[1][2] The RDFA was formed in 1903 by EFG Hodges, the proprietor of the "Reporter" newspaper.
Six clubs − Bayswater, Box Hill, Canterbury, Ferntree Gully, Mitcham and Ringwood − participated in the inaugural season.
[3] Mitcham were the inaugural premiers after defeating Box Hill in the grand final, after both club finished the season with an equal win-loss record.
[3] In 1928, the RDFA was absorbed into the Ringwood District Football League, which eventually became part of the present-day Eastern Football Netball League (EFNL).
[3] The competition was also known as the Box Hill Reporter District Football Association (BHRDFA) or the Box Hill Reporter District Football League (BHRDFL or RDFL).