Black Diamond Australian Football League
The Black Diamond Australian Football League is an Australian rules football competition in the Newcastle, Hunter Region and Central Coast regions of New South Wales.
History
The league was formed in 2000 from a merger of the Newcastle Australian Football League and the Central Coast Australian Football League. The name "Black Diamond AFL" derives from the Black Diamond Cup which has been awarded to the Newcastle AFL Premiers since 1888.[1]
The Black Diamond AFL were successful in winning the Southern NSW AFL Championships in 2007, defeating the Riverina Football League.
In 2008 both Woy Woy and Singleton were removed from the First Grade competition and Lake Macquarie Crows were promoted to First Grade, meaning nine clubs competed for the premiership.
In 2011, Singleton will return to first grade, after winning the reserve premierships for 2009 and 2010. Nelsons Bay however will only compete in Reserve Grade. Woy Woy, now known as the Peninsula Swans, will compete as a joint venture with the Gosford Tigers, allowing players at both clubs to compete in First Grade, Reserve Grade and Under 18s in 2011.
Gosford left the league in 2012, competing in the Sydney AFL for the next four seasons, before returning to the BDAFL in 2016.
The Maitland Saints also entered a senior side in 2012. From 2012, the competition was restructured to allowed clubs to enter teams across Premier, 1st, 2nd and 3rd divisions. This allowed smaller or newer clubs to field their firsts against the reserves or even third senior side of the stronger clubs.
Further clubs have joined the league in recent years, including Muswellbrook Cats and the The Entrance Bateau Bay both entering senior sides 2014. Muswellbrook had competed from 1988 until 1994 in the Newcastle AFL, and then later in the Tamworth AFL until 2013.
Current Senior Clubs
| Jumper | Club | Nickname | Premiership Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiff | Hawks | NAFL: 1979-80, 1998 BDAFL: 2002, 2004-05-06 | |
| Gosford | Tigers | CCAFL: 1977, 1980, 1983–84 | |
 |
Killarney Vale | Bombers | CCAFL: 1981-82, 1986–87, 1997-98 BDAFL: 2007 |
| Lake Macquarie | Dockers | - | |
| Maitland | Saints | - | |
| Muswellbrook | Cats | - | |
| Nelson Bay | Marlins | NAFL: 1994, 1996–97, 1999 | |
 |
Newcastle City | Blues | NAFL: 1950, 1953, 1961, 1963–66, 1968, 1970–71, 1973, 1975–76, 1981, 1995 BDAFL: 2003, 2008-09-10-11, 2013, 2016 |
| Singleton | Roosters | - | |
| The Entrance Bateau Bay | Blues | - | |
 |
Terrigal-Avoca | Panthers | CCAFL: 1976, 1988–91, 1994, 1996, 1999 BDAFL: 2000, 2012, 2014-15 |
| Warners Bay | Bulldogs | NAFL: 1984, 1988, 1990–93 | |
 |
Wyong Lakes | Magpies | CCAFL: 1978, 1979 |
Former Clubs
| Jumper | Club | Nickname | Premierships | Years in competition |
| West Newcastle-Wallsend | Demons | BDAFL: 2001 | 2000-2002 | |
| Woy Woy Peninsula | Swans | 2008 | ||
Black Diamond Australian Football League Premiers
| Year | Premiers | Runners Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Terrigal-Avoca | Cardiff | TA (17.16-118) d CAR (10.18-78) |
| 2001 | West Newcastle-Wallsend | Cardiff | WEST (21.9-135) d CAR (18.13-121) |
| 2002 | Cardiff | Terrigal-Avoca | CAR (11.15-81) d TA (7.10-52) |
| 2003 | Newcastle City | Cardiff | NC (17.16-118) d CAR (11.10-76) |
| 2004 | Cardiff | Terrigal-Avoca | CAR (16.13-109) d TA (15.9-99) |
| 2005 | Cardiff | Killarney Vale | CAR (17.11-113) d KV (11.6-72) |
| 2006 | Cardiff | Newcastle City | CAR (8.9-57) d NC (2.4-16) |
| 2007 | Killarney Vale | Newcastle City | KV (9.9-63) d NC (4.17-41) |
| 2008 | Newcastle City | Cardiff | NC (14.12-96) d CAR (8.11-59) |
| 2009 | Newcastle City | Cardiff | NC (12.15-87) d CAR (11.14-80) |
| 2010 | Newcastle City | Cardiff | NC (17.21-123) d CAR (10.12-72) |
| 2011 | Newcastle City | Cardiff | NC (14.20-104) d CAR (10.11-71) |
| 2012 | Terrigal-Avoca | Cardiff | TA (10.8-68) d CAR (7.12-54) |
| 2013 | Newcastle City | Terrigal-Avoca | NC (18.9-117) d TA (14.9-93) |
| 2014 | Terrigal-Avoca | Killarney Vale | TA (17.12-114) d KV (9.5-59) |
| 2015 | Terrigal-Avoca | Newcastle City | TA (14.9-93) d NC (10.11-71) |
| 2016 | Newcastle City | Terrigal-Avoca | NC (14.13-97) d TA (5.6-36) |
2016 Ladders
| Black Diamond AFL Premier Division | Wins | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle City | 16 | 1 | 0 | 2165 | 792 | 273.36% | 64 |
| Terrigal Avoca | 11 | 6 | 0 | 1577 | 1073 | 146.97% | 44 |
| Nelson Bay | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1459 | 1514 | 96.37% | 32 |
| Cardiff | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1346 | 1781 | 75.58% | 32 |
| Warners Bay | 6 | 11 | 0 | 1111 | 1548 | 71.77% | 24 |
| Killarney Vale | 2 | 15 | 0 | 896 | 1846 | 48.54% | 8 |
FINALS
| Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Semi | Nelson Bay | 10 | 17 | 77 | Cardiff | 9 | 10 | 64 |
| 2nd Semi | Newcastle City | 10 | 17 | 77 | Terrigal Avoca | 8 | 7 | 55 |
| Preliminary | Terrigal Avoca | 16 | 21 | 117 | Nelson Bay | 12 | 10 | 82 |
| Grand | Newcastle City | 14 | 13 | 97 | Terrigal Avoca | 5 | 6 | 36 |
Newcastle Central Coast Umpires Association
The Newcastle Central Coast Umpires Association provides umpires to the following competitions:
• Black Diamond AFL (Senior Football League on the Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter regions);
• AFL Hunter Coast:
- Central Coast Juniors (Junior Football League on the Central Coast)
- Hunter Juniors (Junior Football League in the Newcastle and Hunter regions)
The NCCUA not only provides umpires to these competitions but provides training and support to these umpires.
The NCCUA trains at the following locations, starting at 6pm:
Tuesdays - Bateau Bay Sports Facility, Passage Road, Bateau Bay
Wednesday - Newcastle Number 1 Sportsground, Corner of Parry and Union Streets East Newcastle
The Newcastle Central Coast Umpires Association is led by President Jake Lowe, Vice President Nick Hickson, and a committee of several umpires.
The current BDAFL Umpire's Coach is Christine Burrows.
Christine works with AFL Hunter Coast Umpires Manager, Roy Reichert (NCCUA Life Member), on developing umpiring pathways from Junior to Senior Football.
There are also several people who assist both Christine and Roy in various coaching roles.