1881
Football on the North West Coast commenced
Football on the North West Coast commenced when Formby and Latrobe clubs formed a 12 a side teams. Results of this first match: Latrobe 3.20 to Formby 0.15.
1882
Essendon visited Tasmania
Visiting VFA club Essendon, played four matches in Tasmania.
Match No. 1, Wednesday 23rd August 1882 Essendon played a Northern Tasmanian team, selected from Launceston clubs plus Ross and Longford clubs. The game was played on what was known as the 'Western Swamp'. Essendon scored 8 goals to Northern Tas. 2 goals.
Match No. 2, Saturday 26th August, Essendon played a combined STFA team in Hobart. Essendon won 6.15 (51) to STFA 2.18 (30).
Match No. 3, played 3rd September in Hobart (first ever Tasmanian team) the team was chosen from the North, North West and South of the State Tasmania v Essendon. Scores Essendon 6.27 (63) to Tasmania 1.8 (14).
Match No. 4, before heading back to Victoria, Essendon played a match against the Oatlands Association. The local side was made-up from Oatlands, Ross and Richmond players, with two players invited from Launceston and two from the STFA. making-up a 23 player list. Essendon won 8 goals to 2.
1884
First recorded game at Burnie
Latrobe club, on the North West Coast, played a team from Waratah in the first recorded game at Burnie, on the old Montello racecourse, now a housing development.
1894
NWFA formed
North Western Football Association was formed on the North West Coast. Its headquarters were at Devonport.
1894
NWFA Clubs
Foundation teams included: Mersey, Latrobe, Devonport, Wesley Vale, and Ulverstone.
1908
NWFL Clubs
Teams in the League were: Latrobe, Penguin and Ulverstone.
1908
NWFL formed
North Western Football League formed on the coast on 8th August., with boundaries from Latrobe to Burnie.
1909
TFL State Premiership
The official State Premiership commenced in 1909 between premiers of the TFL and NTFA, and the State final was played between the two.
It wasn’t until 1950 when Premiers of the NWFU joined, thus created a rotational format, ie one League would host and automatically qualify for the final, and the other two Leagues would play-off in a preliminary final, with the winner progressing to the final.
During the course of the competition there were several interruptions, mainly caused through disputes. Falling patronage became a serious concern and eventually, the State Premiership series came to an end in 1978.
1909
Turmoil on North West coast
At a special ‘Disputes’ meeting of the North Western Football Association (controlling body on North West Coast) the Ulverstone club was disqualified and Latrobe, which supported Ulverstone in the dispute, withdrew from the competition. When no reconciliation was possible, Ulverstone and Latrobe combined with Penguin to form the North Western Football League.
The NWFA continued with its member clubs from the Western end of the coast.
On 17th April, both the NWFA and NWFL applied to the TFL for affiliation. The NWFA was accepted, but the NWFL was refused because Ulverstone and Latrobe were disqualified clubs.
After the TFL had sent a delegate to the coast to help resolve the dispute. The TFL finally recognised the NWFL only for the purpose of transfers and clearances and not as the controlling body of football on the coast.
TFL delegates heard appeals from both clubs and the Association and after several weeks made the following decision, (a) Appeal from Ulverstone was upheld on the grounds that the disqualification was imposed after the resignation had been accepted by the NWFA. (b) Latrobe: That the TFL considers that the fine imposed on the Latrobe club, having been paid, such club disqualification should upon application to the NWFA, be forthwith withdrawn by such Association and failing removal, the appeal be upheld and the disqualification be removed by the TFL.
Following this, the TFL advised both the NWFA and NWFL to get together and form a new strong Union. In 1910 the North Western Football Union was formed as the governing body of football on the North West Coast.
1910
Medhurst Association
Westbury Wanderers (Premiers) and Deloraine.
1910
Devonport Junior Football Association
Only Hartford was recorded as being involved.
1910
TFL Triangular Series
Matches once again were played between the NTFA, TFL and the NWFU, in what became known as the TFL Triangular Series.
1910
Tullah Football Association
In recess.
1910
NWFA
Four sides involved in the competition, namely Wesley Vale, Premiers, Devonport Juniors, Runner’s -up, Don and Commercials.
1910
West Devon Junior Association
Premiers that season were Kindred who defeated Forth by 7 points. Also in the competition were Leven and Sprent.
1910
West Wellington Association
Stanley, Forest, Smithton and Irish Town.
1910
NWFU Roster started 14 May
First roster matches played on 14th May. With teams from Latrobe, Mersey, Ulverstone, Penguin and Wesley Vale competing. Although Wesley Vale withdrew early in the season.
