The AFL Hunter Central Coast is an Australian rules football competition in the Newcastle, Hunter Region and Central Coast regions of New South Wales.
The Black Diamond Australian Football league was formed in 2000 from the merger of the Newcastle Australian Football League (founded 1886) and the Central Coast Australian Football League (founded 1976) and ran until the end of the 2018 season. Following the end of the 2018 season, the league was disbanded and a new league under the AFL NSW/ACT banner was formed; AFL Hunter Central Coast (AFLHCC). Teams in the AFLHCC's top division still play for the Black Diamond Cup.
The competition is technically Hunter Central Coast's division of the New South Wales Australian Football League.
History Foundation of Black Diamond Australian Football League The league was formed in 2000 from a merger of the Newcastle Australian Football League (founded 1886) and the Central Coast Australian Football League (founded 1976).
The proposition of an alternate competition started from rumblings during the 1990s that both competitions were dreadfully uneven and it was generally considered the administration, although keen and resolute, was far from what was needed to sustain a viable football league/s.
Visits from AFL executives to both the Newcastle and Central Coast took place during the 1999 season where they addressed meetings of delegates to look at alternatives to their contemporary competitions. It turns out these people were more interested in a proposed regional Club to participate in the Sydney Competition.
This proposal didn't address the concerns of the general situation of the local competitions. As there was no follow-up by the AFL both boards issued invitations to senior officials of all clubs to discuss the options for the future. A meeting was held at Mt Penang, Kariong in October 1999 where it was decided to merge both leagues to create a stronger more balanced competition.
The name "Black Diamond AFL" was derived from the Black Diamond Cup which has been awarded to the Newcastle AFL Premiers since 1888.Black Diamond AFL Inc
League development
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 returned to first grade, after winning the reserve premierships for 2009 and 2010. Nelson 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 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.
A women's competition started in 2015. Wyong Lakes was the first and only Central Coast club to enter the inaugural women's competition, along with Hunter-based clubs Newcastle City, Nelson Bay, Maitland, Warners Bay and Lake Macquarie. Killarney Vale and Gosford fielded their inaugural women's teams the following year. In 2018 the Ladypies, as the team came to be known, became the first and only Central Coast team to make the grand final in the women's competition.
In 2018, junior club Port Stephens fielded a Women's team, their first senior team in the club's history and Wallsend was revived as Wallsend-West Newcastle and fielded a team in the Women's competition and a team in the Black Diamond Plate.
AFL Hunter Central Coast: 2019- The league was renamed AFL Hunter Central Coast following the conclusion of the 2018 season under the banner of AFL NSW/ACT.
The 2019 season saw Lake Macquarie, with only one senior team, drop down to Black Diamond Plate (Reserves) and Nelson Bay was also reduced to just one senior team but still continued to play in the Black Diamond Cup. Newcastle City also fielded one women's team that same year, as the club had previously fielded two women's teams for two years.
2020 saw the league indefinitely suspended due to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic. Originally intending to start on April 4, the pandemic prevented football from going ahead in the region until July 18. The league was restructured with two women's divisions, respectively named Black Diamond Cup and Plate Women's, and a third men's competition, the Black Diamond Shield, introduced. The Black Diamond Plate will now consist of Terrigal-Avoca and Newcastle City's reserves sides and clubs with a single men's team with the Black Diamond Shield being the reserves competition for the rest of the clubs. Both Nelson Bay and Port Stephens are fielding a women's team as a joint venture for the 2020 season.
In late June 2021, the AFL Hunter Central Coast announced that all senior competitions, Central Coast and Hunter combined junior competitions and Central Coast-based junior competitions would cease due to the rapidly increasing number of coronavirus cases across the region, as the Central Coast was classed as part of Greater Sydney at the time. Round 10 was the last official round for the senior season with Central Coast and Hunter clubs competing. Although informal senior matches between Hunter-based clubs and Hunter-based junior competitions were able to continue, the uncertainty of the coronavirus outbreak across the Hunter region in early August eventually saw all Hunter community senior and junior competitions ceased for 2021.
In Early 2026, the AFL Hunter Central Coast announced that the University of Newcastle AFC would enter the senior competition in the 2026 Season. This will mean the league will move into a 14 team league in the Womens' Plate and Mens' Shield. The University of Newcastle AFC will be known as the Seahorses, a nod to the institution's coat-of-arms. They are the first new club to join the AFLHCC since the former Black Diamond Seniors, Hunter Juniors and Central Coast Juniors amalgamated in 2018.
