanian Football League (NTFL) was founded in 1987 to replace the Northern Tasmanian Football Association (NTFA) - no relation to the current NTFA - and the North Western Football Union (NWFU) which suffered as a result of the defection of clubs joining the new TFL Statewide League in 1986 – the NTFA had lost North Launceston and East Launceston to the TFL Statewide League at the start of 1986, then lost City-South midway through that season when it merged with East Launceston; the NWFU lost Devonport and Cooee to the Statewide League at the conclusion of the 1986 season.

After the collapse of the Statewide League at the end of 2000, the northern and coastal clubs from that competition returned to the NTFL and dominated the competition for the next eight years (Burnie and Launceston won the next eight premierships between them). With the revival of the Statewide League in 2009, the same five clubs left the NTFL again (North Launceston, South Launceston, Launceston, Burnie and Devonport), resulting in the contraction of the league to a six-club coastal composition.

In the early years, the NTFL was contested by a mixture of smaller northern and north-western clubs, but the northern clubs gradually departed, and since 2009 the league has been contested solely by clubs from the north-western coast, all with a NWFU history. Consequently, at the end of the 2014 season, the name of the league was changed to the North West Football League (NWFL).^[1]

In 2015, Burnie and Devonport rejoined the competition, each fielding its reserves team in the NWFL seniors while continuing to field its senior team in the Statewide League reserves; this increased the league numbers up to eight.^[2] In early 2017, Burnie withdrew from this arrangement, which dropped the number of teams down to seven.^[3] Then, in 2018, Burnie and Devonport withdrew their senior teams from the Statewide League and each entered the NWFL proper.^[4] The league's senior premiership is now contested by seven clubs.

Timeline[edit]

Clubs[edit]

Current clubs (2024)[edit]

Colours	Club	Nickname	Region	Home Ground	League years
	Burnie	Dockers	Burnie	West Park Oval	2001–08, 2015–16 [note 1], 2018–present
	Circular Head	Saints	Smithton	Smithton Football Ground	1987–2018, 2022–present
	Devonport [5]	Magpies	Devonport	Devonport Oval	2001–08, 2015–present
	Latrobe	Demons	Latrobe	Darrel Baldock Oval	1987–present
	Penguin	Two Blues	Penguin	Dial Park	1987–present
	Ulverstone	Robins	Ulverstone	Ulverstone Recreation Ground	1987–present
	Wynyard	Cats	Wynyard	Wynyard Football Ground	1987–present

Former NTFL/NWFL clubs[edit]

Colours	Club	Mascot	League years	Fate
	Burnie [note 2]	Tigers	1987–93	Merged with the Burnie Hawks to form Burnie Dockers
	Deloraine	Kangaroos	1987–2003	Joined the NTFA Division I
	East Devonport	Swans	1987–2020	Club seniors in recess since 2021
	George Town	Saints	1986-1990	Joined the NTFA
	Launceston [note 3]	Blues	1987–93, 1998–2008	Joined the Tasmanian State League
	Longford	Tigers	1987	Joined the NTFA Division I
	North Launceston	Bombers	2001–08	Joined the Tasmanian State League
	South Launceston	Bulldogs	1998–2008	Joined the Tasmanian State League
	Scottsdale	Magpies	1987–99	Joined the NTFA Division I
	South Burnie	Hawks	1997–98	Joined the Darwin Football Association

Notes

Grand Finals[edit]

• 2022 Devonport 7.17 (59) def Wynyard 7.10 (52) at Latrobe
• 2021 Devonport 6.8 (44) def Penguin 5.11 (41) at Latrobe
• 2020 Burnie 11.16 (82) def Devonport 6.7 (43) at Latrobe
• 2019 Burnie 9.17 (71) def Devonport 9.8 (62) at Latrobe
• 2018 Burnie 10.14 (74) def Ulverstone 8.10 (58) at Latrobe
• 2017 Ulverstone 11.10 (76) def Latrobe 7.10 (52) at Latrobe
• 2016 Latrobe 10.12 (72) def Penguin 9.15 (69) at Latrobe
• 2015 Wynyard 19.14 (138) def Ulverstone 11.10 (76) at Latrobe
• 2014 Wynyard 24.16 (160) def Ulverstone 6.8 (44) at Latrobe
• 2013 Latrobe 22.16 (148) def Wynyard 14.17 (101) at Latrobe
• 2012 Wynyard 11.12 (78) def Latrobe 8.17 (65) at Latrobe
• 2011 Latrobe 18.15 (123) def Penguin 17.17 (119) at Latrobe
• 2010 Latrobe 20.13 (133) def Ulverstone 16.7 (103) at Latrobe
• 2009 Ulverstone 22.14 (146) def Smithton 8.10 (56) at Latrobe
• 2008 Launceston 17.18 (120) def Burnie Dockers 14.23 (107) at Latrobe
• 2007 Launceston 19.9 (123) def Ulverstone 16.12 (108) at Latrobe
• 2006 Launceston 22.14 (146) def Devonport 13.11 (89) at Latrobe
• 2005 Burnie Dockers 8.15 (63) def Devonport 6.10 (46) at Latrobe
• 2004 Burnie Dockers 23.19 (157) def Devonport 7.8 (50) at Latrobe
• 2003 Burnie Dockers 14.11 (95) def North Launceston 6.13 (49) at Latrobe
• 2002 Burnie Dockers 14.5 (89) def Ulverstone 5.12 (47) at Latrobe
• 2001 Burnie Dockers 17.14 (116) def North Launceston 7.10 (52) at Latrobe
• 2000 Ulverstone 13.8 (86) def Latrobe 7.10 (52) at Latrobe
• 1999 South Launceston 11.19 (85) def Smithton 7.8 (50) at Latrobe
• 1998 South Launceston 9.11 (65) def East Devonport 9.4 (58) at Latrobe
• 1997 Ulverstone 21.8 (134) def East Devonport 8.8 (56) at Latrobe
• 1996 Ulverstone 18.13 (121) def Wynyard 8.11 (59) at Latrobe
• 1995 Ulverstone 18.15 (123) def Wynyard 14.9 (93) at Latrobe
• 1994 Ulverstone 11.8 (74) def Latrobe 7.8 (50) at Latrobe
• 1993 Ulverstone 14.12 (96) def Scottsdale 8.7 (55) at Latrobe
• 1992 Burnie Tigers 18.10 (118) def Penguin 10.5 (65) at West Park
• 1991 Smithton 18.9 (117) def Ulverstone 10.9 (69) at West Park
• 1990 Ulverstone 18.13 (121) def Scottsdale 12.7 (79) at West Park
• 1989 Scottsdale 13.10 (88) def Smithton 10.10 (70) at West Park
• 1988 East Devonport 20.7 (127) def Burnie Tigers 18.15 (123) at Devonport Oval
• 1987 Ulverstone 13.19 (97) def East Devonport 12.12 (84) at West Park

Attendance[edit]

The Northern Tasmanian Football League is considered to be one of the strongest leagues in the state and has a strong supporter following. Games in the NTFL average around 500 spectators.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official North Western Football League Website