1995 VFA season

none November 2020 December 2017 1995 15 April – 24 September 19951995 VFA Premiership Season https://australianfootball.com/seasons/season/vfa/193/premiership%2Bseason/8/8/1995/advanced Australian Football 19 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250619162305/https://australianfootball.com/seasons/season/vfa/193/premiership%2Bseason/8/8/1995/advanced 19 June 2025 9 Springvale 2 Springvale 1 5 Springvale1st pre-season cup win Paul Satterley( – 18 votes) Danny Sexton( – 64 goals) 78 6,445 (Grand Final, vs ) white 1994 VFA season 1994 white 1996 VFL season 1996 (VFL) The 1995 VFA season was the 114th season of the Victorian Football Association (VFA), an Australian rules football competition played in the state of Victoria. The premiership was won by the Springvale Football Club, after it defeated Sandringham in the grand final on 24 September by 43 points; it was the second premiership won by the club. The 1995 season was the first season contested after the Victorian Football Association's board of management was dissolved and administration of the competition was turned over to the Victorian State Football League. Under the VSFL, the competition was restructured as a state league to serve as a supporting and developmental competition for the Victorian clubs in the Australian Football League. The 1995 season is a transitional season between the old and new structures. It was the final season in which the competition was known as the Victorian Football Association, before switching its name to the Victorian Football League in 1996. Clubs Venues Club Home venue(s) Capacity Box Hill City Oval 10,000 Coburg City Oval 12,000 Frankston Park 5,000 North Port Oval 6,000 Preston City Oval 5,000 Beach Road Oval 6,000 Springvale Reserve 5,000 Chirnside Park 8,000 Williamstown Cricket Ground 6,000 Club leadership Club Coach Captain(s) John Murphy David BanfieldAmy Paul Box Hill icon David Banfield reflects on Hall of Fame honour, VFA battles, coaching alongside Tony Liberatore https://www.codesports.com.au/afl%2Fstate-leagues%2Fbox-hill-icon-david-banfield-reflects-on-hall-of-fame-honour-vfa-battles-coaching-alongside-tony-liberatore%2Fnews-story%2F562b99914149c28c3240898bd441545a CODE Sports 20 June 2025 https://archive.today/20250620113625/https://www.codesports.com.au/afl/state-leagues/box-hill-icon-david-banfield-reflects-on-hall-of-fame-honour-vfa-battles-coaching-alongside-tony-liberatore/news-story/562b99914149c28c3240898bd441545a 20 June 2025 9 July 2023 Kevin BreenA new reign for Breen to take charge in https://coburgfc.com.au/2014/12/15/new-reign-breen-take-charge/ Coburg Football Club 20 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250424163237/https://coburgfc.com.au/2014/12/15/new-reign-breen-take-charge/ 24 April 2025 15 December 2014Captains and Coaches https://coburgfc.com.au/club/statistics-records/captains-and-coaches/ Coburg Football Club 20 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250316123558/https://coburgfc.com.au/club/statistics-records/captains-and-coaches/ 16 March 2025 Steven SalvadorSteven Salvador http://demonwiki.org/Steven+Salvador Demonwiki 20 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20241104202150/http://demonwiki.org/Steven+Salvador 4 November 2024 Graham Kendall2023 ANNUAL REPORT https://frankstonfc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Annual-Report-2023-Final.pdf Frankston Football Club 20 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20240812090623/https://frankstonfc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Annual-Report-2023-Final.pdf 12 August 2024 February 2024 Des RyanSeason & Coaches https://frankstonfc.com.au/season-coaches/ Frankston Football Club 20 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20220520003757/https://frankstonfc.com.au/season-coaches/ 20 May 2022Des Ryan https://www.tigerlandarchive.org/tiki-index.php?page=Des+Ryan Tigerland Archive 20 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250428015111/https://tigerlandarchive.org/tiki-index.php?page=Des+Ryan 28 April 2025 Peter Weightman Simon Taylor Shane Molloy Tom AlvinKeeley Robert Sandringham Hall of Fame Inductee: Justin Crough https://www.sandringhamfc.com.au/latest-news/sandringham-hall-of-fame-inductee-justin-crough Sandringham Football Club 20 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250413004635/https://www.sandringhamfc.com.au/latest-news/sandringham-hall-of-fame-inductee-justin-crough 13 April 2025 11 August 2019 Anthony AllenHonour