Victorian Athletic League


The Victorian Athletic League organises professional footrunning events ranging from 70 to 3200 metres. The most famous of these events is the Stawell Gift which has been run since 1878 and hosts the richest footrace in Australia. Many other gifts are held around Victoria in country and metro locations including Ballarat, Bendigo, Wangaratta, Maryborough, Keilor, Yarrawonga, Ringwood, Rye and Olympic Park. Races are run under a handicap system which makes races competitive. Each race has a different handicap limit. Generally, the greater the sum of the prize money for a race, the less handicap is available, limiting the class of runners that can win. Runners are awarded prize money when making finals and bookmaking occurs at major meets.

History of professional running

The oldest professional carnival in Victoria is the Maryborough Gift which celebrated its 162nd anniversary on New years Day 2025.

Present day professional footrunning

Australia's best known footrace is the Stawell Gift, held at Easter since 1878. The other major Victorian carnivals that has been running for more than 100 years are the Maryborough and Wangaratta Carnivals. The Burnie Gift in Tasmania has been running since 1885.
The Wangaratta Gift has been running for 100 plus years since 1919 and like the Stawell Gift has only ever had a three year break for World War Two from 1942 to 1944, while the Maryborough Gift is the only carnival in Victoria to have actually run continuously since 1891.
The status as the richest carnival was challenged for a time in NSW with the running of the Botany Bay Gift Carnival which, in the 1990s. boasts total prize money of $120,000 and $70,000 for its main race with a $50,000 first prize. The excellent event, however, faded from the scene when sponsorship became difficult to maintain.
The Stawell Carnival has a total prize money pool of $90,000. The main race, the Stawell Gift, is over 120m and the winner receives $40,000.
There are many other carnivals and events conducted under handicap foot-running conditions throughout the nation each year.
Apart from Stawell, Wangaratta and Burnie, some of the more famous long-running carnivals are the Bay Sheffield Carnival in South Australia, Bendigo and Ballarat in Victoria, the Christmas Carnivals in North Western Tasmania, and an annual Gift on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Temora and Macksville Carnivals in New South Wales. Since the late 1980s athletics and the Olympic Games have been 'open', meaning that the so-called amateurs and professionals can all compete together for prize money without being penalised or discriminated against.

