About us

If you love your footy but are getting too old to keep up with the young blokes, then this is the game for you. AFL Masters ( previously known as Masters Australian Football and originally called Superules), is Australian Rules Football for those players over 35 years of age who enjoy their footy and want to keep playing in a non-competitive environment. The Victorian Country competition involves teams from all over country Victoria. Games are played every second Sunday with a National Carnival played at the end of the season. All States and Territories compete in the following age divisions at the Carnivals:

Supers - 35 and over. Masters - 40 and over, Seniors - 45 and over. Super Seniors - 50 and over Legends 55 +

Although John Hammer "kicked off' Superules in Victoria on August 29 1980, Victorian Country Superules,officially started on September 12 1981. The inaugural game for Victorian Country Superules was played as a curtain raiser to the VFA preliminary final against a team from Melbourne. In 1982, South Australia played a combined Victorian Country team in Nhill. Geoff Gosper won the Superules Best & Fairest Medal

that year. In early days the attitude was much a casual one, whereby the lads would have a social game of football on the odd Sunday. In fact most of the 35 year olds used it as a loosener from their Saturday game. In 1982, 1983 & 1984 some of the Victorian Country towns who were fielding teams were Riverland, Navarre, Mildura, Echuca, Mt Gambier, Portland, Naracoorte, Shepparton, Kyabram and Sunraysia. Then in 1983 as word spread, Werribee, Sunbury, Bendigo, Bacchus Marsh, Melton Ballarat and Maryborough decided to join the competition. These teams were to become the nucleus of Victorian Country Superules. Eventually due to the travel and increased administrative demands, some teams such as Nhill and Warrnambool started to disappear, leaving the newer teams to take over.

Although regular games are played during the 'season' it has always been the interstate carnival that is the pinnacle of the Superules year. The concept of interstate carnivals started in 1983 when a combined Victorian Country team played Alice Springs for the first game of the season and the first end of season carnival was held at Camberwell in Victoria. This was the beginning of interstate carnivals as we know and enjoy them today. Official carnivals held over the years have been :

1983: Melbourne 1992: Gold Coast 2001 Gold Coast

1984: Darwin 1993: Hobart 2002 Melbourne

1985: Hobart 1994: Perth 2003: Perth

1986: Perth 1995: Sydney 2004: Cairns

1987: Brisbane 1996: Adelaide 2005: Adelaide

1988: Adelaide 1997: Geelong 2006: Maroochydore

1989: Canberra 1998: Canberra 2007: Sydney - St Ignatius College

1990: Melbourne 1999 Darwin 2008: Darwin

1991: Darwin 2000: Hobart

Victorian Country is proud to have had very competitive sides in all the carnivals and many players being named as ' All Australian Players'. We have also had some brilliant years, including a win in both Supers and Masters in Canberra in 1989 and wins in Melbourne 1990 and Hobart 1993. In 1996, fielding a Seniors (over 45) team for the first time, Vic Country beat South Australia and had the great distinction of having only 3 goals kicked against them in 3 games. The competition continues to grow and we want it

to expand through all of country Victoria. New teams are always welcomed and encouraged. We are extremely proud of our heritage and reputation as a strong and close knit competition with an emphasis on non-competitive football for fun and family involvement.