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.

Victorian Netball League

Founded	2009
Country	Australia
Region	Victoria
Divisions	Championship 23 & Under
Number of teams	11
Level on pyramid	2
Current champions	City West Falcons
Most championships	City West Falcons (7 Championship titles)
Website	vic.netball.com.au

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.^[1][2][3][4]

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.^[5] As Hume City Falcons, they won the inaugural Championship in 2009 and claimed it again the following year^[2][6][7] With a team that included Kathleen Knott, they won their first Championship as City West Falcons in 2012 ^[8][9] and again in 2013.^[10][11] In 2018, Falcons won their fifth Championship title.^[12][13] 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.^[14][15][16]

Teams

2023 teams

Team	Home venue/base	Home city/town/suburb	Debut season
Boroondara Express [17][18]	Boroondara Sports Complex	Boroondara	2009
Casey Demons [19][20][21]	Casey Stadium	City of Casey	2019
City West Falcons [5]	Maribyrnong College[7]	Maribyrnong	2009 (as Hume City Falcons)
Geelong Cougars [22][23]	-	Geelong	2009
Hawks Netball [24][25][26]	-	-	2009 (as Monash Storm)
Melbourne University Lightning [27][28][29]	Parkville Campus	University of Melbourne	2009 (as VU Western Lightning)
North East Blaze [30][31]	Community Bank Stadium	Diamond Creek	2009
Peninsula Waves [32][33]	-	Mornington Peninsula	2009
Wilson Storage Southern Saints [34][35]	-	City of Bayside	2009
Bendigo Strikers	Red Energy Stadium	Bendigo	2024
Gippsland Stars	-	-	2024
Western Warriors	-	-	2024

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.^[21]
• ^4 City West Falcons previously played as Hume City Falcons.^[7]
• ^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.^{[12][24][25][26]}
• ^6 Between 2009 and 2014, Melbourne University Lightning had a partnership with Victoria University and played as VU-Western Lightning.^[7][27][36]

Source:^{[3][21][37][38][39]}

Former teams

Team	Home city/town/suburb	Debut season	Final season
Ballarat Pride [4][40][41]	Ballarat	2009	2014
ACU Sovereigns [41][42][43]	Ballarat	2015	2018
Ariels	Maroondah Nets	2009	2023

Championship Grand Finals

Season	Winners	Score	Runners Up	Venue
2009 [2][5][17]	Hume City Falcons	47–44	Boroondara Genesis	SNHC
2010 [5]	Hume City Falcons			SNHC
2011 [17][25]	Monash University Storm		Boroondara Express	SNHC
2012 [8][9]	City West Falcons	42–37	VU-Western Lightning	SNHC
2013 [10][11]	City West Falcons	44–41	Peninsula Waves	SNHC
2014 [44][45]	Southern Saints	48–42	City West Falcons	SNHC
2015 [46][47]	Boroondara Express	50–44	City West Falcons	SNHC
2016 [48][49]	Melbourne University Lightning	53–52	City West Falcons	SNHC
2017 [50][51]	North East Blaze	49–46	Melbourne University Lightning	SNHC
2018 [12][13]	City West Falcons	56–48	Geelong Cougars	SNHC
2019 [52][53][54][55]	Geelong Cougars	69–55	Casey Demons	SNHC
2020	No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021	No finals series played[56]
2022[57][58]	City West Falcons	49–47	Geelong Cougars	Parkville
2023	City West Falcons	60-54	Boroondara Express	Parkville

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.^[14][59]

Internationals

 Australia

Erin Bell Kelsey Browne Tegan Caldwell Julie Corletto

Renae Ingles Wendy Jones Cynna Kydd Sharni Layton

Kate Moloney Caitlyn Nevins Elizabeth Watson Jo Weston

 Malawi

• Mwai Kumwenda

 Scotland

• Fiona Themann

 Sri Lanka

• Tharjini Sivalingam

Melbourne Vixens

Karyn Bailey Kelsey Browne Julie Corletto Lara Dunkley Shannon Eagland Kate Eddy

Erin Hoare Ashlee Howard Renae Ingles Wendy Jones Kathleen Knott Sharni Layton

Kara Richards Alice Teague-Neeld Brooke Thompson Elizabeth Watson Jo Weston Micaela Wilson

Collingwood Magpies

Melissa Bragg Kelsey Browne Matilda Garrett Molly Jovic Maggie Lind

Kelsie Rainbow Gabrielle Sinclair Micaela Wilson

Source:^{[6][9][27][47][49][51][53][59]}

Award winners

Margaret Caldow Trophy

The Championship MVP award is named after Margaret Caldow.

Season	Player	Team
2009 [2]	Brooke Thompson	VU Western Lightning
2010
2011[60]	Melinda Cranston	Boroondara Genesis
2012 [8]	Caitlyn Strachan (Note 1)	Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels
	Mwai Kumwenda	Peninsula Waves
	Helen Barclay	Monash University Central
2013 [10]	Caitlyn Strachan(Note 2)	Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels
	Brooke Thompson	VU Western Lightning
2014 [44]	Chloe Watson	City West Falcons
2015 [46]	Kathleen Knott	City West Falcons
2016 [48]	Maggie Lind	City West Falcons
2017 [50]	Micaela Wilson	North East Blaze
2018
2019[61]	Julia Woolley	Geelong Cougars
2020	Not awarded
2021[56]	Julia Woolley (Note 3)	Geelong Cougars
	Maggie Lind	City West Falcons
2022[62]	Nyah Allen	North East Blaze

Notes

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

Player of the Championship Grand Final

Season	Player	Team
2009 [2]	Ashlee Howard	Boroondara Genesis
2010
2011
2012 [8]	Christie Barnes	City West Falcons
2013 [10]	Elizabeth Watson	City West Falcons
2014 [44]	Leah Percy	Southern Saints
2015 [46]	Sarah Yule	Boroondara Express
2016 [48]	Dani Stewart	Melbourne University Lightning
2017 [50]	Micaela Wilson	North East Blaze
2018
2019 [53]	Vanessa Augustini	Geelong Cougars
2022 [63]	Zoe Davies	City West Falcons

Main sponsors

	Years
Holden Cruze[2][64][65]	2009–2011
Devine Homes [8][10]	2012–2013
Bupa[12][52][66][67]	2018–2020
No sponsor	2021-current

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