Boards https://www.sandringhamfc.com.au/the-club/honour-boards Sandringham Football Club 20 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20200301033706/https://www.sandringhamfc.com.au/the-club/honour-boards 1 March 2020 Michael FordPREMIERSHIP CAPTAINS/COACHES https://www.hardballget.net/l-vfa-vfl-finals-premiership-captains-coaches.html Hard Ball Get 20 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20240303000732/https://www.hardballget.net/l-vfa-vfl-finals-premiership-captains-coaches.html 3 March 2024 Denis KnightAmy Paul Casey Demons, formerly Springvale Scorpions, will honour its history with a hall of fame https://www.codesports.com.au/afl%2Fstate-leagues%2Fcasey-will-honour-its-history-with-the-creation-of-a-hall-of-fame%2Fnews-story%2Fd0e22a201889a4af499b9e29dad9377d CODE Sports 20 June 2025 https://archive.today/20250620142033/https://www.codesports.com.au/afl/state-leagues/casey-will-honour-its-history-with-the-creation-of-a-hall-of-fame/news-story/d0e22a201889a4af499b9e29dad9377d 20 June 2025 30 May 2023 Donald McDonald Donald McDonald Damien Christensen Damien Christensen Competition re-structure Background Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Australian Football League (which had been known as the Victorian Football League until 1990) had expanded from a Melbourne-based competition into a national competition, and by 1994 it had admitted four new clubs: West Coast, Brisbane, ; and was announced to begin playing in 1995 – with further expansion discussed. This had created inconsistencies in the AFL's structure: the Victorian clubs (and , which had a Victorian heritage) operated with a traditional minor grades structure, each fielding reserves and under-19s teams in a dedicated competition in addition to the seniors; but the interstate clubs operated only a senior team, with their states' existing state-level competitions (the South Australian National Football League, Queensland Australian Football League and West Australian Football League) serving the function of the minor grades and junior development. The AFL began to act on this inconsistency at the end of its 1991 season, when it abolished its traditional zone-based recruiting in favour of the AFL draft for Victorian clubs, and abolished its under-19s competition. A new administrative body, the Victorian State Football League, was established to take over the AFL's administration of football in Victoria, which included football at most levels, but did not include the Victorian Football Association, which operated independently. The VSFL operated a new under-18s competition with newly established clubs across metropolitan and regional Victoria which were independent from AFL clubs. The Victorian AFL clubs and Sydney still operated reserves teams, and VSFL operated their reserves competition.Herald Sun Melbourne, VIC 76 Geoff Poulter 12 March 1991 AFL rings in the changes In 1993, the AFL Commission was granted the power to administer the AFL independently, replacing the former structure requiring a vote of club presidents to enact decisions.The Age Melbourne, VIC 38, 34 Stephen Linnell 2 March 1993 Clubs give up their control Separate to the AFL's drivers, the Victorian Football Association and most of its clubs were in severe financial trouble by 1994. Many clubs were still struggling with debt built up from overspending during the 1970s or 1980s, and most clubs were reliant on poker machines (or older, less lucrative bingo licences) and cutting player payments to stay viable, since gate takings and sponsorships could not sustain the clubs. As a sign of the Association's struggles, the $25,000 affiliation fee was waived in 1994.The Age Melbourne, VIC Caroline Overington Caroline Overington 26 15 April 1994 Clubs kick off into financial nightmare The Association executive believed that the Association was heading towards folding if no changes were made. State league proposal One of the early urgent priorities for the AFL Commission when it gained its enhanced administrative powers was to complete the restructuring of state-level football in Victoria.The Age Melbourne, VIC 5 May 1994 Stewart Oldfield 34 Successor to VSFL may begin in 1995 In early 1994, the commission proposed the establishment of a new Victorian state league, which was to have commenced in 1995. The plan would include:The Age Melbourne, VIC 20 April 1994 32 Charles Heppell New state footy league mooted Establishment of a new, twelve-team state league in Victoria, administered by the