Victorian Netball League


The Victorian Netball League 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.
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 become two - with Division 1 and 19 & Under replaced with a 23 & Under division. It also saw the inclusion of new clubs . The Stars will initially field a 23 & Under team, before entering the Championship division by 2027.
Nine existing clubs had their licenses renewed, with foundation club Ariels a casualty of the restructure.
The league's most successful team, City West 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.

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. As Hume City Falcons, they won the inaugural Championship in 2009 and claimed it again the following year With a team that included Kathleen Knott, they won their first Championship as City West Falcons in 2012 and again in 2013. In 2018, Falcons won their fifth Championship title. 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.

Teams

2023 teams

;Notes

Championship Grand Finals

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.

Internationals

Collingwood Magpies

Award winners

;Margaret Caldow Trophy
The Championship MVP award is named after Margaret Caldow.
;Notes
  • 2012 award was shared.
  • 2013 award was shared.
  • 2021 award was shared.
;Player of the Championship Grand Final
SeasonPlayerTeam
2009Ashlee HowardBoroondara Genesis
2010
2011
2012Christie BarnesCity West Falcons
2013Elizabeth WatsonCity West Falcons
2014Leah PercySouthern Saints
2015Sarah YuleBoroondara Express
2016Dani StewartMelbourne University Lightning
2017Micaela WilsonNorth East Blaze
2018
2019Vanessa AugustiniGeelong Cougars
2022Zoe DaviesCity West Falcons

Main sponsors