History of the Victorian Athletic League

The Victorian Athletic League was established in 1895. Professional running in Australia began in the gold-mining days and boomed in areas where miners were prospecting and digging for gold. The miners raced against each other for the gift of a gold nugget offered by the local publican or mine owner. The miners raced over various distances but the main race was run over the Sheffield distance of 130 yards.
In the 1860s big money began to creep into the sport which attracted a wealth of athletic talent. Competitions took on a carnival atmosphere and crowds flocked to see local champions. In April 1878, nearly two thousand people witnessed the running of the first Stawell Easter Gift which was won by 24-year-old farmer W.J.Millard. The sport of professional running continued to grow. Big prize money and heavy betting attracted talented athletes as well as a range of shady characters.
By the early 1890s, the sport of professional running was in crisis. Athletes running under false names, hiding past performance, corrupt officials and other controversies led the need to establish a controlling body for professional running in Victoria. The Victorian Athletic League was formed on 15 April 1895 when RV Lewis of Benalla was elected president and Hastings Bell of Stawell was appointed secretary. Originally the League was administered from Stawell and formulated rules and regulations for country towns that conducted sports carnivals. It also acted as arbitrator in any disputes arising at those carnivals.
In 1902 a regular office was established in Melbourne and the Victorian Athletic League began to promote the sport of professional running. Carnivals were held in Melbourne and major Victorian towns and became extremely popular with the sporting public. 1917, a dispute over prize money led to a breakaway group, the Victorian Athletic Association, being formed and conducting event in opposition to the Victorian Athletic League. In 1921, through the mediation of the Stawell Athletic Club, the Victorian Athletic League and the Victorian Athletic Association were merged. ES Herring of Maryborough was elected president and Joe Bull appointed as secretary. The Victorian Athletic League established an office in Brunswick and held mid week sports meetings were held at White City in Tottenham, at the Exhibition Grounds and at the Monodrome. During the 1920s and 1930s, popularity of professional running grew tremendously and the VAL staged World Sprint Championships.
At the outbreak of World War II, many Victorian Athletic League clubs abandoned their meetings. However, the federal cabinet granted permission for the Victorian Athletic League to conduct footrunning at Maribyrnong for the benefit of athletes on leave from the armed forces and men employed in essential services. After World War II the Victorian Athletic League gained strength and had nearly fifteen hundred registered runners, three hundred trainers and was conducted sports carnivals at seventy centres across Victoria from mid November to early June.
By the early 1960s, interest in professional running had waned. The number of registered runners had declined and only twenty-eight carnivals were held across Victoria. In an effort to revive the sport, the Victorian Athletic League invited champion international athletes such as Bob Hayes, Alan Simpson and Robbie Hutchison to compete in Australia. In 1969, the St Kilda club staged the richest footrace in the world with a first prize of $2,000. In 1977, the Victorian Athletic League undertook substantial administrative changes becoming an incorporated company, establishing a computerised record of handicaps and results, and commissioning the use of an electronic race finish recording machine. After years of segregation between amateur and professional athletics, in 1986 saw the dawning of open athletics when Stawell Gift winners Chris Perry and John Dinan competed for Australia at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.
In recent years, the Victorian Athletic League has extended its athletic format beyond club carnivals. The League moved into conducting special events such as the famous Dandy Dollar Dash at VFL/AFL football matches, the Moomba Mile run down Bourke Street in the Melbourne CBD, 400 metres series' during international cricket matches at the MCG and sprint events during horse races at Moonee Valley. In 2001, the Victorian Athletic League moved offices to be co-located with Athletics Victoria at Olympic Park in Melbourne. The League began to form a strong alliance with Athletics Victoria through formal affiliation, sharing resources and establishing a dual-registration process.
Matthew McDonough has been President of the Victorian Athletic League since 2021 and there is prize money offered for each race from $300 to $60,000 and a sash for every winner. The VAL provide a wide range of race categories and distances to ensure there is something for everyone.

Famous athletes

The following athletes are a small selection of well known and well performed athletes that have run in Australian Professional races under the .

Ballarat Gift

The Ballarat Gift has a strong history dating back to 1921 and was initially run by the Ballarat Athletic Association and promoted as "the greatest sports carnival in Australia" featuring athetics, cycling and tug of war events. The 1921 Ballarat Christmas Gift had a purse of £155, which was the richest stake in Australia and was held at the City Oval.
In 1923 and 1924, there was no professional athletic events, only amateur races, with the main event being the 100 yard amateur handicap.
Since 1949 it has been held at the City Oval, Sebastopol Oval and Northern Oval where VFL team the North Ballarat Roosters play. In 1949 the gift was won by Ted Marantelli.
During much of the 1970s and 1980s the only Gift conducted in Ballarat was the Sebastopol Gift. After the demise of the Sebatopol Gift in 1988, the Ballarat Gift returned to the VAL calendar in 1989 at the City Oval.
After traditionally being held in February since inception, in 2010 the Ballarat Gift was moved to the weekend after the Stawell Gift. With the assistance of the Goldfields Council, the Gift was worth a record $40,000. With all six Stawell Gift finalists entered, the 2010 Ballarat Gift final featured four of them including Stawell Gift winner Tom Burbidge. The Gift was won by 44-year-old Ballarat based, self trained athlete, Peter O'Dwyer. It was O'Dwyer's second Ballarat Gift after winning the race in 1996.
'''Past winners '''

