The VFL Development League, officially known as the AFL Victoria Development League and formerly known as the VFL reserves, VFA seconds/reserves and VFA Second Eighteens, was an Australian rules football competition that operated as a second-tier competition to the Victorian Football League (VFL, originally known as the VFA) from 1928 until 2017.
The VFA Second Eighteens emerged from the Victorian Junior Football Association, the first successful junior football competition in Melbourne which was founded in 1883. Although formally operating as the VFA's reserves competition starting in 1928, the VJFA name was retained until the end of the 1932 season.
Coinciding with the seniors VFA competition, a second reserves division was established in 1961. Clubs played in the same division as their senior teams, until the separate divisions were abolished for both grades at the end of 1988.
From its inception until 1979, the seconds team played on Saturday afternoons, playing at home when the senior team played away and vice versa.
Starting in 1980, seconds matches were played as curtain-raisers to senior matches, on Saturdays or Sundays as necessary.[1]
The competition was later renamed the VFA reserves (becoming the VFL reserves when the competition changed its name in 1996), and then from the beginning of the 2012 season it became the VFL Development League, a move that coincided with the introduction of the AFL Victoria Development Academy which provides development opportunities for up to 25 selected VFL players per year.[2]
Fielding a team in the reserves competition was mandatory for all senior VFA teams for most of the competition's history. Since the changes to the VFL in 2000, all AFL clubs fielding their reserves teams in the VFL seniors opted not to contest the minor grade.
Several regional clubs were unable to sustain teams, with Bendigo and North Ballarat leaving the competition at the end of the 2009 and 2013 seasons respectively.[3]
The Development League was abolished after the 2017 season.[4]
Eight different clubs competed in the VFL Development League's final season. They were Box Hill, Casey, Coburg, Northern Blues, Port Melbourne, Sandringham, Werribee and Williamstown.[5]
Coburg won the most reserves premierships, with a total of 18.[6] The competition's final premiership was won by Casey.[7]