1887 Victorian football season

1887 Victorian football season
Date	30 April – 1 October 1887
←  1886 1888  →

The 1887 Victorian football season was the 18th senior season of Australian rules football in the colony of Victoria. ^[1]

Clubs

Founded

Club	League	Ref
Frankston		[2]

Name changes

Former	New	League	Ref
Hawthorn Juniors	Riversdale	VJFA	[3]

VFA

Main article: 1887 VFA season

Carlton won the Victorian Football Association (VFA) premiership for the second time, after finishing the season with 15 wins from its 18 matches. ^[4] It was the club's last VFA premiership. ^[5]

VJFA

1887 VJFA season
Premiers	North Park 2nd premiership
←  1886 1888  →

The 1887 VJFA season was the fifth season of the Victorian Junior Football Association (VJFA). ^[a] North Park won the premiership for the second time, as part of a sequence of five premierships won by the club between 1886 and 1890. ^{[7] [8]}

The third-rate junior premiership was won by Capel United. ^[9] Vaucluse also claimed the premiership and Victory was considered one of the best-performing clubs of the 1887 season. ^{[10] [11]}

Ladder

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	D	GF	GA
1	North Park (P)	16	14	0	2	47	9
	Camberwell
	Footscray Excelsior
	Kew
	Lilydale
	Riversdale
	South St Kilda
	Union Jack
	Werribee Juniors

Source: ^{[12] [13] [14]}
(P) Premiers

Ballarat District

Ballarat was the premier club in the Ballarat District competition. ^{[15] [16]} The premiers in the second-rate junior competition was disputed, with Soldiers Hill Imperial and Wanderers both claiming the title. ^{[17] [18] [19]}

Ladder

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	D	GF	GA
1	Ballarat (P)	13	5	6	2	49	43
2	Ballarat Imperial	13	6	4	3	52	44
	South Ballarat	10	3	2	5	50	40

Source: ^[20]
(P) Premiers

Sandhurst

1887 SFA season
Premiers	Eaglehawk 4th premiership
←  1886 1888  →

The 1887 SFA season was the seventh season of the Sandhurst Football Association (SFA). ^[21]

The official history of the Bendigo Football Netball League lists Eaglehawk as winning the premiership for the fourth time and for the second consecutive season. ^[22] However, contemporary news reports state Bendigo was awarded the premiership following a meeting of SFA club representatives, which included a representative from Eaglehawk. ^{[23] [24]}

Ladder

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	D	GF	GA
1	Eaglehawk (P)
2	Bendigo
3	Sandhurst

Source: ^[23]
(P) Premiers

Upper Murray and Mitta District

Tallangatta was the premier club in the Upper Murray and Mitta District competition, after finishing the season with six wins from its seven matches. ^{[25] [26]}

Ladder

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	D	GF	GA
1	Tallangatta (P)	7	6	1	0	17	8
2	Granya	2	0	2	0	0	4
3	Mitta Mitta	2	0	2	0	1	6
4	Granya Juniors	3	2	0	1
	Bethanga
	Bungil

Source: ^{[25] [27]}
(P) Premiers

Notes

1. At the time, the term "junior" was used to describe open age football of a lower standard than senior football, rather than under age football. ^[6]

References

1. "KYNETON FOOTBALL CLUB". The Kyneton Observer. 6 October 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
2. "Club History". Frankston Football Club. Archived from the original on 17 April 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
3. "Riversdale Football Club statistics 1887". Early History of the Hawthorn Football Club 1873–1935. 1998. Archived from the original on 16 August 2004. Retrieved 16 August 2004.
4. "1887". Blueseum. Archived from the original on 8 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
5. "History of Achievement". Carlton Football Club. Archived from the original on 4 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
6. Gigacz, Andrew (5 June 2023). "Still snarling: 140 years on". Western Bulldogs. Archived from the original on 4 June 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
7. "JUNIOR PREMIERSHIP". The Australasian. 4 October 1890. p. 18. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
8. "Victorian Junior Football Association (Vic)". Footypedia. Archived from the original on 17 December 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
9. Thomlinson, H. (21 September 1887). "FOOTBALL". Sportsman. p. 7. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
10. "THE JUNIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP". The Herald. 23 September 1887. p. 4. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
11. Lumsden, J. R. (12 October 1887). "FOOTBALL". Sportsman. p. 7. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
12. "The Werribee Juniors FC". Sportsman. 14 September 1887. p. 7. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
13. "UNION JACK FOOTBALL CLUB". Record. 24 September 1887. p. 5. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
14. "NORTH PARK CLUB". Sportsman. 28 September 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
15. "Ballarat v. South Ballarat". The Ballarat Star. 3 October 1887. p. 4. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
16. "BALLARAT FOOTBALL CLUB BANQUET". The Ballarat Star. 24 October 1887. p. 3. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
17. "SECOND-RATE PREMIERSHIP OF FOOTBALL". The Ballarat Star. 27 September 1887. p. 4. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
18. Look Before You Leap (28 September 1887). "SECOND-RATE PREMIERSHIP OF FOOTBALL". The Ballarat Star. p. 4. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
19. Smith, J. C. (29 September 1887). "SECOND-RATE PREMIERSHIP OF FOOTBALL". The Ballarat Star. p. 4. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
20. "THE GRAND FINAL". The Ballarat Star. 26 September 1921. p. 6. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
21. "FOOTBALL". Sportsman. 19 October 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
22. "Bendigo FNL Premiership List – Senior Football" (PDF). Bendigo Football Netball League. October 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 December 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
23. "THE FOOTBALL PREMIERSHIP OF THE SANDHURST DISTRICT". Bendigo Advertiser. 20 September 1887. p. 3. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
24. "SANDHURST FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION". Sportsman. 28 September 1887. p. 8. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
25. "FOOTBALL". Upper Murray and Mitta Herald. 29 September 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
26. "The Early Days". Tallangatta & District Football League. Archived from the original on 28 March 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
27. Clark, Peter (6 September 2023). "Up the Mighty Murray! – Episode 21: 'The MCG of the Bush'". The Footy Almanac. Archived from the original on 8 February 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.