| Western Eyre Football League | |
| Upcoming Season: | 2024 |
| Last Season: | 2023 |
| Sport: | Australian rules football |
| Formerly: | County of Way Football Association (1909–1948) Murat Bay Football League (1949–1961) Far West Football League (1962–2020) |
| Founded: | 1909 |
| Inaugural: | 1909 |
| Teams: | 6 |
| Champion: | Western United (12th Premiership) |
| Champ Season: | 2024 |
| Most Successful Club: | Koonibba (37 Premierships) |
| Website: | https://www.wefl.web.afl/ |
| Related Comps: | Mortlock Shield, SANFL |
The Western Eyre Football League (WEFL), formerly Far West Football League (FWFL), is an Australian rules football competition based in the Ceduna area of the Eyre Peninsula region of South Australia, Australia. As of March 2021, the league includes clubs in Ceduna, Thevenard, Koonibba Aboriginal community, Penong (Western United FC), Streaky Bay (West Coast Hawks) and Wirrulla.
It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football League.
The County Of Way Football Association was formed in 1909, with founding clubs including Charra, Denial Bay, Goode, Koonibba, Murat and Penong. Fowlers Bay also wished to join the league but was denied entry due to excessive travel distance.
In 1948 the league changed its name to Murat Bay Football League changed and then Far West Football League in 1962.
The Koonibba Roosters are the oldest continuing Aboriginal football club in Australia, having named their Team of the Century in 2009.[1]
The West Coast Hawks of Streaky Bay and Wirrulla club joined the league in March 2021, after the Mid West Football League was wound up permanently. Around the same time, the Far West Football League changed its name to the Western Eyre Football League.[2]
| Club | Jumper | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | Years in comp | WEFL Senior Premierships | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Years[3] | ||||||||
| Ceduna Blues [4] | Blues | Ceduna Sports Club, Ceduna | – | 1989 | 1989– | 5 | 1997, 1999, 2009, 2016, 2022 | ||
| Koonibba | Roosters | Far West Aboriginal Sporting Complex, Thevenard | – | 1906 | 1909–1940, 1946– | 37 | 1910, 1922, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017 | ||
| Thevenard | Magpies | Thevenard Oval,Thevenard | – | 1927 | 1927– | 23 | 1959, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2013, 2015 | ||
| Western United | Tigers | Penong Sports Ground, Penong | – | 1974 | 1974– | 12 | 1980, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024 | ||
| West Coast | Hawks | Streaky Bay Community Complex Oval, Streaky Bay | MWFL | 1999 | 2021– | 1 | 2021 | ||
| Wirrulla | Bombers | Wirrulla Football Ground, Wirrulla | MWFL | 1919 | 2021– | 0 | - | ||
| Club | Jumper | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | Years in comp | WEFL Senior Premierships | Fate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Years | |||||||||
| Athenna | – | 1922 | 1922-1925 | 1 | 1923 | Folded in 1925 | ||||
| Bonython | – | 1910 | 1910-1914 | 0 | - | Folded in 1914 | ||||
| Bookabie | – | 1 | 1937 | Folded | ||||||
| Ceduna [5] | Eagles | Ceduna Sports Club, Ceduna | – | 1907 | 1909-1988 | 16 | 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1924, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1946, 1950, 1965 | Merged with Smoky Bay in 1989 to form Ceduna Blues | ||
| Charra | Green and gold | – | 1907 | 1909-1929, 1960-1973 | 1 | 1964 | Merged with Charra to form Charra-Denial Bay in 1931. Folded in 1948. Merged with Penong in 1974 to form Western United | |||
| Charra-Denial Bay | – | 1931 | 1931-1933 | 0 | - | De-merged into Charra and Denial Bay in 1934 | ||||
| Denial Bay | Blue and brown | – | 1907 | 1909-1930, 1934-1936, 1940-1948 | 0 | - | Merged with Charra to form Charra-Denial Bay in 1931. Folded in 1948 | |||
| Goode | Blue and gold | – | 1906 | 1909-1914, 1927-1930, 1934-1948 | 0 | - | Merged with Maltee to form Maltee Goode United in 1931. Folded in 1949 | |||
| Maltee | Sky blue and white | – | 1925 | 1925-1930, 1934-1939 | 0 | - | Merged with Goode to form Maltee Goode United in 1931. Folded in 1939 | |||
| Maltee Goode United | Blue and gold | – | 1931 | 1931-1933 | 0 | - | De-merged into Maltee and Goode in 1934 | |||
| Merghiny | Blue and red | Stars | – | 1910 | 1911-1914 | 0 | - | Folded in 1914 | ||
| Penong | Penong Sports Ground, Penong | – | 1908 | 1909-1914, 1961-1970, 1972-1973 | 2 | 1962, 1966 | Merged with Charra in 1974 to form Western United | |||
| Rovers | Green and white | – | 1955 | 1955-1958 | 1 | 1958 | Folded in 1959 | |||
| Smoky Bay | Smoky Bay Oval, Smoky Bay | 1954 | 1971-1988 | 0 | - | Merged with Ceduna in 1989 to form Ceduna Blues | ||||
| United | – | 1940 | 1940-1952 | 1 | 1940 | Folded in 1952 | ||||
| Wandana | Gold and black | – | 1922 | 1922-1924 | 0 | - | Folded in 1924 | |||
| Yalata | Blue and white | – | 1960s | 1964 | 0 | - | Folded in 1964 | |||
List of Premiership teams of the Western Eyre Football League.[6]
| Far West | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koonibba | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1470 | 520 | 73.87% | 22 | 1st Semi | Thevenard | 11 | 13 | 79 | Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues | 5 | 14 | 44 | |
| Western United | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1401 | 729 | 65.77% | 18 | 2nd Semi | Koonibba | 19 | 11 | 125 | Western United | 10 | 2 | 62 | |
| Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 545 | 1539 | 26.15% | 6 | Preliminary | Western United | 19 | 25 | 139 | Thevenard | 7 | 7 | 49 | |
| Thevenard | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 684 | 1312 | 34.27% | 2 | Grand | Koonibba | 17 | 11 | 113 | Western United | 11 | 2 | 68 | |
| Far West | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koonibba | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1438 | 840 | 63.13% | 20 | 1st Semi | Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues | 14 | 12 | 96 | Thevenard | 10 | 11 | 71 | |
| Western United | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1239 | 871 | 58.72% | 16 | 2nd Semi | Koonibba | 20 | 14 | 134 | Western United | 13 | 6 | 84 | |
| Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 992 | 1154 | 46.23% | 12 | Preliminary | Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues | 13 | 8 | 86 | Western United | 11 | 5 | 71 | |
| Thevenard | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 723 | 1527 | 32.13% | 0 | Grand | Koonibba | 24 | 17 | 161 | Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues | 12 | 9 | 81 | |
| Far West | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western United | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1278 | 820 | 60.92% | 16 | 1st Semi | Koonibba | 36 | 17 | 233 | Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues | 11 | 9 | 75 | |
| Thevenard | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1227 | 989 | 55.37% | 14 | 2nd Semi | Thevenard | 12 | 9 | 81 | Western United | 10 | 7 | 67 | |
| Koonibba | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1347 | 1089 | 55.30% | 14 | Preliminary | Koonibba | 19 | 17 | 131 | Western United | 6 | 11 | 47 | |
| Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 790 | 1744 | 31.18% | 4 | Grand | Thevenard | 12 | 17 | 89 | Koonibba | 10 | 22 | 82 | |