VFL night series scores 1977-1989

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Aug 7, 2005
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i am working on a spreadsheet for the old vfl night series competiton from 1977-1989 only, and i am after qtr by qtr scores for all games (i have all the grand finals in this period), the actual date of the game, and the attendance.

I have managed to complete season 1977, and i have all the scores for season 78 and dates, just need crowd numbers, then i am missing large chunks 1979 onwards to about 1986, i only need a couple for 87-89, can anyone assist with this? i cannot find any website that has this info.

Already i have exhausted the google news archive search for old age newspapers, and i have gone thru each footy record as well.

Any suggestions?

cheers
 

worbod

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Here are the attendances and receipts from the 1978 series, as printed in the VFL yearbook titled League Football in Victoria 1978-79:


Game | Crowd | Receipts
\South Melbourne vs Collingwood|18,585|$30,574
\North Melbourne vs Footscray|10,136|$15,416
\Carlton vs Geelong|10,321|$14,593
\Fitzroy vs Tasmania|5,136|$6,479
\Richmond vs Essendon|15,764|$23,867
\St. Kilda vs Melbourne|8,867|$12,575
\Fitzroy vs South Melbourne|5,822|$7,982
\Richmond vs Carlton|12,061|$16,158
\Geelong vs Hawthorn|8,146|$10,847
\North Melbourne vs St. Kilda|20,694|$27,452
\Fitzroy vs Richmond|8,172|$9,110
\North Melbourne vs Geelong|6,590|$7,067
\Fitzroy vs North Melbourne|26,420|$35,849
 
Aug 7, 2005
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hawthorn
Here are the attendances and receipts from the 1978 series, as printed in the VFL yearbook titled League Football in Victoria 1978-79:


Game | Crowd | Receipts
\South Melbourne vs Collingwood|18,585|$30,574
\North Melbourne vs Footscray|10,136|$15,416
\Carlton vs Geelong|10,321|$14,593
\Fitzroy vs Tasmania|5,136|$6,479
\Richmond vs Essendon|15,764|$23,867
\St. Kilda vs Melbourne|8,867|$12,575
\Fitzroy vs South Melbourne|5,822|$7,982
\Richmond vs Carlton|12,061|$16,158
\Geelong vs Hawthorn|8,146|$10,847
\North Melbourne vs St. Kilda|20,694|$27,452
\Fitzroy vs Richmond|8,172|$9,110
\North Melbourne vs Geelong|6,590|$7,067
\Fitzroy vs North Melbourne|26,420|$35,849


many thanks for your assistance there, that was great.
 

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35Daicos

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Guys

i am working on a spreadsheet for the old vfl night series competiton from 1977-1989 only, and i am after qtr by qtr scores for all games (i have all the grand finals in this period), the actual date of the game, and the attendance.

I have managed to complete season 1977, and i have all the scores for season 78 and dates, just need crowd numbers, then i am missing large chunks 1979 onwards to about 1986, i only need a couple for 87-89, can anyone assist with this? i cannot find any website that has this info.

Already i have exhausted the google news archive search for old age newspapers, and i have gone thru each footy record as well.

Any suggestions?

cheers
Here's a simple .txt file which shows all the scores, dates and venues, but doesn't have the attendances. It's taken from the Footy Works program:-
 

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footycraic

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Oct 27, 2014
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Here are the attendances and receipts from the 1978 series, as printed in the VFL yearbook titled League Football in Victoria 1978-79:


Game | Crowd | Receipts
\South Melbourne vs Collingwood|18,585|$30,574
\North Melbourne vs Footscray|10,136|$15,416
\Carlton vs Geelong|10,321|$14,593
\Fitzroy vs Tasmania|5,136|$6,479
\Richmond vs Essendon|15,764|$23,867
\St. Kilda vs Melbourne|8,867|$12,575
\Fitzroy vs South Melbourne|5,822|$7,982
\Richmond vs Carlton|12,061|$16,158
\Geelong vs Hawthorn|8,146|$10,847
\North Melbourne vs St. Kilda|20,694|$27,452
\Fitzroy vs Richmond|8,172|$9,110
\North Melbourne vs Geelong|6,590|$7,067
\Fitzroy vs North Melbourne|26,420|$35,849

What's the story behind Tasmania playing?

footycraic
 

35Daicos

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What's the story behind Tasmania playing?

footycraic
It looks as if Hawthorn were given a bye in the 1st round in 1978 because they won the competition the previous year. They needed another team to make up the numbers for 6 1st round games, Tasmania got the nod for whatever reason.

footycraic

There's a bit more on this topic here:- http://www.hardballget.net/nfl---1978-escort-cup.html

Subsequently, the 1978 NFL competition continued on a similar basis to the previous season, and the VFL again ran a rival Night Series at VFL Park. However, the first signs of a breakaway appeared when the Tasmanian Football League chose to participate in both the NFL and VFL competitions - making them the first non-VFL team to play in the Victorian League's series.
 
