Waverley Football Club
| Waverley Football Club | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Names | |
| Full name | Waverley Football Club |
| Former name(s) | Glen Waverley Football Club (1908−1961) Waverley Amateur Football Club Inc. (1988−1991)[1] |
| Nickname(s) | Panthers |
| 1998 Division 4 season | |
| Home-and-away season | 5th |
| Club details | |
| Founded | 1908 |
| Dissolved | 1998 |
| Colours | Red Black |
| Competition | MDFA (1908–1924) SDFA (1925–1926) BDFA (1927–1929; 1932) FFA (1930–1931) CODFL (1933–1960) VFA (1961–1987) VAFA (1989–1990) EDFL/EFL (1991–1998) |
| Premierships | VFA (D1) (1) |
| Ground(s) | Central Reserve (pre-1991) Columbia Park Reserve (1994−1998) |
The Waverley Football Club, nicknamed the Panthers, was an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Glen Waverley.
The club competed in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) from 1961 until 1987. They became the Waverley Amateurs in 1988 after absorbing Clayton Amateurs, before merging with Mount Waverley Burwood to form the Waverley Blues in 1998.
History
[edit]Early years
[edit]The club was formed in 1908 as the Glen Waverley Football Club and participated in A Grade of the Mulgrave District Football Association (MDFA).[2] They briefly moved to the Scoresby District Football Association (SDFA) for the 1925 and 1926 seasons, but after finishing second-last and last place respectively in the two seasons, they joined the Berwick District Football Association (BDFA) in 1927.[2]
Glen Waverley made its first known grand final in 1928, defeating Dandenong Rovers. However, the match was replayed on protest, with the Rovers winning that game by 11 points, claiming the BDFA premiership.[3]
In 1930, the club moved to the Federal Football Association (FFA).[4] They finished 7th on the ladder in both of their seasons in the competition, and (after one more BDFA season in 1932) joined the Caulfield-Oakleigh District Football League (CODFL) in 1933.[2][3]
VFA
[edit]In 1961, the club joined the newly-formed Division 2 in the Victorian Football Association (VFA). They changed their name to Waverley to better reflect their representation of the region, and adopted the "Panthers" nickname in 1963.[5] They started strongly, winning half of their 18 matches that year, and then in 1963 finished runners up to Preston at Toorak Park. The club was promoted at short notice to the 1st Division in 1964 to fill the spot left after Moorabbin was suspended from the Association.[6] In its first season in Division 1, the club survived relegation back to Division 2 by winning the last game of the season against their nemesis from the previous season, Preston.[7]
The club's breakthrough year came in 1965 under the coaching of Ian Thorogood when, despite competing in just their second season in the top division, they claimed the premiership with a 12-point victory over Port Melbourne in the Grand Final at Port Melbourne's home ground. The following season they met again in the decider, but this time Port Melbourne was too strong. In 1970 they finished third, but in 1972 the club finished last and was relegated to Division 2, ending its nine-year stint in the top division.[8]
The club struggled for support in Division 2, and was also hindered by the opening of VFL Park in nearby Mulgrave, as many locals preferred to watch the VFL game played at the ground every Saturday than watch the Panthers on a Sunday.[9] In the mid-1970s when Association-wide crowds were averaging more than 4,500, Waverley still seldom drew more than 1,000 fans to games.[10] The club was runner-up in Division 2 in 1981, and earned promotion to the expanded 12-team Division 1 for 1982,[11] but returned to Division 2 in 1984 after two wooden spoons at the top level.[12] Waverley was Division 2 runner-up in its final season, 1987, then abruptly folded one month before the 1988 season due to financial difficulties.[13]
Amateurs return
[edit]After spending the 1988 season in recess, the club announced it would absorb the Clayton Amateurs Football Club, which had been competing in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) since 1978.[14]
Under the new name of Waverley Amateurs, the club entered the VAFA's F Section for the 1989 season.[15]
In 1991, the club moved to the Eastern District Football League (EDFL) and reverted back to the "Waverley Football Club" name. The club was runners-up in the Division 4 grand finals in 1996 and 1997, while the EDFL became the Eastern Football League (EFL) at the end of the 1997 season.[2][16]