Bendigo

;The Bendigo Gift
In late 1922, the Bendigo Easter Carnival committee decided to host a professional Sheffield Handicap running race over 130 yards for the 1923 Bendigo Easter Gift, with an initial prize of £200 to be held at the Bendigo Agricultural Showgrounds as part of the Bendigo Easter Carnival, which included athletics, cycling, wood chopping and trotting.
In 1926 the Bendigo Gift prize money was £275.
In 1949 the Bendigo Easter Gift had a purse of £1000.
It appears that the Bendigo Gift changed its name to the Bendigo Guineas in 1952 and when Bill Freyer won the Guineas in 1956, there was a crowd of 20,000.
;The Bendigo City 1000 Gift - 1947 to present day
In 1946 the Bendigo Commonwealth Athletic Club was formed and hosted the first Bendigo City One Thousand Gift in March 1947 and offered a purse of £1000 which was held on the Labour Day long weekend and from then onwards the race was commonly known as the Bendigo 1000 Gift.
In 1949, a staggering crowd of 25,000 attended the day one heats of the Bendigo 1000 carnival at the Bendigo Showgrounds.
In 1953, Essendon footballer, Norm McDonald won the 100 yards Australian Championships at the Bendigo 1000 Gift Carnival.
The event was later on moved to the Tom Flood reserve, one of the fastest grass tracks on the VAL circuit.
The Bendigo 1000 coincided with the Bendigo International Madison, a prestigious cycling event for 50 years, until the discontinuation of the Madison after the 2024 event.
From 2001 to 2024, excluding 2020-2023 where the Madison did not occur, Bendigo boasted the Bendigo Black Opal 400m, the richest 400m event in the world, attracting Australia's best 400m metre athletes, as well as the rich Bendigo Black Pearl 400m for the women.
In a break with tradition, the Bendigo Gift distance was increased from a 120 metre race to 200 metre race in 2023.
;Title Name / Prize money
  • 1947 to 1965: Bendigo 1000
  • 1966: Bendigo 3000
  • 1967 to 1977: Bendigo 2000
  • 1978 to 198?: Bendigo 5000
  • 1990's: Bendigo 10000
  • 2020's: Bendigo Gift
Past winners of the ?
  • 2003 Duncan Tippins
  • 2004 Mark Howard
  • 2005 Nathan Dixon
  • 2006 Tommy Neim
  • 2007 Nick Magree
  • 2008 Glenn Stephens

Burramine Gift

The Burramine Gift commenced at the Yarrawonga Showgrounds in 1952, but the event had its origins five years earlier with an athletics carnival held in a local paddock to raise some money for a new set of football jumpers, with the event being held at the Grove Oval, Yarrawonga from 1953 onwards.
Famous American Olympic sprinter Herb McKenley ran at Burramine in 1954, but broke down 20 yards from the finish line to finish second.
The Burramine Gift distance changed in 1974 from 130 yards to 120 metres.
The club only ever had two secretaries, the late Tom Hopkins and Frances Connell. Mr Peter Lawless senior was club president from 1967, which was then taken over by Peter Lawless junior in 2001.
Life Membership was awarded to both Peter Lawless and James Cummins in 2014.
The club made the difficult decision fold at its annual general meeting in July 2014.

Castlemaine Gift

The history of professional foot running in and around the Castlemaine area has existed since the 1880's.
In 1885, a 120 yard Sheffield Handicap race was conducted by the Castlemaine Easter Sports Carnival and won by J Moore of Brighton.
The Gift has been running intermittently since 1922 and held at the Camp Reserve, run initially over the Sheffield distance of 130 yards. The gift was initially held on Boxing Day between 1922 and 1937.

