Dandenong West Football Club

For the former club also nicknamed the "Redlegs", see Dandenong Football Club.

Dandenong West Football Club
Names
Full name	Dandenong West Football Netball Club
Former name(s)	Dandenong West Junior Football Club (1963−84) Dandenong Demons Football Club (2003−08) Dandenong Football Club (2008−15) Dandenong Football and Netball Club (2015−23)
Nickname(s)	Westerners, DW, Westies
Former nickname(s)	Demons, Redlegs
Club details
Founded	December 1963;62 years ago (December 1963) [1]
Competition	Southern Football Netball League
President	Matt McCabe
Coach	Mick Lawrence
Uniforms
Home Former
Other information
Official website	dandenongfnc.com

The Dandenong West Football Club, nicknamed the Westerners, is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong West. ^[2]

As of 2024, the club competes in Division 4 of the Southern Football Netball League (SFNL). ^[3]

History

Dandenong West was formed in December 1963 as the Dandenong West Junior Football Club, fielding boys teams of various age groups. ^[4] In 1984, the club had enough senior players to enter the South East Suburban Football League (SESFL), before moving to the Eastern Suburban Churches Football Association (ESCFA) in 1987. ^{[5] [6]}

In 1993, the Southern Football League (SFL, now SFNL) absorbed the ESCFA, and Dandenong West entered the SFL. The club finished sixth in Division 3 in its inaugural SFL season. ^[5]

In 2004, Dandenong West was renamed to the Dandenong Demons. ^[7] The club's nickname was then changed to the "Redlegs" in 2008, the same as the Dandenong Football Club that competed in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) from 1958 until 1994. ^{[4] [8]}

In 2015, the club entered a netball team in the newly-renamed SFNL for the first time, winning the Division 6 grand final in its first season. ^{[9] [10]} The club was also renamed to the Dandenong Football and Netball Club (or Dandenong Football Netball Club). ^[11]

On 27 July 2023, the club announced it would return to the Dandenong West name, beginning in the 2024 season. ^[12] The club was officially renamed on 23 November 2023, and a logo and colours were revealed in December 2023. ^{[13] [14]}

Notable players

• Ricky Jackson, former Melbourne VFL/AFL player ^[15]
• Mick Reid, who played 500 senior games for the club ^[16]

References

1. "50 years of Dandenong". GameDay. Dandenong Football and Netball Club. 17 October 2013. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
2. Ralphsmith, Jonty (5 August 2023). "Redlegs to become Westerners once more". Dandenong Star Journal. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
3. "Dandenong Football Club". PlayHQ. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
4. Paproth, Daniel (8 July 2013). "Reborn Dandenong Redlegs celebrate 50 years". Dandenong Star Journal. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
5. "Dandenong Demons Football Club / Dandenong West Football Club (Vic)". Footypedia. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
6. "ABOUT DANDENONG WEST". Dandenong West Football Netball Club. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
7. "A Brief History of the Southern Football Netball League". Southern Football Netball League. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
8. "About us". GameDay. Dandenong Football and Netball Club. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
9. "Southern Football League Media Release". GameDay. Southern Football League. 13 April 2015. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
10. Potter, Jarrod (23 August 2015). "Maiden glory down to true grit". Dandenong Star Journal. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
11. "DANDENONG FOOTBALL NETBALL CLUB TO RECEIVE LIFE SAVING DEFIBRILLATORS". Gabrielle Williams. 27 February 2018. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
12. Lewis, Tyler (27 July 2023). "Why Dandenong had to revive the Westerners for 2024 and beyond". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
13. Ralphsmith, Jonty (5 December 2023). "New logo, colours unveiled for Southern League club". Dandenong Star Journal. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
14. Lewis, Tyler (14 March 2024). "SFNL: Dandenong West launches call to arms to play in 2024". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
15. "Ricky Jackson". Demonwiki. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
16. Amy, Paul (22 July 2013). "Mick Reid to clock up game number 500". Southern Football Netball League. Dandenong Leader. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.