8:  CONTINUED/END

The Middle Brighton Football Club played in the Federal in 1913 and 1914 then later in 1927 (William Street Reserve). With the introduction of zoning in 1915 they became Brighton District Football Club and continued after WW1, 1919, 1920, 1921 and 1922. Both Clubs were actually Brighton V.F.A. reserves wearing a red jumper with a white sash and playing at the Brighton Beach Oval. After 1922 the North Brighton Junior Football Club played in the Federal Junior Grade in 1924 and 1925 before changing to Brightonvale 1926, 1927, and 1928 then fielding a senior team for one year in 1929 as a second team to the main A Grade Amateur side.

North Brighton reappeared in 1929 staying until 1932 as the junior grade for Brightonvale. Both Clubs played at Hurlingham Park which was then in North Brighton. McKinnon joined the C.O.D.F.L. in 1936 and played until 1953. In 1954 they transferred to the Federal where they remained until going into recess in 1978. The home ground was always McKinnon Reserve. Club colours were a saxe blue jumper with a white V. The Darling Football Club played at both Darling Park, opposite the railway station and Waverley Oval. After many years in the C.Y.M.S. and SubDistrict competitions they joined the Federal in 1934 but disbanded at the end of 1940. Club colours were light blue and red wide hoops.

In 1934 a group of influential Malvern businessmen who were keen to have a ‘Senior Grade’ team in their City generously put their hands in their pockets and established the East Malvern Football Club based at Waverley Oval in Malvern Road adjacent to the East Malvern Station. A few hundred pounds was spent on the old pavilion which they turned into a grandstand and also had the oval and grounds enclosed. The Club entered the E.S.F.L. where they remained until 1941. That competition went into recess due to the World War and with the club only having enough players for under age football entered the C.O.D.F.L. which was still operating as a junior under age league.

They eventually entered a senior team in 1946 being Premiers that year. The club was not happy with the direction that the C.O.D.F.L. was taking or with the standard of football so joined the Federal league in 1962. They had a short but spectacular twelve seasons winning four Premierships before folding in 1973. The club originally wore a navy blue jumper with a red V changing to royal blue and red vertical stripes when they joined the Federal.

Carrum-Chelsea was as the name suggests a combined team which played from 1911 to 1914 in a paddock in Breeze Street Bonbeach. After WW1 Carrum Football Club stood on its own playing in the M.P.F.A. for three years then entering the Federal in 1922 playing at Keast Park. The club disbanded in 1928 then re-joined the Peninsula District F.A. in 1932. The club folded in 1996 but since 2013 has played as the Carrum- Patterson Lakes F.C. in the S.F.L.

The Chelsea Football Club started in the Federal league in 1919 continuing until 1926 when internal problems saw a breakaway club formed called Wells Road which played for three seasons when at which time the problems appear to have been solved. Chelsea played as Chelsea City from 1927 until 1931 then dropped the ‘City’. They continued to play at the Chelsea Recreation Reserve until joining the M.P.F.L. in 1959 where they remain today.

When the Dandenong District F. A. folded at the end of the 1954 season Noble Park joined the Eastern Suburban Football League with one senior side staying for that season only. In 1955 they joined the C.O.D.F.L. where they had fielded an Under 18 team the season before. In 1959 a merger was organised with the Harrisfield club who had been playing in the local area junior grades. Noble Park-Harrisfield continued in the C.O.D.F.L, then stayed for one season in the new S.E.S.F.L before transferring to the Federal League in 1964, remaining until 1981. Harrisfield was gone by the 1970s. Following the Federals demise Noble Park returned to the South-East and formed part of the S.F.L. in 1992. They now play in the E.F.L. Originally wearing a black jumper with a yellow sash they changed to royal blue and gold when they entered the Federal.

A Mt.Waverley club played in B Grade from 1934 to 1937 and appears to be the forerunner of the club which fielded a senior team in the C.O.D.F.L. in 1938. The records show that they played on an oval near the corner of Springvale Road and High Street, Glen Waverley probably sharing with Glen Waverley or perhaps the two clubs were one in the same.

The Black Rock & Sandringham District Football Club played in the Federal from 1912 to 1918 at the Beach Road Oval. The Sandringham Amateur Football Club who also used the Beach Oval played in the Melbourne District League on and off for a number of years before joining the Federal in 1915 returning for 1919 and 1920 before going to the Amateurs where they remained until folding in 1935.

The Hampton Amateur Football Club at Ludstone Street played for one season, 1920 then joined the Amateurs until 1928, transferred to the Metropolitan Juniors then returned to the Amateurs in 1931 as the Hampton Rovers Football Club. The Black Rock Football Club emerged in 1920 from the original ‘District’ team. They joined the Federal for the 1920 and 1921 seasons, sharing the Beach Road Oval, had one year in the Amateurs as Black Rock Amateurs then returned to the Federal from 1923 to 1926.

Having been expelled from the Amateurs due to continual brawling by both players and spectators they met the same fate and were expelled from the Federal for the same reasons. A change of administration and a clean out of undesirable players allowed an application to rejoin the Amateurs being accepted for the 1927 season which was granted under the very strict proviso that any unsportsman like behaviour would not be tolerated.

Eventually expelled in 1930 for unruly crowd behaviour they returned to the Federal dropping the Amateur from its name in 1931 and there they remained until going into recess in 1972. Reforming in 1976 they played in the Y.C.W. Association, transferred to the E.S.C.F.A. in 1980 then to the S.E.S.F.L. in 1986. They remain today in the S.F.L.

A so called amalgamation of the Sandringham, Black Rock and Hampton Amateur clubs was the basis for the creation and entry in 1929 of the Sandringham Football Club into the V.F.A. By taking one colour from each of their ’strips’, gold, black and blue their present club jumper was created. The three clubs continued in their own right as feeders to the senior grade team. Up until at least 1940 the Sandringham Amateurs and Black Rock continued to use the Beach Road Oval for fixtures where possible and also played at the Spring/Tulip Street reserve which eventually became Black Rocks home ground. The original pavilion built in the early 1950s remains today and some remnants of the enclosing perimeter fence also can be seen.

The Oakleigh Districts Football Club joined the League in 1964 from the C.O.D.F.L. remaining until 1981 then joining the S.E.S.F.L. A foundation member of the S.F.L. they remain in that league today. The club originally played at the Police Paddocks in Park Road, Oakleigh moving to the Edward Street Reserve in 1953 and 1954, then moving back to the Police Paddocks until 1965 when the following year they relocated to a new facility at the Princes Highway Reserve, East Oakleigh. Always a tough and competitive side a senior Federal premiership eluded them being runners-up on five occasions. Losing the 1969 Grand Final against East Malvern by two points was probably their most heart-breaking defeat by kicking 6.20.56 to 8.10.58. They originally wore a jumper with black and white vertical stripes then changed to a black jumper with a white sash around the time that they moved to the Federal.

The Cheltenham and Mentone Football Clubs were foundation members of the Federal League. These two clubs played continually, almost without exception until 1981 before moving to the S.E.S.F.L. in 1982. Cheltenham remain today in the S.F.L. with the clubs colours remaining unchanged, red, black and yellow panels.

Mentone who originally wore a black jumper with a yellow sash amalgamated with St.Bedes O.C.F.C. in 1993 and now play in the V.A.F.A. as the St.Bedes/Mentone Tigers Amateur Football Club. The Cheltenham and Mentone Reserves were used frequently for home fixtures by other clubs as well as hosting numerous Finals series.


*********************************************************************************