Clubs
Locations
Current Senior ClubColoursNicknameHome GroundSenior TeamsFormer LeagueEst.Years in HCCAFLHCCAFL Senior PremiershipsTotalYearsTop GradeCardiffHawksPasterfield Sports Complex, Cameron Park, , , NAFL19672000-42002, 2004, 2005, 2006Killarney ValeBombersAdelaide Street Oval, Killarney Vale, , , , CCAFL19782000-22007, 2022MaitlandSaintsMax McMahon Oval, Rutherford, , –20072012-1Nelson BayMarlinsDick Burwell Oval, Nelson Bay, NAFL19802000-22013, 2022Newcastle CityBluesNewcastle No. 1 Sportsground, Newcastle West, , , , x2NAFL18832000-112003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2024, 2026Terrigal-AvocaPanthersHylton Moore Oval, East Gosford, , , CCAFL19762000-82000, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2025The Entrance Bateau BayBluesBateau Bay Sports Facility, Bateau Bay, , CCAFL19832014-1Warners BayBulldogsFeighan Oval, Warners Bay, , , NAFL19742000-0 -Wyong LakesMagpiesDon Small Oval, Tacoma, , CCAFL19752000-1Lower GradesLake MacquarieTulkaba Park, Teralba, –19972003-0 -MuswellbrookCatsWeeraman Fields, Muswellbrook, NWAFL19882014-2023, 2025-0 -Port StephensPowerFerodale Park, Medowie, –19992017-0 -SingletonRoostersRose Point Park, Singleton, NAFL19822006-3University of NewcastleSeahorsesConnolly Park, Carrington, –20262026-0 -
Juniors only ClubColoursNicknameHome GroundEst.Years in HCCJAFLNiagara Park OurimbahPaddy Clifton Oval, Narara19991999-2022, 2024-Northern GiantsGiantsNorthlakes Oval, San Remo20202020-SaratogaHawksGarnet Adcock Memorial Park, West Gosford20012001-
Former ClubColoursNicknameHome GroundFormer LeagueEst.Years in HCCAFLHCCAFL Senior PremiershipsFateTotalYearsGosford(2000-?)(?-2024)TigersGarnet Adcock Memorial Park, West GosfordCCAFL, SAFL19712000-2011, 2016-20240 -Folded after 2024 seasonWallsend-West NewcastleSwansBill Elliott Oval, Maryland–20182018-20220 -Folded after 2022 seasonWest Newcastle-WallsendDemonsHawkins Oval, Wickham–20002000-200212001Folded after 2002 seasonWoy Woy PeninsulaSwansRogers Park, Woy WoyCCAFL19762000-200712006Folded after 2007 season
Men's BDAFL/AFLHCC Premiers
Year Premiers Score Runners Up2000 Terrigal-Avoca 17.16 (118) - 10.18 (78) Cardiff2001 West Newcastle-Wallsend 21.9 (135) - 18.13 (121) Cardiff2002 Cardiff 11.15 (81) - 7.10 (52) Terrigal-Avoca2003 Newcastle City 17.16 (118) - 11.10 (76) Cardiff2004 Cardiff 16.13 (109) - 15.9 (99) Terrigal-Avoca2005 Cardiff 17.11 (113) - 11.6 (72) Killarney Vale2006 Cardiff 8.9 (57) - 2.4 (16) Newcastle City2007 Killarney Vale 9.9 (63) - 4.17 (41) Newcastle City2008 Newcastle City 14.12 (96) - 8.11 (59) Cardiff2009 Newcastle City 12.15 (87) - 11.14 (80) Cardiff2010 Newcastle City 17.21 (123) - 10.12 (72) Cardiff2011 Newcastle City 14.20 (104) - 10.11 (71) Cardiff2012 Terrigal-Avoca 10.8 (68) - 7.12 (54) Cardiff2013 Newcastle City 18.9 (117) - 14.9 (93) Terrigal-Avoca2014 Terrigal-Avoca 17.12 (114) - 9.5 (59) Killarney Vale2015 Terrigal-Avoca 14.9 (93) - 10.11 (71) Newcastle City2016 Newcastle City 14.13 (97) - 5.6 (36) Terrigal-Avoca2017 Terrigal-Avoca 13.11 (89) - 11.14 (80) Cardiff2018 Newcastle City 9.11 (65) - 5.13 (43) Terrigal-Avoca2019 Terrigal-Avoca 8.9 (57) - 7.5 (47) Newcastle City2020 Terrigal-Avoca 10.16 (76) - 7.8 (50) Newcastle City2021No premiership awarded2022 Killarney Vale 11.5 (71) - 8.10 (58) Terrigal-Avoca2023 Newcastle City 12.10 (82) - 10.13 (73) Terrigal-Avoca2024 Newcastle City 10.4 (64) - 2.8 (20) Cardiff2025 Terrigal-Avoca 11.13 (79) - 8.3 (51) Newcastle City2026 Newcastle City 12.8 (80) - 7.11 (53) Killarney Vale
Women's BDAFL/FLHCC Premiers
Year Premiers Score Runners Up2015 Newcastle City 4.5 (29) - 1.1 (7) Nelson Bay2016 Nelson Bay 5.2 (32) - 3.11 (29) Newcastle City 2017 Newcastle City 10.11 (71) - 1.6 (12) Nelson Bay2018 Newcastle City 5.10 (40) - 1.1 (7) Wyong Lakes2019 Newcastle City 8.6 (54) - 3.0 (18) Maitland 2020 Newcastle City 6.6 (42) - 3.7 (25) Killarney Vale2021No premiership awarded2022 Newcastle City 3.6 (24) - 3.3 (21) Killarney Vale2023 Newcastle City 7.6 (48) - 2.5 (17) Killarney Vale2024 Killarney Vale 5.1 (31) - 3.8 (26) Cardiff2025 Killarney Vale 5.3 (33) - 3.3 (21) (a.e.t.) Newcastle City2026 Killarney Vale 5.1 (31) - 4.5 (29) Newcastle City
Men's First Grade (Black Diamond Cup) 2015 Ladder Black Diamond AFL Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts Terrigal Avoca 15 0 1 0 1992 614 324.43% 60 1st Semi Killarney Vale 16 7 103 Warners Bay 5 9 39 Newcastle City 13 0 3 0 1633 961 169.93% 52 2nd Semi Newcastle City 9 15 69 Terrigal Avoca 6 8 44 Killarney Vale 8 0 8 0 1143 1202 95.09% 32 Preliminary Terrigal Avoca 13 21 99 Killarney Vale 7 7 49 Warners Bay 6 0 10 0 881 1516 58.11% 24 Grand Terrigal Avoca 14 9 93 Newcastle City 10 11 71 Nelson Bay 5 0 11 0 939 1441 65.16% 20 Cardiff 1 0 15 0 922 1776 51.91% 4
2016 Ladder Black Diamond AFL Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts