Essendon Association | ||
---|---|---|
Names | ||
Full name | Essendon Football Club | |
Former name(s) | Essendon Town Football Club | |
Nickname(s) | Essendon A, Dreadnoughts | |
Club details | ||
Founded | 1900 | |
Dissolved | 1921 | |
Colours | Black Red | |
Competition | Victorian Football Association | |
Premierships | VFA (2) | |
Ground(s) | Essendon Recreation Reserve | |
Uniforms | ||
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Essendon (Association) Football Club (often shortened to Essendon 'A') was an Australian rules football club which played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) from 1900 until 1921. The Dreadnoughts wore black and red, and played their home games at the Essendon Recreation Reserve (known today as Windy Hill). The club was originally formed as Essendon Town (1900–1904), in order to distinguish them from the Essendon Football Club that played in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
The club was formed as Essendon Town in 1900 and joined the VFA that year. Essendon already had a team which competed in the VFL but many locals protested that they were based at East Melbourne instead of Essendon. The "Essendon Town Football Club" came about as a result, a side which would play their home games in the district. A winless season in 1903 meant that they took home their first wooden spoon.
In 1905, the club officially changed its name to the "Essendon Football Club", the same name as the VFL club. [1] To distinguish it from the VFL club, the club was referred to as Essendon (Association), Essendon (V.F.A.) or Essendon (A.) wherever there was confusion.
The club's most successful period came between 1908 and 1914 when they competed in the finals each year and won back-to-back premierships in 1911 and 1912 – coincidentally, Essendon (League) won the VFL premiership in both of those years. In the 1912 premiership season, Essendon Association's full-forward Dave McNamara became the first VFA footballer to kick over 100 goals in a season.
The club was left without a home ground and with diminished local support when the Essendon League club relocated to Essendon Recreation Reserve in October 1921; with no alternatives, the club effectively disbanded in December 1921. [2]
In 1922, most Essendon Association players moved to the reformed North Melbourne Team. North Melbourne had disbanded during the 1921 VFA season, assuming that they would be amalgamating with the Essendon League team. This did not work out, and, at the end of 1921, the North Melbourne club had a ground but no team, and Essendon Association had a team but no ground. North Melbourne was readmitted to the Association in January 1922 with the prospect of amalgamation with Essendon Association. [3] The amalgamation was eventually endorsed by the Association in April 1922. [4]
Windy Hill is an Australian rules football and cricket ground located in Napier Street, Essendon, a northwestern suburb of the Melbourne metropolitan area.
The East Melbourne Cricket Ground was a grass oval sports venue located at the southwest corner of Jolimont Road and Jolimont Parade in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The site is best known for playing host to many sporting events during the city of Melbourne's early existence, consisting mainly of cricket and Australian rules football, although the ground occasionally hosted soccer matches. Its closure was predicated by the annexure of the land by Victoria Railways to enable stabling and marshalling of trains as part of the electrification of Melbourne's metropolitan rail service.
The 1921 VFL season was the 25th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured nine clubs, ran from 7 May until 15 October, and comprised a 16-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.
The 1925 VFL season was the 29th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria.
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The West Melbourne Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA). Its senior side competed in the VFA from 1878 through 1908, its peak as a club coming after it won the 1906 premiership. After disbanding at the end of the 1908 season, its identity was essentially overtaken by the North Melbourne Football Club, whose uniform briefly reflected the acquisition in the years following.
The Northcote Football Club (/ˈnoːθ.kət/), nicknamed the Dragons, was an Australian rules football club which played in the VFA from 1908 until 1987. The club's colours for most of its time in the VFA were green and yellow, and it was based in the Melbourne suburb of Northcote.
Percival Gordon Ogden was an Australian rules footballer who played with and coached Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
The 1892 Victorian Football Association season was the 16th season of the Australian rules football competition.
The 1897 Victorian Football Association season was the 21st season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Port Melbourne Football Club, the first premiership in its history.
The 1900 Victorian Football Association season was the 24th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Footscray Football Club; it was the third premiership in the club's history, and the third in a sequence of three premierships won consecutively from 1898 to 1900.
Sydney Quinton Barker Sr. was an Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond, Essendon and North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). His son, also named Syd Barker, had a brief league career with North Melbourne.
The 1905 Victorian Football Association season was the 29th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Richmond Football Club, after defeating minor premiers North Melbourne by 25 points in the challenge final on 7 October. It was Richmond's second VFA premiership.
The 1907 Victorian Football Association season was the 31st season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Williamstown Football Club, after it defeated West Melbourne in the final by eighteen points. It was the first premiership won by Williamstown, in its 24th season of senior competition.
The 1908 Victorian Football Association season was the 32nd season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Footscray Football Club, after it defeated Brunswick in the final by 24 points. It was the fourth premiership won by the club.
The 1914 Victorian Football Association season was the 38th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the North Melbourne Football Club, after it defeated Footscray by 35 points in the final on 22 August. It was the club's fourth VFA premiership, and marked the beginning of a period of unprecedented dominance for North Melbourne, which included three consecutive premierships, and a 58-match winning streak which lasted from 1914 to 1919.
The 1921 Victorian Football Association season was the 43rd season of the Australian rules football competition.
The 1922 Victorian Football Association season was the 44th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Port Melbourne Football Club, after it defeated Footscray by two points on 23 September, in a controversial Grand Final which several of its players were offered money to throw. It was the club's third VFA premiership.
The 1924 Victorian Football Association season was the 46th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Footscray Football Club, after it defeated Williamstown by 45 points in the final on 20 September. It was the club's ninth and last VFA premiership before it, along with North Melbourne and Hawthorn, joined the Victorian Football League the following year; this marked the end of a long period of dominance for Footscray, which had seen it win five minor premierships in a row and four major premierships in six years.