VSFL. Clubs would be based in both Melbourne and regional Victoria, and would operate both a senior and a reserves grade. The state league clubs would be aligned geographically with the clubs in the VSFL Under-18s competition. The Victorian AFL clubs' reserves grade would be abolished, and reserve players from the Victorian AFL clubs would instead play in the new state league. This new structure was intended to: bring the Victorian structure in line with the interstate structures; reduce operating costs for the Victorian AFL clubs; and, stop the exodus of undrafted or delisted Victorian players to the SANFL or WAFL by providing a strong state-level senior competition for those players to play in, resulting in a stronger developmental structure in Victoria overall to protect the interests of the game in the state.The Age Melbourne, VIC 32 Jason Koutsoukis 11 March 1995 Pre-season cup marks the start of new era for VFA The commission also considered including a club in Tasmania to provide similar developmental benefits to that state.The Age Melbourne, VIC 34 Stephen Linnell 2 June 1994 Reynolds backs reserves Although the AFL Commission did not explicitly propose that the new state league comprise the Association clubs, it was seen as a natural solution. The Association saw its own involvement in the new state league structure as its only means of survival, and had to some extent been preparing for such a change since the 1986 FORT review. Association president Tony Hannebery worked with VSFL president Ken Gannon throughout 1994 to arrange for a merger. In July, the two bodies agreed in principle to a merger under which the Association administration would be merged into the VSFL administration, and some but not all of the Association clubs would become the metropolitan teams in the state league.The Age Melbourne, VIC 31 Stewart Oldfield 4 July 1994 VFA, VSFL merger plan As the 1994 season progressed, there was an increasingly strong opposition from the Victorian AFL clubs against the proposal to abolish their reserves competition, and it reached the point that the clubs threatened to unite and enact their power to sack the AFL Commission if it went through with the plan.The Age Melbourne, VIC 50 Stephen Rielly Stephen Linnell 24 May 1994 Vic clubs threaten AFL on reserves Consequently, the AFL Commission acquiesced on the matter of abolition of the reserves competition; but, it still proceeded with the establishment of the new VSFL state league from 1995, to run in parallel with the AFL reserves.The Age Melbourne, VIC 48 Stephen Rielly 23 August 1994 Reserves will stay, for time being The AFL Commission promised to revisit the abolition of the AFL reserves, which ultimately occurred for the 2000 season. Merger of the VFA and VSFL In October, the Association and the VSFL agreed to terms for a merger. As a result, the Association board of management was formally dissolved, bringing an end to the Victorian Football Association's 117 years as an independent entity.Herald Sun Melbourne, VIC 73 Adrian Dunn 13 October 1994 Plan a 'victory' for VFA identity Afternoon The Association was given three seats on the nine-man VSFL board,Herald Sun Melbourne, VIC 76 Adrian Dunn 8 November 1995 Werribee talks to AFL Afternoon and Tony Hannebery departed as the Association's final president. To establish its on-field composition, the VSFL extended invitations for eight of the Association's twelve clubs to join under 'A' licences. These clubs would form the state league's eight Melbourne-based clubs, with each to field a senior and reserves team, and to be affiliated with one of the VSFL Under-18s competition's seven metropolitan clubs or the Geelong Falcons. The remaining Association clubs could apply for a 'B' licence, which would end their time as senior clubs, but allow them to carry on their existing identity in the Under-18s competition.Herald Sun Melbourne, VIC 73 Adrian Dunn 22 September 1994 Clubs in survival meeting The only club to voluntarily take a 'B' licence was Prahran, which withdrew from senior competition on 16 September 1994.Herald Sun Melbourne, VIC 86 Adrian Dunn 17 September 1994 Morning Prahran calls time out The remaining clubs submitted bids for 'A' licences. Because of the need for the senior clubs to be viable and geographically aligned with their VSFL Under-18s teams, clubs were competing against their neighbours for access to the 'A' licences, and five clubs immediately appeared secure: Box Hill (aligned with Eastern), Frankston (Southern), Sandringham (Central), Preston (Northern) and Werribee (Geelong). This left six clubs fighting over the remaining three regions: Coburg, Port Melbourne and Williamstown (North-Western and Western); and Dandenong, Oakleigh and Springvale (South-Eastern). In the end, the Association proposed and obtained agreement from the VSFL to admit nine Association clubs for the 1995 season instead of eight. Springvale received the 'A' licence for the south-east, and Oakleigh and Dandenong both received 'B' licences; and Coburg, Port Melbourne and Williamstown were all given 'A' licences and shared their two regions. In admitting the nine clubs, the VSFL stated that it still intended to reduce the number to eight for the 1996 season, meaning that one club was likely to face expulsion at the end of the season. The three clubs with 'B' licences each gave their name and home ground to one of the VSFL Under-18 teams: the Central Dragons moved to Toorak Park and became the Prahran Dragons; the Southern Stingrays moved to Shepley Oval and became the Dandenong Southern Stingrays; and the south-eastern team, which was new for 1995, set up at Warrawee Park and was named the Oakleigh Chargers. Other arrangements relating to the merger were: It was planned to expand into regional Victoria, with four new clubs to be admitted to align with the Ballarat, Bendigo, Ovens & Murray and Gippsland VSFL Under-18 teams; but, that this expansion would not begin until 1996. The new state competition would carry on the Victorian Football Association name in 1995; but, that the VSFL would review this at the end of the season. Ultimately, 1995 was the final season to carry the Victorian Football Association name, and its name was changed to the Victorian Football League (the same name formerly used by the Australian Football League) from 1996 onwards. The Association's Under-19s competition was abolished, with the VSFL Under-18s effectively taking its place. With the additional changes slated for the 1996 season, the 1995 season was a transitional season between the old and new structures, and cannot easily be categorised as being part of one era or the other. The competition was still officially known as the VFA, but was also referred to as the VicSafe Cup (reflecting the name of the season's major sponsor) and the representative team wore the logo that would be used for the VFL the following season.VFA COMBINE - UNIFORMS (1970-1995) https://www.hardballget.net/rep-uniforms-vfa-vfl-1970-1995.html Hard Ball Get 20 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20240415065919/https://www.hardballget.net/rep-uniforms-vfa-vfl-1970-1995.html 15 April 2024Springvale FC the last team to win a VFA premiership in 1995 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=820672653539621&id=100067906800339&set=a.418171700456387 VFA Footy The Halcyon Days 20 June 2025 https://archive.today/20250620120903/https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=820672653539621&id=100067906800339&set=a.418171700456387 20 June 2025 25 July 20241995 VFA grand final captains Springvale's Denis Knight & Sandringham Zebras Anthony Allen https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=848579334082286&set=1995-vfa-grand-final-captains-springvales-denis-knight-sandringham-zebras-anthon Facebook VFA Footy The Halcyon Days 20 June 2025 https://archive.today/20250620114234/https://www.facebook.com/vfafootythehalcyondays/photos/1995-vfa-grand-final-captains-springvales-denis-knight-sandringham-zebras-anthon/848579334082286/ 20 June 2025 7 September 2024 Despite the significant off-field changes, the on-field continuity was sufficient that the new state league structure is considered a continuation of the former Association, with premierships and onfield records from each considered equivalent. Home-and-away season In the home-and-away season, each team played sixteen games, a reduction from eighteen which had been played for many years. The top five then contested the finals under the McIntyre final five system. Finals were played at Victoria Park. Ladder main WDL Q 5 true points y 4 2 SPR Springvale PMB Port Melbourne SAN Sandringham WER Werribee FRA Frankston BOX Box Hill NBU Preston COB Coburg WIL Williamstown 15 1 0 1892 1089 P 12 4 0 2058 1312 10 6 0 1622 1207 9 7 0 1189 1338 8 8 0 1604 1418 8 8 0 1288 1480 5 11 0 1272 1514 5 11 0 1325 1722 0 16 0 1086 2256 QF QF QF QF QF green2 Finals series Premiers 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. complete Herald Sun Melbourne, VIC 51 28 