Twenty-two teams to line up in the VFL next year
Six teams from the wound-up North East Australian Football League will join 16 Victorian sides in an expanded state league next year.
Victorian Football
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The VFL will expand to 22 teams and three states from next year as it absorbs six clubs from the wound-up NEAFL.
The AFL this afternoon confirmed that Southport and Aspley would join AFL affiliates Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney and Greater Western Sydney in becoming part of the Victorian state league.
There will be 16 rounds in a season contested by stand-alones from the AFL, VFL and former NEAFL teams, as well as aligned sides Box Hill Hawks, Casey Demons and Sandringham.
The season will kick off in April.
The salary cap has been set at $200,000 for stand-alone clubs and $100,000 for the AFL and aligned clubs.
No clubs will pay licence fees and the AFL will subsidise all approved club travel for interstate matches.
A date for pre-season training “will be advised in due course’’, the AFL said.
VFL IN 2021
Stand-alone: Aspley, Coburg, Frankston, Northern Bullants, Port Melbourne, Southport, Werribee, Williamstown
Stand-alone AFL clubs: Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Footscray, Geelong Cats, Gold Coast Suns, GWS Giants, North Melbourne, Richmond, Sydney Swans
Aligned clubs: Sandringham, Box Hill Hawks, Casey Demons
The announcement also confirmed the return to stand-alone status of historic club Northern Bullants, which had been operating as the Northern Blues in an alignment with Carlton.
Carlton ended it suddenly in March, prompting Northern president Steve Papal to declare his club would fold.
But it has reclaimed the famous Bullants logo, set up a strong board that includes former AFL Victorian chairman Bob Tregear and re-emerged as an independent.
Former Collingwood star Josh Fraser will coach the Ants.
Their neighbour and great rival Coburg was quick to welcome them back.
“We are genuinely excited by the prospect of having a stand-alone rivalry in the northern suburbs again,’’ Burgers general manager Sebastian Spagnuolo said.
“The people of Coburg and Preston have enjoyed the battle of Bell St clashes for over 100 years and for them to be all-stand-alone affairs definitely makes them special again.
“Aspirational footballers in the northern/northwestern suburbs will also benefit with additional playing opportunities that will exist with now two stand-alone teams in the region.
“All at Coburg FC wish the Bullants all the best and we look forward to many more Battles of Bell St in the years to come.”
The AFL made no announcement about a name change for the VFL, but it’s on the agenda.
“The name of the competition will be announced in the coming weeks with the competition to maintain a strong connection to the heritage of the respective Hard Yakka/Totally workwear VFL and Toyota NEAFL competitions and the communities who support them,’’ it said in a statement which referred to the “VFL and East Coast Second-Tier Competition’’.
All clubs would have “connections to community clubs and pathway programs, including a varied alignment to Under 19 NAB League clubs for Victorian-based teams’’.
“The VFL and East Coast Second-Tier Competition will sit alongside the SANFL and the WAFL in 2021 to provide players with the highest level of second-tier football,’’ the AFL said.
“The AFL will continue to work with all AFL clubs on their non-selected AFL players ahead of their respective 2021 seasons.
“The AFL will continue to work closely with AFL NSW/ACT and AFL Queensland to ensure the continued development and progression of premier men’s and women’s competitions in the state and territory.’’
Ahead of today’s announcement Sydney Uni confirmed they had joined Redland and Canberra Demons in withdrawing from the competition for financial reasons.
Meanwhile, former Hawthorn champion Sam Mitchell has been reappointed coach of Box Hill Hawks, from where he was drafted in 2001.
Mitchell streaked away with the JJ Liston Trophy as a Hawthorn rookie in 2002.