West Melbourne Football club

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G

GANDOOLAD

Draftee
Apr 18, 2019
4
4
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Hi, I am new to the site and I am a keen North Melbourne fan. Recently I picked up an old West Melbourne football Club seasons ticket. I have been able to trace the club to the mid 1940's or just after the war. They were a very successful club and won a lot of premierships along the way but they seem to have just disappeared into history. Is there any one out there who knows what happened to them. Of interest of course is that they merged with north Melbourne for 1 year in the early 20's I think. Cheers Steele
 

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Thanks guys, we have worked this out so far. The membership ticket I bought was from 1905. I know for a fact as I have seen photo's and one of my mates fathers played for a West melbourne football club in the 1940's/50's and they were a very successful club, they won a lot of flags. What I don't know is when the they re started and when the finished and what competition did they play in, Any help would be appreciated
 
GANDOOLAD said:
Thanks guys, we have worked this out so far. The membership ticket I bought was from 1905. I know for a fact as I have seen photo's and one of my mates fathers played for a West melbourne football club in the 1940's/50's and they were a very successful club, they won a lot of flags. What I don't know is when the they re started and when the finished and what competition did they play in, Any help would be appreciated
Click to expand...
Check out some of the links here.
 
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West Melbourne spent many years in the VFA Sub-District Association before transferring to the VFL Sub-district League in 1937. They competed until at least 1942 (winning in 1941) then they probably became another casualty of the war.
 
Dogs till i die said:
Played 9 seasons in the VFA 1899-1907, before being canabalised by North Melbourne. Not sure about your reference to WW11 and the 1940's, didn't think a club of that name was around in those times.

https://australianfootball.com/clubs/stats/west+melbourne/277/1907
Click to expand...
From Australian Football
WEST MELBOURNE
West Melbourne were members of the Victorian Football Association twice, with their second stint yielding ultimate success in 1906 with a 7.8 (50) to 5.9 (39) grand final defeat of Footscray. West also contested the premiership deciding match the following year, losing to Williamstown. Among the most noteworthy players to don the club’s red and white striped playing jumpers were ruckman Art Gregory, wingmen Harry Laxton and Les Minto, and rover Lou Armstrong, the last named of whom kicked the significant tally, for the time, of 16 goals in two games during the team’s premiership year.
In 1908 the club effectively disappeared after amalgamating with North Melbourne in an attempt to reinforce that club’s ultimately unsuccessful bid to join the Victorian Football League.
North ostensibly recognized its newly merged status in 1908 by adding a red sash to their blue and white playing jerseys but few people were under any real illusions over what had really happened: it was actually a take-over, a la Brisbane Bears and Fitzroy of ninety years later, and as if to affirm this from 1909 the sash was dropped.

All told, West Melbourne enjoyed a 46% success rate during its second VFA stint and, given that the side’s status was on a very definite upward spiral, one cannot help but speculate as to what its future might have been had its administration resisted the overtures of its counterparts at North.
 
West Melbourne 1908

trove.nla.gov.au

FOOTBALL - PRACTICE MATCHES. ESSENDON V. WEST MELBOURNE - The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954) - 27 Apr 1908

trove.nla.gov.au trove.nla.gov.au

Transfers out of West Melbourne 1908

George McCart Melbourne

Frank Reid club sec Essendon (for 29 years)

Louis Armstrong Essendon

Albert Ryan Essendon

Les Minto Essendon

Bill Heaphy Essendon

Harry Farnsworth Essendon

HG Windsor Essendon (A)

Percy Williamson Ports (ex local junior)

Harry Clarke Ports

Scooter Johnson Ports (ex Ports)

George Holden Fitzroy

Vin Hannaford Richmond

Bill Madden St Kilda

Robert Dashwood Prahran

W Cullen Prahran

F "Bongo" Rankin Prahran (ex local junior)

Edmond "Copper" Rourke Prahran

Jim Neylan Footscray

Richard Knell Brighton (ex Richmond)

Arthur W Laxton Brighton

Harold Laxton Brighton

E.J Gilbert Brighton

E James Brighton (ex Chilwell)

Percy Johnson Brighton

H or B Wrout Nth Melbourne (related to the Carlton player??) Ex Footscray

R McCartney Nth Melbourne

GD Day North Melbourne (ex Bairnsdale)

Charles McCann Subiaco (ex local junior)

Andrews Carrum

Bill Harrison refused clearance to Essendon 1908. Cleared to Essendon 1909

Harry Gregory ?

Art Gregory refused a clearance to Essendon. Went to Footscray.






1588467318642.png
 
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Our Game said:
From Australian Football
WEST MELBOURNE
West Melbourne were members of the Victorian Football Association twice, with their second stint yielding ultimate success in 1906 with a 7.8 (50) to 5.9 (39) grand final defeat of Footscray. West also contested the premiership deciding match the following year, losing to Williamstown. Among the most noteworthy players to don the club’s red and white striped playing jumpers were ruckman Art Gregory, wingmen Harry Laxton and Les Minto, and rover Lou Armstrong, the last named of whom kicked the significant tally, for the time, of 16 goals in two games during the team’s premiership year.
In 1908 the club effectively disappeared after amalgamating with North Melbourne in an attempt to reinforce that club’s ultimately unsuccessful bid to join the Victorian Football League.
North ostensibly recognized its newly merged status in 1908 by adding a red sash to their blue and white playing jerseys but few people were under any real illusions over what had really happened: it was actually a take-over, a la Brisbane Bears and Fitzroy of ninety years later, and as if to affirm this from 1909 the sash was dropped.

All told, West Melbourne enjoyed a 46% success rate during its second VFA stint and, given that the side’s status was on a very definite upward spiral, one cannot help but speculate as to what its future might have been had its administration resisted the overtures of its counterparts at North.
Click to expand...
North's uniform in 1908 was
1589998058046.png
The VFL rejected their application, and chose Richmond and University to join the VFL instead.
 
Post West Melbourne George Holden (1911)


July 1911
1590025974350.png
trove.nla.gov.au

FOOTBALL ROWDYISM. - MELBOURNE. Monday. July 10. - The Bendigo Independent (Vic. : 1891 - 1918) - 11 Jul 1911

During a football match between Essendon and Fitzroy at, East Melbourne on June 10, George Holden, one of the Fitzroy players, get rather badly knocked out, and was ...
trove.nla.gov.au trove.nla.gov.au

trove.nla.gov.au

A FOOTBALLER'S APPEAL. - THE

The hearing of an appeal in another football assault case occupied the attention of Acting Judge Gurner from noon until the rising of the court yesterday. ...
trove.nla.gov.au trove.nla.gov.au

trove.nla.gov.au

ROUGH FOOTBALL. - ANOTHER CONVICTION QUASHED. HOLDEN'S KNOCK OUT. - The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) - 1 Sep 1911

The hearing of the appeal brought by James Martin, a member of the Essendon Football Club, against the conviction for assaulting George. Holden, a member of ...
trove.nla.gov.au trove.nla.gov.au



Sept 1911


1590025880910.png
trove.nla.gov.au

ESSENDON (6.10) BEAT FITZROY (3.7). - AN UNPLEASANT INCIDENT. - The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) - 28 Aug 1911

The Fitzroy ground probably held its record crowd for the season on Saturday, and spectators saw much to attract and delight, and a good deal in the third quarter of roughness and foul play ...
trove.nla.gov.au trove.nla.gov.au

trove.nla.gov.au

ROUGH FOOTBALL. - THE FITZROY CHARGES: - The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) - 5 Sep 1911

The assault cases arising out of the match between Essendon and Fitzroy clubs on the 26th ult. were mentioned in the Fitzroy court yesterday. Percy Ogden, of the ...
trove.nla.gov.au trove.nla.gov.au

trove.nla.gov.au

FOOTBALL. - BRUTAL FOOTBALL. PLAYER FINED FOR ASSAULT. MELBOURNE, September 6. - Daily Herald (Adelaide, SA : 1910 - 1924) - 7 Sep 1911

This morneog George Holden, a member of the Fitzroy Football Club, was proceeded against in the Local Court on a charge of having assaulted Percy Ogden, ...
trove.nla.gov.au trove.nla.gov.au
 
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The wiki page pretty much sums up what I've read about them.

Played VFA from 1899 to 1907, merged with North after the 1907 season to make a joint bid to join the VFL in 1908. They missed out, with Richmond and University getting the VFL expansion spots.

The VFA cracked the shits over their "disloyalty" and booted them from the comp. But they reformed as a new club* and played in 1908 in the VFA (where they wore the merged jumper).

At the end of 1908 the West Melbourne "part" of the new club broke away from North to form their own new club, 'City of Melbourne'. So North cut ties with them and removed the red from their jumper. However, City of Melbourne were ultimately denied entry to the VFA, and never played a game.

West Melbourne Football Club - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

I'd say any West Melbourne FC that came in latter decades would've been unconnected except for the name, and probably a "local club". I don't know too much about the VFL Sub-District FL that Todman speaks of above. AF says it ran from 1906 to 1949. Plenty of the competing clubs are still around today in local comps. Looks like clubs came and went from the comp a lot.

Australian Football - SUBD default - Season 1949

australianfootball.com australianfootball.com

*Interestingly, it wasn't the only time NMFC have disbanded themselves only to reform again. They did it again in 1921 when Essendon wanted to take over Arden St, giving the ground a VFL club. Essendon reneged on the move and shifted to Windy Hill instead, where it booted out Essendon Association (VFA). Ess Ass and NMFC then "merged", reforming NMFC again for the 1922 VFA season.

Back even further, North, formed in 1869 but disbanded in 1876. They reformed again as Hotham in 1877, and changed their name back to NMFC in 1888.
 
Bunk Moreland said:
The wiki page pretty much sums up what I've read about them.

Played VFA from 1899 to 1907, merged with North after the 1907 season to make a joint bid to join the VFL in 1908. They missed out, with Richmond and University getting the VFL expansion spots.

The VFA cracked the shits over their "disloyalty" and booted them from the comp. But they reformed as a new club* and played in 1908 in the VFA (where they wore the merged jumper).

At the end of 1908 the West Melbourne "part" of the new club broke away from North to form their own new club, 'City of Melbourne'. So North cut ties with them and removed the red from their jumper. However, City of Melbourne were ultimately denied entry to the VFA, and never played a game.

West Melbourne Football Club - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

I'd say any West Melbourne FC that came in latter decades would've been unconnected except for the name, and probably a "local club". I don't know too much about the VFL Sub-District FL that Todman speaks of above. AF says it ran from 1906 to 1949. Plenty of the competing clubs are still around today in local comps. Looks like clubs came and went from the comp a lot.

Australian Football - SUBD default - Season 1949

australianfootball.com australianfootball.com

*Interestingly, it wasn't the only time NMFC have disbanded themselves only to reform again. They did it again in 1921 when Essendon wanted to take over Arden St, giving the ground a VFL club. Essendon reneged on the move and shifted to Windy Hill instead, where it booted out Essendon Association (VFA). Ess Ass and NMFC then "merged", reforming NMFC again for the 1922 VFA season.

Back even further, North, formed in 1869 but disbanded in 1876. They reformed again as Hotham in 1877, and changed their name back to NMFC in 1888.
Click to expand...

Formed 1874
Played as a junior club until 1877 when it was the premier junior club
Played as a senior VFA club 1878-1880 at Royal Park
Reverted to junior club
Unable to get a fenced ground and forced to stay as a junior club
1893 -Premiers Third Rate Junior football association
1894-1898 VJFA. Premiers 1898
1899-1907 VFA - Premiers 1906
1907 - played at EMCG shared with Essendon
1907 -VFL organized University entry into VFL at EMCG - Lost home ground
1908 - tried to join VFL combined with NM as Melbourne City
1908 - Bid fails, NM reenters VFA under own name - Abandons West Melbourne
None of the West Melbourne players who played on ground in 1907 went to North Melbourne in 1908

1908 - 1911 Keeps trying to rejoin VFA under Melbourne City name - but no desire by VFA
1912-1913 rejoins VFA as Melbourne City - again at EMCG - Fails badly
1918? reformed?
1919-1920 -joins VFL Junior League (Future VFL Seconds Comp) as Essendon's representative team

The 1937 Annual report had the club playing in the VFA Sub District Association, with the team winning the premiership having won 9 premierships in the last 11 years.
1938 - joins Victorian Sub-District League - After that not sure

note re 1918 creation here
WEST MELBOURNE RECREATION RESERVE. (1934, July 18). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 7.
nla.gov.au

WEST MELBOURNE RECREATION RESERVE. - TO THE EDITOR OF THE AGE. - The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) - 18 Jul 1934

Sir,-- I desire to draw attention to the treatment meted out to the Went Melbourne Football Club in its efforts to secure an enclosed playing arena. Approximately thirty ...
nla.gov.au nla.gov.au
 
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35Daicos said:
Check out some of the links here.
Click to expand...

Sorry for this rather late reply to your request for information on the West Melbourne Football Club. A Club called the West melbourne Football Club seems to have existed back in the foundation years of the game and by the 1870's had emerged as strong enough to gain senior status and hence the VFA. It was listed in VFA ladders in 1878 (Played 10, Won 2, Lost 5, Drew 3, 6th); 1879 ( 12, 4, 5, 3 6th); 1880 (9, 1, 7, 1 7th). It seems to have dropped out of Senior ranks after this but reemerged in the Victorian Junior Football Association in 1894 (18, 11, 4, 3 5th in B); 1895 (22, 17, 2, 3, 2nd) 1896 (18, 7, 10, 1 6th); 1897 (18, 11, 2, 0, 4th); 1898 (18, 17, 0, 1 Premiers). The premiership in 1898 prompted the VFA to offer them a place in the competition. They struggled early in their days in the VFA 1899 7th; 1900 9th; 1901 9th; 1902 8th; but eventually became stronger and finished 1903 4thlosing the 1st SF to NM; 1904 5th; 1905 5th; 1906 Premiers defeated Footscray in the GF; 1907 4th but won 1st SF v Richmond and lost GF to Williamstown. During this period of time, West Melbourne wore a red and white hooped jumper and later, a red and white striped jumper.

In 1908, WM and NM amalgamated in an attempt to gain admission to the VFL. The VFL admitted Richmond and University instead and the VFA promptly expelled WM and NM. Saner heads prevailed at the VFA delegates table when they realised there would be hardly any clubs left for a competition if they upheld the expulsion decision and NM was readmitted for the 1908 season. North showed at least some respect to the West Melbourne club they had effectively destroyed by their failed VFL attempt by wearing a blue and white halved jumper with a red sash in 1908; the red sash being WM's colours.

Its hard to know if a WM club reformed between 1908 and the outbreak of WWI but following the war, the VFL established the Victorian Junior Football League (possibly as a competitor to the VJFA) and a West Melbourne club was part of this in 1919 (7th of 9 Clubs) and 1920 (9th of 9 Clubs. Again, the Club disappeared from the media reports but possibly joined the Metropolitan Junior Football Association as in 1927 it won the Premiership by defeating Nth Fitzroy in the Grand Final. In 1929 West Melbourne joined the VFA Sub Districts which until 1928 had been known as the Melbourne and Suburbs Football Association. West Melbourne would dominate this competition. 1930 Premiers d Pascoe Vale in the GF; 1931 3rd; 1932 Premiers d Spotswood in GF; 1933 2nd lost to Spotswood in GF; 1934 Premiers d Spotswood in the GF; 1935 & 1936 Premiers d Pascoe Vale in the GFs.

In 1937 the Club crossed to the VFL Sub Districts (this had been until 1925 known as the Melbourne Districts Football Association). Its record here was : 1937 10th; 1938 7th; 1939 4th lost 1st SF to East Brunswick; 1940 3rd won 1st SF v Abbotsford and lost the PF to SM Districts); 1941 Premiers d SM Districts in the GF; and 1942 3rd. During this period, West Melbourne were referred to as the 'blue and whites'.

Many football competitions and Clubs went into recess from 1942 to 1945 including the VFA and VFA Sub Districts. The VFL Sub Districts battled on with five or six teams (including two Richmond based teams), but West Melbourne did not continue and I cannot find it reemerging post war but will be guided by those who have information on its existence beyond 1942. There could have been West Melbourne teams in the YCW or CYMS competitions but these would not have had any lineage from the pre 1942 Club.

It is amazing that a Club from such a small area of suburban/inner city Melbourne should have survived for so long and have been so successful and yet didn't reemerge again following WWII.
 
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