Ovens & King Football League

The Ovens & King Football League (OKFL) was formed on 13 June 1903 after a handful of men met at The Bulls Head Hotel in Wangaratta to consider forming a football competition. One week later, the first matches of the Ovens & King Football Association were played. The competition changed its name to the Ovens and King Football League after the 1928 season.

Today, more than 100 years later, teams from Benalla, Bright, Greta, King Valley, Milawa, Moyhu, North Wangaratta, Tarrawingee and Whorouly participate in seniors, reserves and five netball grades.

Located in the rich Ovens Valley and King Valley of northeast Victoria, the league has produced a number of elite football who have gone on to play in the AFL, including the cousins Nigel (Brisbane Lions) and Matthew Lappin (St Kilda/Carlton), ruckman Mark Porter (Kangaroos/Carlton) and most recently Michael Newton (Melbourne), Ben Reid (Collingwood) and Sam Reid (Sydney Swans).

Community support is strong in the Ovens and King districts with crowds attending games usually greater than most neighbouring competitions. The local football is an important social outlet for many local communities and finals matches draw especially strong crowd numbers.

In 2010, the league added Tatong, Swanpool, Goorambat and Bonnie Doon, who had previously played in the now-defunct Benalla & District Football League. After four years of heavy losses, Swanpool and Tatong were thrown out of the competition by AFL County Victoria, ending nearly 100 years of tradition. A two-way merge proposed by the clubs was rejected, as was a transfer to the Picola District FL.^[1]

In 2019 Glenrowan were forced into recess following a player, coach and volunteer shortage.^[2]

This pretigious honour for O&KFNL players & officials was first awarded in 2006.

• 2006: Ray Burns, Clyde Baker, Clem Goonan, Mick Nolan, Richie Shanley, Jim Skinns, Lionel Wallace.
• 2007: Ray Price, Vin Shelley, Ken Stewart.
• 2008: Fay Morgan, Fred Baker, Allan Dickson, Kevin Allen.
• 2009: Fred Jensen.
• 2010: Daryl Everitt, Neville Pollard, Laurie Stewart.
• 2011: Norm Bussell, Bob Comensoli, Kath Dobson, Max Newth.
• 2012: Brendan Allan, Mark Allan, Jeff Clarke.
• 2013: Ken Ellis, Gladys Townsend, Dawn Wallace, Rex Walter.
• 2014: Des Sheridan.
• 2015: Scott Douglas, Robyn Hogan, Wendy Hogan, Jock Lappin.
• 2016:
• 2017:
• 2018: Mal Dinsdale, Lionel Schutt, Kevin Rhodes, Gerard Nolan
• 2019:
• 2020: O&K in recess due to COVID-19
• 2021:
• 2022: Chris Donald, Paul Hickey, Chris O'Keefe
• 2023:
• 2024: Paul Hogan

• 1950:^[22] Jack Sullivan (Tarrawingee) runner up on count back. He has never been awarded a retrospective best & fairest medal like others have in the 1956 and 1978 Baker Medals.

• 1971: John Lappin (Chiltern) was ineligible to win the Baker Medal due to suspension during the season.

• 1994: Mark Porter, born 11/10/1976 was the youngest ever winner of the O&K Medal, aged 17 years, 10 months.

• 2000: In 2000, Greg Hogan and Tim Lowe were awarded the 1956 medal retrospectively, after finishing equal second on a countback.

• 2000: In 1978 Neville Pollard originally won the Baker Medal on a countback from John Lappin (Chiltern) and Terry Wadley (Greta). Lappin & Wadley were both awarded the medal, after a change in the O&K rules in 2000.

• 2000: In 2000, after former Moyhu player, Greg Hogan was retrospectively awarded the 1956 medal, after finishing equal second on a countback, he became part of the first father / son combination to win the medal. His son, Paul, won the medal in 1995 with Greta Football Club.

Seniors

• - +: Means that in some O&K matches, the individual goal tallies where not recorded and / or published in local newspapers.