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Elsternwick Amateur Football Club

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Elsternwick Football Club
Names
Full nameElsternwick Amateur Football Club
Former name(s)Elsternwick Football Club (1906−1912)
Nickname(s)Wickers
2024 season
After finalsVAFA: 1st
VAFAW: N/A
Home-and-away seasonVAFA: 2nd
VAFAW: 10th[1]
Leading goalkickerVAFA: Spencer Hankin (65)[2]
VAFAW: Nicola Berto (5)[3]
Best and fairestVAFA: TBC
VAFAW: TBC
Club details
Founded1906; 118 years ago (1906)
Colours  Black   Red
CompetitionVAFA: Division 1
VAFAW: Division 4
CoachVAFA: Peter Higginbotham
VAFAW: Emily Avery
PremiershipsVAFA (8)
Ground(s)Holmes-Todd Oval[4]
Uniforms
Home
Other information
Official websiteelsternwickafc.online

The Elsternwick Amateur Football Club, nicknamed the Wickers, is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick.[5] It is the oldest district club in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) and has played in all seven senior divisions since joining the competition in 1914.[6][7]

In 2025, the club's men's team will compete in Division 1 of the VAFA, while its women's team is in Division 4 of the VAFA Women's (VAFAW).

History

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The Elsternwick Football Club was formed in 1906 and first competed in the Commonwealth Football Association (CFA).[8] It was a founding member of the Federal Football Association (FFA) in 1909, finishing fifth on the ladder in the competition's inaugural season.[8][9] The club moved to the Melbourne District Football Association (MDFA) in 1911 and changed its name to the "Elsternwick Amateur Football Club" in 1912, before returning to the FFA in 1913.[8][10]

In 1914, the club moved to the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (MAFA, later VAFA).[7] It won its first premiership in 1920 (the first MAFA season to be held following World War I), which was followed by a second senior premiership in 1925.[11] The club had a substantial supporter base and player availability at this time, meaning it was able to field a second team (sometimes referred to as Elsternwick B) in the MAFA's newly-formed B Section between 1923 and 1926.[10] The club also received an offer from Victorian Football League (VFL) club St Kilda to have a delegate's position on its own committee − with the possibility of entering into a reserves affiliation − but Elsternwick on the basis that it did not want to be consumed by a senior VFL club.[10]

Elsternwick won a third senior premiership in B Section in 1939, but when the competition resumed in 1946 after World War II, the club began to struggle.[10] This was attributed to European migrants settling in Melbourne after the war, many of whom preferred soccer, which made it hard for Elsternwick to continue recruiting local players.[10]

In July 1980, the VAFA discovered that Elsternwick had fielded a player under an assumed identity, which resulted in the club's secretary being suspended for five years and the coach having his permit revoked.[10][12]

Elsternwick planned to enter its first women's team in 2020, but the season was cancelled because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] The club was able to enter the VAFA Women's (VAFAW) in Division 4 for the curtailed 2021 season.[14]

Honours

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Premierships

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Competition Division Level Wins Years won
Victorian Amateur Football Association Premier Seniors 2 1920, 1925
Premier B Seniors 1 1939
Division 1 Seniors 1 1951
Division 2 Seniors 1 2024
Division 3 Seniors 2 1991, 2023
Division 4 Seniors 1 2005

Minor premierships

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Competition Division Level Wins Years won
Victorian Amateur Football Association Premier Seniors 1920
Division 3 Seniors 2023

Seasons

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Premiers Grand Finalist Minor premiers Finals appearance Wooden spoon Division leading goalkicker Division best and fairest

Men's

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Seniors

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Year League Division Finish W L D Coach Captain Best and fairest Leading goalkicker Ref
1906
1907 CFA 5th
1908
1909 FFA 5th
1910 FFA 5th
1911 MDFA
1912 MDFA
1913 FFA
1914 MAFA 6th 8 8 1
1915 MAFA 10th 2 12 0
1916 MAFA (No season due to World War I)
1917 MAFA (No season due to World War I)
1918 MAFA (No season due to World War I)
1919 MAFA (No season due to World War I)
1920 MAFA 1st 12 1 0
1921 MAFA 5th
1922 MAFA B Section 3rd
1923 MAFA A Section 6th
1924 MAFA A Section 4th 9 5 0 Gallagher 63 [15]
1925 MAFA A Section 2nd Featherstone 44 [16]
1926 MAFA A Section 3rd 14 4 0 [17]
1927 MAFA A Section 3rd
1928 MAFA A Section 3rd 11 7 0 [18]
1929 MAFA A Section 5th

Reserves

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Year League Division Finish W L D Coach Captain Best and fairest Leading goalkicker Ref
1923 MAFA B Section 3rd
1924 MAFA B Section 7th 5 11 0 Horman 28 [19]
1925 MAFA B Section 3rd 10 5 1 Pert 68 [20]
1926 MAFA B Section 7th [17]

References

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  1. ^ "Division 4 Women's 2024". PlayHQ. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Division 2 Men's 2024 Statistics". PlayHQ. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Division 4 Women's 2024 Statistics". PlayHQ. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Elsternwick Park Pavilion No.2". FIMMA Constructions Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 15 October 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  5. ^ Convery, Stephanie (24 April 2022). "Trans participation in sport is happening now – not only is it a non-issue, it makes clubs better". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  6. ^ "The Amateur Footballer, Week 20, 2015". Issuu. VAFA Media. 5 September 2015. p. 28. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  7. ^ a b Daffey, Paul (7 July 2010). "Taking on opponent No.142, the Wickers show they have tickers". The Age. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  8. ^ a b c "Elsternwick Football Club (Vic)". Footypedia. Archived from the original on 25 November 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  9. ^ "FEDERAL FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION 1909 - 1981" (PDF). Southern Football Netball League. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "History". Elsternwick Amateur Football Club. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  11. ^ "METROPOLITAN AMATEUR ASSOCIATION". The Argus. 9 May 1921. p. 11. Retrieved 20 October 2024. Prior to the Elsternwick v. University Blacks match the premiership pennant for 1920 season was unfurled by the former club.
  12. ^ "The Amateur Footballer, Week 21, 1980" (PDF). Victorian Amateur Football Association. 30 August 1980. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  13. ^ Convery, Stephanie (8 July 2020). "'You can't play football over Zoom': Community sport in lockdown". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  14. ^ "Season Fixture: Elsternwick (2021 Division 4 Women's)". GameDay. Elsternwick Amateur Football Club. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  15. ^ "Old Scotch Again Premiers". The Age. 25 August 1924. p. 15. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  16. ^ "Metropolitan Amateurs". The Age. 3 August 1925. p. 7. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  17. ^ a b "OLD SCOTCH MINOR PREMIERS − St. Pauls and Glenhuntly Lead B and C Sections". The Argus. 30 August 1926. p. 17. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  18. ^ "1928 A SECTION SEASON" (PDF). Caulfield Grammarians Football Club. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Murrumbeena Premiers". The Age. 22 September 1924. p. 6. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  20. ^ "GOAL KICKERS". The Age. 7 September 1925. p. 15. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
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