1910
NWFU formed
1910 was an important year for football in general as the differences in the North and North West were healed, with the formation of the North Western Football Union at Latrobe on 3rd May, as a new governing body of football on the coast following dissatisfaction with the NWFA.
1910
Ulverstone 1st Premiers
Ulverstone won the NWFU’s first premiership.
1910
Zeehan Football Association
Commonwealth (wore blue and white), Zeehan and Silver King.
1911
BFL Clubs
The Burnie Football League consisted of: Yeomen, Wynyard, Wanderers, and Ridgley until Penguin joined.
1911
NWFU Clubs
The make-up of the NWFU had chanced from the previous season ie: Mersey, Latrobe, Ulverstone and Devonport joined from a local Junior association. Penguin withdrew from the Union and entered the Burnie Football League.
1913
NWFU Premiers
Latrobe declared Premiers and Mersey runners-up.
1913
Wanderers joins the NWFU
Another change took place with the NWFU when its four clubs were joined by Wanderers from the Burnie Football League.
1914
Shortage of players due to World War 1
Before the 1914 season was over, the effects of World War 1 made it difficult for clubs to assemble full teams for competition each week, as many players had enlisted for service. But despite the loss of so many fine players, the League was able to complete the season in a satisfactory manner.
1915
Wanders disqualified
At this time, the Wanderers club was disqualified, because of a non-payment of dues and returned to the Burnie Football League.
1915
NWFU abandones games
Football abandoned until 1919 because of World War 1.
1916
1916 - 1918 World War 1 – intervenes
The three major football bodies in Tasmania attended a meeting to discuss the future of the game. The result was a resolution that football be discontinued until the end of the War.
1919
Football resumed after the war under difficult conditions
The resumption of football in Hobart and most other centres after the War, followed a three year lapse of the game. But if that wasn’t enough, the population had to contend with an epidemic of Influenza that swept Australia and rage throughout Tasmania later in the season, football had to be cancelled according to health authorities advice, which applied to all forms of sport that attracted crowds.
1920
Wilmot Football association (WFA)
Wilmot was settled in the 1890’s, proclaimed in 1903 and gazetted as a locality in 1965. The small rural township of Wilmot was named after Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, Lieutenant of Van Diemens Land from 1843 until 1846.
Wilmot is seated in the centre of some of the richest farming communities in the Mountain region of Devonport’s Municipality, South-West of the City.
The WFA was formed in 1920 and during the course of operating its competition, had taken on board both the Kentish and Roland Football Associations, when they merged with WFA in 1949. This practice was common-place during the latter part of the 1980’s through to mid-1900’s.
MFA member clubs: Barrington, Cement Rovers, Rovers, Sheffield, West Kentish and Wilmot,
The WFA merged with the North West Football Union in 2015.
1920
1920 War and epidemic recovery
The recovery process was a prosperous one for the game as most clubs around the State had survived well under the circumstance. A ‘remarkable resilience’ is probably the most apt description to describe the rebound by the peoples of Tasmania to the incredible impost of War and an epidemic.
1923
Re-introduction of the Triangular Series
Saw the re-introduction of the Triangular Series between the three major bodies : TFL. NTFA and NWFU.
1924
Leven Football Association (LFA)
Founded in 1924, Leven is a small tourist centre known locally as Leven Canyon. It’s located on the North-West Coast line of Tasmania and is 42 kilometres from the town of Ulverstone.
Leven was built on the banks of the Leven River, which runs through 300-metre limestone cliffs, carved through the Loongana Range.
The LFA was formed in the first instance to cater for teams in the Ulverstone Municipality. Over time the LFA became a solid feeding-ground for clubs in both the NWFU and NTFA, but equally as important, for Ulverstone. After 92 years the LFA folded in 2016.
Clubs that joined the competition over the seasons included the following: Castra, Devonport Saints, East Ulverstone, Forth, Gawler, Kindred,Mersey Valley Workers Club, Motton Rovers, Motton-Preston, North Motton, Preston, Railton, South Riana, Sprent, Turners Beach, Ulverstone Juniors, Ulverstone Rovers, Upper Castra, West Ulverstone, Western Juniors, Wilmot and Zeehan,
1924
Tasmania selection issue for carnival team
Highlight of the season was the staging of the fifth AFL Carnival in Hobart – the first in Tasmania.
When the final Tasmanian team was being chosen, the League sent an invitation to through to the NWFU for Ivor Warne-Smith to join the team at the League’s expense.
The Union refused to endorse the application and as a result Warne-Smith was lost to the carnival team.