Last edited:
Aug 27, 2014
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Guys

i am working on a spreadsheet for the old vfl night series competiton from 1977-1989 only, and i am after qtr by qtr scores for all games (i have all the grand finals in this period), the actual date of the game, and the attendance.

I have managed to complete season 1977, and i have all the scores for season 78 and dates, just need crowd numbers, then i am missing large chunks 1979 onwards to about 1986, i only need a couple for 87-89, can anyone assist with this? i cannot find any website that has this info.

Already i have exhausted the google news archive search for old age newspapers, and i have gone thru each footy record as well.

Any suggestions?

cheers

Sounds like you got some good help.
Just want to point out some of the games were not night games.
I remember Carlton playing essentially a practice game in very hot Perth day against South Fremantle I think. Team was well below full strength and we nearly always lost our pre-season games back then but we got flogged badly I remember and seeing it on tv and was not impressed. So some of the first round games in some years were played in day.
 

35Daicos

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Guys

i am working on a spreadsheet for the old vfl night series competiton from 1977-1989 only, and i am after qtr by qtr scores for all games (i have all the grand finals in this period), the actual date of the game, and the attendance.

I have managed to complete season 1977, and i have all the scores for season 78 and dates, just need crowd numbers, then i am missing large chunks 1979 onwards to about 1986, i only need a couple for 87-89, can anyone assist with this? i cannot find any website that has this info.

Already i have exhausted the google news archive search for old age newspapers, and i have gone thru each footy record as well.

Any suggestions?

cheers
This page shows the attendance figures for many of the games you're looking for. I'll see if I can fill in any of the blanks from the source I mentioned previously.

http://wayback.archive.org/web/2013...dIndex=0&venue_idValue=All&AFLstatisticMenu=1

1986 Wstrn B (Footscray) vs Glenelg 3923
1986 North Adel vs. Melb 2933
1988 Geel vs St K ?
1988 Hawth vs Bris 13458

I don't have any crowd figures for games prior to 1983, apart from the Grand Finals. The start time shown for a lot of these matches (12:00 and 14:10) is clearly not correct. Hopefully the rest of it can be relied upon!
 
Last edited:
Aug 27, 2014
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I don't have any crowd figures for games prior to 1983, apart from the Grand Finals. The start time shown for a lot of these matches (12:00 and 14:10) is clearly not correct. Hopefully the rest of it can be relied upon!

Some games were day games in some seasons of the so called "Night Series"
As the series went on to later stages all the finals were at night and usually Tuesday night during the actual season at Waverley Park but there certainly day games too.

Example of day game that could have been 12:00 Perth time or 14:10
 

35Daicos

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Some games were day games in some seasons of the so called "Night Series"
As the series went on to later stages all the finals were at night and usually Tuesday night during the actual season at Waverley Park but there certainly day games too.

Example of day game that could have been 12:00 Perth time or 14:10

Yes, of course some of the games were played in the day time in the "night series". Just like some of the games in what is also referred to as the "pre-season competition" were played in June and July.

I was simply pointing out that a lot of the start times shown on that page are incorrect (ordinary effort, given that it's the official AFL Historical Statistics website). e.g. the 1980 Grand Final at Waverley Park was not played at 12 midday. It was a Tuesday night game, and started at 7.40 according to what I've posted up the page a bit.
 
Aug 27, 2014
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Yes, of course some of the games were played in the day time in the "night series". Just like some of the games in what is also referred to as the "pre-season competition" were played in June and July.

I was simply pointing out that a lot of the start times shown on that page are incorrect (ordinary effort, given that it's the official AFL Historical Statistics website). e.g. the 1980 Grand Final at Waverley Park was not played at 12 midday. It was a Tuesday night game, and started at 7.40 according to what I've posted up the page a bit.

aha, I see what you mean now. That is weird they fail to keep it accurate if that is the case.
 

35Daicos

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aha, I see what you mean now. That is weird they fail to keep it accurate if that is the case.
The website unfortunately is no longer "live" and being updated but it always did contain a few annoying errors.

FWIW I normally just referred to it as the cup, rather than the usual night series or pre-season competition, as so often games weren't played at night, or in the pre-season!
 

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roo9699

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Yes, of course some of the games were played in the day time in the "night series". Just like some of the games in what is also referred to as the "pre-season competition" were played in June and July.

I was simply pointing out that a lot of the start times shown on that page are incorrect (ordinary effort, given that it's the official AFL Historical Statistics website). e.g. the 1980 Grand Final at Waverley Park was not played at 12 midday. It was a Tuesday night game, and started at 7.40 according to what I've posted up the page a bit.

