History
The league was formed in 1879 as the Geelong and District Football Association (GDFA). In 1919 it changed name to the GDFL, before changing to the Geelong Junior Football Association in 1922. It reverted to the GDFL name in 1933, then back to the GDFA in 1939, and back to the GDFL in 1945.
From 1946 onwards, the GDFL maintained a divisional system, with clubs in the First Division competing for the Evelyn Hurst Trophy, the Second Division for the Woolworth Cup, and the Third Division for the Jarman Cup. From 1996 onwards, the league has reverted to a single division competition.
The league took the form it is today when 10 clubs broke away in 1979 to form the Geelong Football League. The city and country clubs of the old GDFL were divided into the major league competition of the GFL and the minor league GDFL. Many of the teams in the lower league wanted a system of promotion and relegation, which was fought by the GFL until the early 1980s when the Victorian Country Football League held a hearing in Melbourne. As a result a trial promotion-relegation system was put into place, on a voluntary basis.
Today the GDFL is opposed to the promotion-relegation system, with the Geelong Football League, Geelong & District Football League and Bellarine Football League forming a three-league, three division football structure for the Geelong area. In 1997, the GDFL first introduced netball, originally to keep the wives busy from their husbands, introducing A Grade, B Grade & C Grade senior teams, as well as U/17's, U/15's & U/13's junior netball. In 2009, the GDFL introduced a fourth senior section, D Grade, where East Geelong have the past 3 of the last 4 D Grade premierships
Read more about this topic: Geelong & District Football League
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