Maryborough Gift

A list of winners of the Maryborough Gift dating back to 1891.
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Ringwood Gift

Hosted by the Ringwood Professional Athletic club, the Ringwood Gift has previously been held on grass but since 2010 has been run on a synthetic surface at the Ringwood Athletics Track. Having previously held slots in late January, the Ringwood Gift is now situated in Late March/Early April, serving as the last meeting before the Stawell Gift. The Gift distance has historically been over 400m, and whilst the race has previously been run as an open race, it has since been split into a mens and womens event, with the womens gift race now being held over 300m as of 2025. Due to athletes being in peak form due to the close proximity of Stawell, and a synthetic track, fast times are usually seen at Ringwood.

Rye Gift

Held on the second Saturday of January every year, the Rye Gift attracts tourists celebrating the Christmas period and New Year. It has bookies and the track for the 120m is on a slight decline.

Shepparton Gift">Deakin_Reserve">Shepparton Gift

The Shepparton Gift commenced in 1899 as the Sheffield Handicap, later renamed the Shepparton Gift, which was held at the Shepparton Recreation Reserve from 1906 onwards.

[Stawell Gift]

The Stawell Gift is considered the country's and quite possibly world's most prestigious professional footrace. Over 120m it is televised across the country and thousands are at Stawell every year at Easter.
View the Men's Stawell Gift Winners: 1878 to 2026, which includes the handicap and time of each winner.
  • 2025 John Evans, Adelaide
  • 2024 Jack Lacey, Ringwood
  • 2023 Ryan Tarrant, Melbourne
  • 2022 Harrison Kerr, Ringwood
  • 2021 Edward Ware, Melbourne
  • 2020 COVID 19
  • 2019 Dhruv Rodrigues Chico, Melbourne
  • 2018 Jacob Despard, Tasmania
  • 2017 Matthew Rizzo, Langwarrin
  • 2016 Isaac Dunmall, East Brisbane
  • 2015 Murray Goodwin, Burleigh Heads
  • 2014 Luke Versace, Melbourne
  • 2013 Andrew Robinson, Launceston
  • 2012 Matthew Wiltshire, Ballarat
  • 2011 Mitchell Williams-Swain, Gold Coast
  • 2010 Tom Burbidge, Canberra
  • 2009 Aaron Stubbs, Kurrawa
  • 2008 Sam Jamieson, Williamstown
  • 2007 Nathan Allen, Toowoomba
  • 2006 Adrian Mott, Essendon
  • 2005 Joshua Ross, Gillieston
  • 2004 Jason Hunte, Barbados
  • 2003 Joshua Ross, North Lambton
  • 2002 Stuart Uhlmann, Cedar Grove
  • 2001 Andrew Pym, South Riverview
  • 2000 Jarram Pearce, Wodonga
  • 1999 Rod Matthews, Buninyong
  • 1998 Dale Seers, Edithvale
  • 1997 Daniel Millard, Mt Gambier
  • 1996 Steve Hutton, Alberton
  • 1995 Glenn Crawford, Katamatite
  • 1994 Rod Lewis, Ringwood
  • 1993 Jason Richardson, Caulfield South
  • 1992 Andrew McManus, Essendon
  • 1991 Steve Brimacombe, Eltham
  • 1990 Dean Capobianco, Kalamunda
''':'''

Wangaratta Gift">The_Showgrounds,_Wangaratta">Wangaratta Gift

The Wangaratta Gift was originally run over 130 yards, but is now run over 120 metres and has been held annually since 1919 at the Wangaratta Showgrounds, where all race results can be viewed. This event attracts both VAL and NSWAL competitors because of the close proximity to the Victorian and NSW border region.

Whitfield Sports Day

This annual sports day commenced in 1905 and was held at the Whitfield Recreation Reserve, with main event being the 130 yards Sheffield Handicap. This event appears to of run between 1905 and around 1950.
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Whorouly Gift">Whorouly, Victoria">Whorouly Gift

The Whorouly Sports Day appears to of commenced in 1935 which involved athletics, cycling on the banked dirt bike track, equestrian and wood chopping and was held on the Whorouly Recreation Reserve. The main event was the 130 yard Sheffield Handicap Whorouly Gift.