The Horsham District Football League is an amateur Australian rules football league based in the Wimmera area of Western Victoria.

History

The league in its present form was created in 1946. Prior to World War 2 a number of local leagues existed around Horsham, shrinking to one in 1934. The clubs that played in the previous incarnation in 1934 were Green Park (which won the premiership), CYMS, Quantong, Adelphians, Church of England, Longerenong and Pimpinio Seconds. The clubs that played in 1946 were Kalkee (which won the premiership), Horsham Homers, Wonwondah, Jung, Wail, Laharum, RSL, Longerenong College, Taylors Lake and YCW. In 1982 the league expanded after the West Wimmera Football League disbanded and five clubs joined: Goroke, Noradjuha, Douglas-Harrow-Miga Lake, Gerang - Kiata, and Netherby-Lorquon. This brought the total to sixteen clubs. Since then all of these West Wimmera clubs have gone into recess, and Imperials-Wonwondah moved to the Wimmera Football League in 1983. In 2000, after the folding of the Ararat & District Football Association, Stawell Swifts and Great Western joined the competition. Edenhope-Apsley joined from the Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara Football League in 2007. Natimuk and Horsham Diggers (Wimmera Football League) voted on a merger for 2014 season and beyond under the banner of Natimuk United Football Netball Club. The club wore the Natimuk jumper for home games and Horsham Diggers jumper for away games. They kept scheduling a match on Anzac Day. Swifts were premiers in 2014 after defeating the previously undefeated Laharum in the grand final. Laharum defeated Kalkee in the 2015 grand final. Jeparit-Rainbow transferred from the Mallee Football League for the 2015 season. This caused the Mallee League to fold at the end of the 2015 season. Consequently, Hopetoun and Beulah merged to form the Southern Mallee Giants and transferred to the Horsham & District League in 2016. They dominated the competition for two seasons without losing a game before transferring to the Wimmera Football League. The league did not play any games in 2020 due to Victorian restrictions for the COVID-19 pandemic. Kaniva-Leeor United joined the Horsham & District League in 2020 from the Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara League, as state border restrictions made it difficult for Kaniva, a Victorian club, to play in the South Australian league. Some of the season was played in 2021; however, there were no finals due to lockdowns in August. Jeparit Rainbow left the league at the end of 2023 after merging with the Southern Mallee Giants in the Wimmera Football Netball League, leaving the Horsham & District League with 11 clubs.

Clubs

Current

Past Clubs

Senior Football Premiership Winners

League Awards

Notable Players

Edenhope-Apsley Harrow Balmoral Jung Kalkee Longerenong College Homers Horsham Imperials

2014 Ladder

2015 Ladder

2016 Ladder

2017 Ladder