1928
Triangular Series
In the annual Triangular Series, results were: NTFA 13.12 (90) defeated the TANFL 8.15 (63 in Launceston. The TANFL 17. 18 (120) defeated NTFA 7.10 (52) in Hobart, a crowd of 14,00 patrons saw the game which was a record between the two leagues. In the third deciding match the TANFL 9.20 (74) defeated the NWFU 7.11 (53) at Burnie. The TANFL was successful in winning the series.
1929
Triangular Series
The TANFL repeated its 1928 performance in winning the Triangular Series. Results of games : In Hobart TANFL 17.7 (109) defeated NTFA 10.23 83. In Launceston NTFA 11.10 (76) defeated TANFL 6.10 (46) and at Burnie the TANFL clinched the series 13.21 (99) to NWFU 8.9 (57.
1930
Triangular Series
In the TANFL Triangular series the TANFL claimed the annual Jubilee Cup, scores from the three games played were : NTFA 16.17 (113) defeated TANFL 11.10 (76), in the second match the TANFL 17.7 (109) defeated NTFA 13.9 (87), the third clash was an easy win for the TANFL 19.17 (131) defeated NWFU 8.10 (58).
1981
Tasmanian Greater Northern League (TGNL)
The NTFA had several disruptions over the years it operated in the Northern region of the State. One major change took place in 1981 when the NTFA merged with the NWFU to form the Greater Northern League (TGNL).
The TGNL came about by a merger of Northern Tasmanian Football Association and the North Western Football Union in 1981.
The concept was to have the top teams from the two major Northern competitions (NTFA & NWFU) play in one strong competition (TGNL). However, the move quickly found it had several challenges, such as a financial strain for both the Leagues and its clubs. Logistical problems of extensive travel across the Northern region of the State, and a lack of support from clubs and governing bodies. As a consequence of this, the TGNL folded after two seasons.
The TGNL competition was supported by the following competing clubs:
From NTFA:
City South Redlegs, East Launceston Demons, Launceston Blues, Longford Tigers, North Launceston Robins, Scottsdale Magpies.
From NWFU:
Burnie Tigers, Cooee Bulldogs, Devonport Magpies, East Devonport Swans, Latrobe Demons, Penguin Two Blues, Ulverstone Robins, Wynyard Cats and Smithton Saints.
1982
TGNL ends
Following the collapse of the TGNL at the end of 1982, both the NTFA and NWFU continued their respective competitions until the end of 1986.
1987
TFL State Wide League new clubs
In 1987 the TFL State Wide League was extended to ten clubs when NWFU clubs namely Burnie Hawks (later became Burnie Dockers) and Devonport Blues (later became Devonport Power), joined to complete a true State Wide competition.
1987
Northern Tasmanian Football League (NTFL)
The NTFL was formed in the early part of 1987, by both the NTFA and NWFU merging to become the NTFL. This was caused as a result of the TANFL creating a Statewide competition known as the TFL State-Wide League (TSWL) that commenced in 1986.
The TANFL granted the NTFL Second Tiered Status which was retained until 1998. The home base for the NTFL was in central Devonport.
The NTFL participated in the annual Victorian Country Championships, as it happened the exercise was a financial loss, that caused the NTFL to withdraw after three years in 1989. Instead, the NTFL played matches against the TANFL Under 23’s, the Southern Football League and the Tasmanian Amateur State Team.
Teams that participated in NTFL from 1987 included: Burnie, Deloraine, East Devonport, George Town, Latrobe, Launceston, Longford, Penguin, Scottsdale, Smithton, Ulverstone and Wynyard,
1987
Further Change to NTFA
As a result of the TANFL (controlling body in Tasmania) deciding to introduce a State-wide competition in 1986, several clubs from both the NTFA and NWFU had committed to participate. This caused the two Northern bodies (NTFA & NWFU) to form a new body known as the Northern Tasmanian Football League (NTFL).
The inaugural season of the Northern Tasmanian Football League commenced in 1987.
Following the formation of the NTFL, the former NTFA folded in 1986.
2009
NTFL club changes
With the revival of the State-Wide League in 2009, five Clubs (Burnie, Devonport, Launceston, North Launceston and South Launceston) left the NTFL, which left only six clubs.
Some other clubs from the North and North-West had joined and departed the NTFL and from 2009 the NTFL was solely supported by clubs from the North-West area.
2014
NWFL formed
As a result of participating clubs all from the north west, the NTFL changed its name to North West Football League at the end of 2014.
2015
NWFL clubs
In 2015, both Burnie and Devonport Clubs had rejoined and by this time there were 8 teams in the NWFL.