The 21 clubs that competed in the Benalla and District Football League throughout its history will be recognised on Saturday when Benalla and Euroa do battle in the Goulburn Valley League round three clash at Benalla Showgrounds.
The round three Goulburn Valley League senior football fixture between Benalla and Euroa is set to take on extra significance this Saturday, with the game set to act as a memorial for a now defunct league.
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This weekend’s clash will see the Saints and the Magpies battle it out at Benalla Showgrounds in ‘District Round’, with the Benalla Saints and the Benalla Past Players Association working together to arrange a day in memory of the Benalla and District Football League.
Formed in 1933, the Benalla and District Football League saw 21 teams compete across a 76-year span, with the league interrupted for six years between 1940 and 1946 due to World War II, before eventually going into recess in 2009.
The two sides will wear commemorative jumpers for the occasion to honour the significant history of the original BDFL teams, some of which date back to the 1800’s, with the names of all 21 teams that participated in the league to appear on the guernseys.
A whopping 21 clubs participated at some point over the 76-year Benalla and District Football League history, with 16 of those clubs’ playing strips depicted here. Guernseys for Tolmie, Strathbogie, Benalla Thirds, Baddaginnie and Molyullah are not pictured.
Two of the guernseys will be made available to the public, one via a raffle and one via an auction in the final quarter of the contest. Raffle tickets will be made available at the Mick Stilo (formerly Chiswell Pavilion) stand.
Past players from the Benalla and District League will be granted free entry to the ground, too, upon completion of a team recognition form.
The five remaining clubs in the Benalla and District Football League before it entered recess at the end of the 2009 season were Bonnie Doon, Goorambat, Longwood, Swanpool and Tatong, while the following clubs also participated at various points throughout the league’s history: Benalla All Blacks, Devenish, Glenrowan, Tolmie, Strathbogie, Winton, Violet Town, Thoona, Benalla Rovers, Benalla Thirds, North Wangaratta, Dookie Collegians, Thornton Eildon, Greta, Baddaginnie and Molyullah.
The senior football contest between Benalla and Euroa also shapes as a brilliant battle on the day, too, with both sides still hunting a maiden win in 2026 when the ball is thrown up at 2pm.
