The Northern Football League’s junior competition experienced the third most competitive 2013 of any junior metropolitan football league.
Research on junior grading policies conducted by AFL Victoria showed the average winning margin in the NFL’s junior competitions was 46 points in 2013.
Only the Yarra Junior Football League (38 points) and South Metro Junior Football League (41) points recorded lower average margins than the NFL.
The Junior Grading System Research Paper 2013 revealed the NFL had finished inside the top three for competitiveness in each of the past four seasons. Only the YJFL can boast an equal record.
The results are an endorsement for the league’s grading process, with average margins in the junior competition considerably reduced since grading was introduced. This is even despite the average margin rising two points in 2013, from 44 points in 2012.
Under the NFL’s current grading process, all competitions are re-graded after Round 4 to create balanced and fair competitions across all age groups and divisions. The league aims to give every team a genuine opportunity to play finals at least once every three years.
The Essendon District Football League (EDFL) – which undertakes its grading on a club basis at the beginning of the year and does not regrade during the season – recorded the highest average margin of any metropolitan junior league, with an average margin of 61 points in 2013.
A comparison of age groups across all leagues showed the under-16 age group recorded the highest average margin, at 66 points.
The under-11 age group recorded the lowest average margin at 34 points, which may be attributed to shortened match times and the low scoring nature of younger competitions.
Data across a five-year period showed that average margins increased as age groups increased, before tapering at the under-15 and under-17 levels.
The eight metropolitan junior football leagues that were researched for the report by AFL Victoria were: Eastern Football League (EFL), Essendon District Football League (EDFL), Northern Football League (NFL), Riddell District Football League (RDFL), South East Juniors (SEJ), South Metro Junior Football League (SMJFL), Western Region Football League (WRFL) and Yarra Junior Football League (YJFL).
2010-2013 AVERAGE MARGINS
| 2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
||||||||
| League |
Ave |
League |
Ave |
League |
Ave |
League |
Ave |
||||
| 1 | Yarra JFL | 38 | 1 | Yarra JFL | 40 | 1 | South Metro JFL | 37 | 1 | Yarra JFL | 38 |
| 2 | Moorabbin SJFL | 43 | 2 | Northern FL | 47 | 2 | Yarra JFL | 38 | 2 | South Metro JFL | 41 |
| 3 | Northern FL | 49 | 3 | Eastern FL | 50 | 3 | Northern FL | 44 | 3 | Northern FL | 46 |
| 3 | South EJ | 49 | 4 | Moorabbin SJFL | 52 | 3 | South EJ | 44 | 4 | South EJ | 51 |
| 5 | Eastern FL | 51 | 4 | Riddell DFL | 52 | 5 | Eastern FL | 48 | 5 | Riddell DFL | 52 |
| 5 | Riddell DFL | 51 | 6 | South EJ | 53 | 6 | Riddell DFL | 49 | 5 | Eastern FL | 52 |
| 7 | Essendon DFL | 54 | 7 | Essendon DFL | 61 | 7 | Essendon DFL | 54 | 7 | Western RFL | 57 |
| 8 | Western RFL | 62 | 8 | Western RFL | 70 | 8 | Western RFL | 68 | 8 | Essendon DFL |
61 |
