Abstract des Autors

This article traces the early development of the Loddon Valley Football League, the oldest country Victorian football competition to have survived without a name change or amalgamation. Located 50 km north of Bendigo, the Loddon Valley District was an important part of Victoria's goldfields. As the supply of gold dwindled so did the district's population, and the area, like much of the rest of Victoria, fell into depression in the 1890s. During this period of economic and demographic stagnation, Australian Rules football became a source of community renewal and a social and cultural glue that bound the Shire's remaining inhabitants together. While the Loddon Valley's role in the Victorian gold rushes is well known, it's still vibrant Football League has scarcely been studied, remaining something of a local secret. Drawing on newspapers and published local histories, this article redresses this, by studying the early years of the League and exploring how it came to be such a key part of the Shire's community. Verf.-Referat