Merger with Mount Waverley Burwood
[edit]The Mount Waverley Burwood Football Club was formed in 1994 and played in Division 1 of the Southern Football League (SFL). The club was formed as a merger of the Burwood Football Club (formerly Burwood United), which had played in the played in the Eastern Churches Football Association (ECFA) and South East Suburban Football League (SESFL), and the Mount Waverley Football Club, which played in the Federal League, OCDFL and SESFL.[17]
During the 1998 season (the EDFL became the Eastern Football League (EFL) at the end of the 1997 season)[18] the committees of Waverley and Mount Waverley Burwood discussed the possibility of merging to create a larger club that represented the Waverley district of the City of Monash. The merger was agreed on, and the new club − known as the Waverley Blues − entered the EFL in 1999.[19]
Honours
[edit]VFA premierships (1)
- 1st Division – 1965
Waverley 14.13 (97) d. Port Melbourne 10.25 (85)
J. J. Liston Trophies (2)
- Alan Poore – 1965, 1966
Seasons
[edit]Source: [2]
| Premiers | Grand Finalist | Minor premiers | Finals appearance | Wooden spoon | VFA/VFL leading goalkicker | VFA/VFL best and fairest |
Seniors
[edit]Notable players
[edit]- Russell Blew, Essendon dual premiership player
- Greg Brown, 1965 Essendon premiership team
- Alan Poore, had a stint at Collingwood
- Don R. Scott, inaugural VFA captain-coach
- Ray Shaw, Collingwood player and Copeland Trophy winner
- Kevin Morris, mercurial half forward flanker who went on to a successful career with Richmond and Collingwood Football Clubs
- Ralph Rogerson, South Australian and VFL state representative, Fitzroy (VFL) captain
- Alby Smedts, Footscry and St.Kilda
References
[edit]- ^ "The Amateur Footballer, Week 21, 1989". Issuu. VAFA Media. 14 December 2016. p. 8. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Waverley Panthers". Local Footy Stats. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Waverley Football Club / Glen Waverley Football Club (Vic)". Footypedia. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ "FEDERAL FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION" (PDF). Southern Football Netball League. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ Scot Palmer (10 May 1963). "Panthers are snarling". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. p. 45.
- ^ Peter Stone (4 April 1964). "V.F.A. suspends Moorabbin for season". The Age. Melbourne. p. 20.
- ^ Scot Palmer (31 August 1964). "Port puts in its bid". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. p. 45.
- ^ Geoffrey Fithall (28 August 1972). "And Port Melbourne misses 'four'". The Age. Melbourne. p. 21.
- ^ Fiddian, Marc (2004); The VFA; A History of the Victorian Football Association 1877–1995; p. 188
- ^ Marc Fiddian (25 June 1976). "Crowds up at VFA". The Age. Melbourne. p. 23.
- ^ Marc Fiddian (8 September 1981). "Oakleigh potential fails to sway VFA". The Age. Melbourne. p. 45.
- ^ Marc Fiddian (16 July 1983). "Panthers head for record and relegation". The Age. Melbourne. p. 29.
- ^ Paul Cunningham (12 March 1988). "$ crisis sinks Waverley". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. p. 94.
- ^ "A BRIEF HISTORY" (PDF). Victorian Amateur Football Association. 9 April 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Waverley". Australian Football. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ "History". Eastern Football Netball League. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ "Burwood United". AustralianFootball.com. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ^ "History". Eastern Football Netball League. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ "Our History and Premierships". Waverley Blues Football Netball Club. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ Marc Fiddian (11 August 1980). "Prahran in hot seat". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria. p. 29.
- ^ "The Amateur Footballer, Week 14, 1989". Issuu. VAFA Media. 14 December 2016. p. 12. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ "The Amateur Footballer, Week 21, 1989". Issuu. VAFA Media. 14 December 2016. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- Former Victorian Football League clubs
- Former Victorian Amateur Football Association clubs
- Australian rules football clubs in Melbourne
- Australian rules football clubs established in 1908
- 1908 establishments in Australia
- 1998 disestablishments in Australia
- Australian rules football clubs disestablished in 1998
- Glen Waverley, Victoria
- Sport in the City of Monash