August 1995 National scoreboard Morning Finals Qualifying and elimination finals Elimination final Saturday, 2 September Werribee 13.7 (85) A Frankston 14.13 (97) Victoria Park 1,533 The Sunday Age (Sport Liftout) Melbourne, VIC 10 Ross Booth 3 September 1995 Dolphins overcome Werribee Qualifying final Sunday, 3 September Port Melbourne 12.15 (87) A Sandringham 19.18 (132) Victoria Park 2,415 The Age Melbourne, VIC 42 Jason Koutsoukis Zebras' last quarter blitz crushes Port 4 September 1995 Semi-finals First semi-final Saturday, 9 September Port Melbourne 23.8 (146) H Frankston 14.8 (92) Victoria Park 2,062 The Sunday Age (Sports Liftout) Melbourne, VIC Ross Booth 6 10 September 1995 Port storms back to sink Dolphins Second semi-final Sunday, 10 September Springvale 19.15 (129) H Sandringham 12.12 (84) Victoria Park 2,194 The Age Melbourne, VIC 38 Football 11 September 1995 Preliminary final Preliminary final Sunday, 17 September Sandringham 18.18 (126) H Port Melbourne 8.10 (58) Victoria Park The Age Melbourne, VIC 45 Jason Koutsoukis Zebras hit top to reach grand final 18 September 1995 Grand Final 1995 VFA Grand Final Sunday, 24 September Springvale 1.1 (7) 5.5 (35) 7.5 (47) 14.10 (94) Evans 5, O'Donnell 2, Smith 2, Baldwin, Courtney, Dyson-Holland, Mellody, Peacock Clark, for striking Foley in the second quarterTaylor, for striking Winton in the third quarter H Sandringham 2.2 (14) 3.4 (22) 5.12 (42) 6.15 (51) Amiet 2, Foley 2, Allen, Walker Winton, for striking Little in the third quarter Victoria Park 6,445 The Age Melbourne, VIC Jason Koutsoukis 38, 36 25 September 1995 Springvale steams home to win flag Hanley, Sercia, Sexton Norm Goss Memorial Medal Martin Mellody (Springvale) Awards The leading goalkicker for the season was Danny Sexton (Port Melbourne), who kicked 64 goals including finals. The J. J. Liston Trophy was won by Paul Satterley (Werribee), who polled 18 votes. Satterley finished ahead of Denis Knight (Springvale), who was second with 15 votes despite missing seven games for the year, and Tom Livingstone (Box Hill) and John McNamara (Port Melbourne), who each polled 12 votes.Herald Sun Melbourne, VIC Adrian Dunn 89 31 August 1995 Liston for Werribee youngster Afternoon The Fothergill–Round Medal was won by Mark Porter (Coburg).http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=0-118-0-0-0&sID=54554&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=4834467 Fothergill–Round Medallists 20 December 2014 29 October 2014 Sportingpulse Springvale won the reserves premiership. Springvale 10.16 (76) defeated Box Hill 6.13 (49) in the grand final, held as a curtain-raiser to the Seniors Grand Final on 24 September. Springvale won the pre-season competition. Springvale 9.9 (63) defeated Box Hill 8.8 (56) in the grand final,The Sunday Age (Sports Liftout) Melbourne, VIC 16 Ross Booth 9 April 1995 Welcome back the Club held on 8 April at Victoria Park.The Sunday Age (Sports Liftout) Melbourne, VIC 14 Ross Booth 19 March 1995 Teams vie for final spots in pre-season Notable events Interleague matches The Association played one interstate match, against New South Wales, during 1995. The match was played on 17 June at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as a curtain raiser to the State of Origin match between Victoria and South Australia. 1995 Interstate matches Saturday, 17 June V.F.A. 16.15 (111) H New South Wales 2.7 (19) Melbourne Cricket Ground 64,186 (C-R) The Sunday Age (Sports Liftout) Melbourne, VIC Ross Booth 18 18 June 1995 NSW feels the power of star VFA squad Other notable events With only nine teams competing, it was the competition's smallest number of teams since only eight teams contested the 1925 VFA season. began the season with three consecutive losses by a combined 259 points before recovering to reach the finals.The Age Melbourne, VIC 36 Jason Koutsoukis 31 July 1995 Werribee turns it around to become a finals contender did not win any senior or reserves games during the season.History of the Williamstown Football Club https://websites.mygameday.app/club_info.cgi?client=0-118-10459-1-0&sID=55902&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=4877895 GameDay Williamstown Football Club 20 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250620143943/https://websites.mygameday.app/club_info.cgi?client=0-118-10459-1-0&sID=55902&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=4877895 20 June 2025 28 April 2005 See also 1995 AFL season References Category:Victorian Football League seasons VFA