It's funny on that spreadsheet too that the night games started at 7.40pm at VFL Park.
I can guarantee that these games always started at 8.30 (8.30 broadcast/intro with 8.40 bounce)for a host of reasons.
1. I have most night games still on VHS (converted to disc) & they are all 8.30 starts & during half time breaks & end of game Peter Landy always mentioned the next game & what time.
2. Simply google age newspapers & go to TV section - they were always listed as 8.30 starts live
3. And as a North supporter we always made the trek out to VFL Park for those games
 

35Daicos

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It's funny on that spreadsheet too that the night games started at 7.40pm at VFL Park.
I can guarantee that these games always started at 8.30 (8.30 broadcast/intro with 8.40 bounce)for a host of reasons.
1. I have most night games still on VHS (converted to disc) & they are all 8.30 starts & during half time breaks & end of game Peter Landy always mentioned the next game & what time.
2. Simply google age newspapers & go to TV section - they were always listed as 8.30 starts live
3. And as a North supporter we always made the trek out to VFL Park for those games
Yes, I'm sure that's correct. For some reason whether it's that source or the AFL's own site it seems not a lot of care was taken with getting match start times accurate, at least with games played going back a few years. Probably the times for the more recent games would be more accurate.
 

Ron The Bear

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Sounds like you got some good help.
Just want to point out some of the games were not night games.
I remember Carlton playing essentially a practice game in very hot Perth day against South Fremantle I think. Team was well below full strength and we nearly always lost our pre-season games back then but we got flogged badly I remember and seeing it on tv and was not impressed. So some of the first round games in some years were played in day.

NSW v Richmond 1980 was another day game.
 
Mar 21, 2008
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Question: South Melbourne v West Adelaide and St Kilda v Sturt in 1980 were played on the same day (March 8). The txt files above state they were both played at Waverley (which would mean a double header), while the AFL site says that the Swans game was at Richmond Oval in SA...

Anyone know which one is right...?
 

35Daicos

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Question: South Melbourne v West Adelaide and St Kilda v Sturt in 1980 were played on the same day (March 8). The txt files above state they were both played at Waverley (which would mean a double header), while the AFL site says that the Swans game was at Richmond Oval in SA...

Anyone know which one is right...?
Looks to me like it should be Richmond Oval:- http://footystats.freeservers.com/Night/bestnite.html
** 1980-1R, SM v WAd played at Richmond Oval in Adelaide

Edit:- This article (page 18 of 21) confirms the match was played in Adelaide:-

http://news.google.com.au/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19800310&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

I've just noticed the AFL site has left out the game between Glenelg (22.11 143) and North Adelaide (13.12 90), played on 21/03/1980. Footy Works has this game as being played at Norwood, Adelaide. It has 2 other games as being played there, while the AFL site has them at Football Park (AAMI Stadium). I'm not sure which of them is correct, but I'd say most likely Football Park.
 
Last edited:
Apr 23, 2006
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It's funny on that spreadsheet too that the night games started at 7.40pm at VFL Park.
I can guarantee that these games always started at 8.30 (8.30 broadcast/intro with 8.40 bounce)for a host of reasons.
1. I have most night games still on VHS (converted to disc) & they are all 8.30 starts & during half time breaks & end of game Peter Landy always mentioned the next game & what time.
2. Simply google age newspapers & go to TV section - they were always listed as 8.30 starts live
3. And as a North supporter we always made the trek out to VFL Park for those games

So what you're saying is that you're sitting on a gold mine?

Do you have these?

1979 East Perth v Hawthorn
23 June 1982 - Escort Cup - Swan Districts v Richmond

By any chance? If so - the WAFL Video Archive guys might want to beg you for copies :)
 

Rainier Wolfcastle

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G'Day All,

I'm very happy to announce this giant missing link in modern footy history has finally been filled...

An in-depth season-by-season review of the Night Series for seasons 1956-71 and 1977-87 is now available at http://www.hardballget.net/afl-night-series-pre-season-cup.html

Each season review includes a summary of every match (quarter-by-quarter scores, best players, goalkickers, umpires and crowds). Also included are detailed statistics, grand final records and facts & figures for the entire series (1956 to 2013).

It's taken me over a year of research and writing but it's (finally) done... now I need a beer and a win by the Dees!

Enjoy and have a great weekend.

Easty
 

35Daicos

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G'Day All,

I'm very happy to announce this giant missing link in modern footy history has finally been filled...

An in-depth season-by-season review of the Night Series for seasons 1956-71 and 1977-87 is now available at http://www.hardballget.net/afl-night-series-pre-season-cup.html

Each season review includes a summary of every match (quarter-by-quarter scores, best players, goalkickers, umpires and crowds). Also included are detailed statistics, grand final records and facts & figures for the entire series (1956 to 2013).

It's taken me over a year of research and writing but it's (finally) done... now I need a beer and a win by the Dees!

Enjoy and have a great weekend.

Easty
Great effort! Really good to see.
 

worbod

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Does anybody know whether any details or articles for any preseason matches between 2003 and 2009 (NAB Challenge) have been archived somewhere on the internet?
 

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