History
South Gippsland: Wonthaggi becomes a thriving soccer centre (1910-27)
The South Gippsland region has a long soccer history dating back to the turn of the 20th century, with the creation of the Wonthaggi Rangers - one of the very first soccer clubs anywhere in Victoria, and the first to be created outside metropolitan Melbourne, largely driven by the English and Scottish migrants arriving to work at the State Coal Mine. [1]
Records exist of matches being played in Wonthaggi as early as 1910, when the Victorian Amateur British Football Association put together a team to play the 'newly formed' Wonthaggi club [2] in what was the Rangers' first match confirmed match, [3] with another match staged a year later. [4]
The club's aspirations to have their own, purpose-built soccer field in Wonthaggi were dashed by the local bowling club, who seized the plot of land used by the club, situated next to the Wonthaggi Primary School - a move criticised by Councillors of the day who said soccer was being unfairly discriminated against. The plot of land still remains in possession of the bowls' club. [5]
Whilst the Rangers did not play in the stronger metropolitan league, they did make it to the quarter-final of 1911 Dockerty Cup, losing to Prahran at Fawkner Park. [6] They then made it to the semi-final of the 1914 Dockerty Cup, going down by a single goal to Northumberland and Durham United, [7] despite the Miners bringing "...a fair number of supporters with them, who nearly shouted themselves hoarse in their endeavours to cheer their favorites on to victory." [8]
Record of the game spreading beyond Wonthaggi first appeared in 1914, with the very first game in the town of Mirboo North. This was a one-off match at Mirboo North Oval between residents of Mirboo North and Mirboo South - most of who had never played soccer before - to raise funds for World War I. Mirboo South won the match 4-0, with 2 pounds and 4 shillings being raised. [9]
The first club to form outside Wonthaggi was the Korumburra Rangers, who were formed in 1924 after a meeting at the Korumburra's Austral Hotel, predominantly featuring recently arrived men from England and Scotland. The club played on "...Mr Greville's Paddock off Shilcock Road" and joined the Wonthaggi and District Association's four-team league. [10]
The single 'Wonthaggi Rangers' club grew into the Wonthaggi and District Association, which by 1928 compromised four Wonthaggi teams: Caledonian, Magpies, Celtic and North Wonthaggi Thistle, [11] adding Wonthaggi Amateurs and Wonthaggi Manchester Unity in 1931. [12] By that year, of the 26 teams that entered the Dockerty Cup, the only regional entrants were four teams from Wonthaggi. [13]
Wonthaggi's strength was on full show when one of the town's teams - the Wonthaggi Magpies - made the 1928 Dockerty Cup final, falling to the era's champion team, Naval Depot in front of over 3000 fans at the Melbourne Motordome. [14] Naval Depot would again eliminate the Magpies in the same competition a year later in a replay, winning 2-0 at the State Mine Oval. [15]
Another local team, North Wonthaggi Thistle, made it to the quarter-final of the 1930 Dockerty Cup, where they were defeated by eventual runner's-up Royal Caledonians. [16]
Whilst the metropolitan teams rapidly improved each year, the Wonthaggi Magpies shocked the football world when they won the 1931 Dockerty Cup. [17]
After two scoreless finals in Melbourne, a third final was played in front of more than 3000 fans in Wonthaggi - effectively 60 per cent of the town's entire population at the time. [18]
Given the size of the town, and its remoteness - Wonthaggi is 132 kilometres from Melbourne - the victory considered by sporting historians one of the greatest underdog stories in the history of Australian football, with Football Victoria itself hailing the result: "...The Magpies needed replays to overcome both Melbourne Thistle and Footscray Thistle enroute to the final, and the ultimate encounter against the League champions proved no different. The clubs couldn’t be separated after almost three-and-a-half hours, with finals at the Exhibition Oval and Brunswick Cricket Ground finishing in identical fashion – scoreless stalemates. The third final, played at Wonthaggi Oval produced a fitting result, with Alfy Mackey scoring the match-winning penalty to bring the Cup to regional Victoria for the first time." [19]
Such was the outstanding competitiveness of the game in Wonthaggi that despite being the State Champions, and three-time defending Wonthaggi and District Association champions, the Magpies were sensationally bundled out of the Dockerty Cup by local rivals Thistle in 1932. [20]
In the Carrick Cup, a season-ending tournament that was played between the different football associations around Victoria, the Wonthaggi & District Association was a powerhouse - they were crowned champions in 1930, defeating the 'Metropolitan' association on a bumpy pitch in Wonthaggi. [21]
A week after their historic 1931 Dockerty Cup victory, the Wonthaggi & District Association faced the 'Metropolitan' association at Wonthaggi's home ground in the final of the Carrick Cup. Despite another big crowd, the visitors proved too strong. [22]
In 1932, the Wonthaggi and District Association would avenge their defeat to the Metropolitan association, winning the Carrick Cup final replay 2–0 at home [23] after the first leg was drawn 3–3 at Middle Park. [24]
And in 1934, the Wonthaggi and District Association would make it three Carrick Cup titles in five years, again defeating the Metropolitan association, this time running out emphatic 5–3 victors 'under electric light' at Olympic Park. [25]
However, by the 1930s, with industrial actions and coal in the larger seams running out, the State Coal Mine's decline would not only decimate the town of Wonthaggi but the economic challenge, and the start of World War Two in 1939, effectively combined to end the golden age of football in South Gippsland. [26]
West Gippsland: soccer proves a slow burn (1914-63)
While South Gippsland sensationally emerged as Victoria's first truly powerful soccer region soon after the turn of the 20th century, West Gippsland did not enjoy the same level of enthusiasm or organisation for many decades to come.
A 1914 attempt to start a league "...between the two railway lines from Koo Wee Rup to Lang Lang and Garfield to Longwarry, to include Longwarry South and Yannathan on the east, and Yallock and Iona on the western side" failed to materialise, despite the presence of a team at Modella. [27]
In 1924, the first recorded game of soccer took place in Warragul, with an exhibition match between Yallourn White Rose and Yallourn Thistle, played on October 25 at the Warragul Football Ground. [28]
When formation of the Central Gippsland Soccer Football Association was formed in 1933, invitations were extended to create a club in Trafalgar but none was formed at that particular time. [29]
Following a hiatus due to Second World War, the Association eventually evolved into Latrobe Valley Soccer Association, who in turn formed the Latrobe Valley Soccer League in 1951. [30] Further invitations were sent to the RAAF Base East Sale and to Wonthaggi in the hope of re-establishing a football presence in the town, which had dissipated after the 1930s decline of the State Coal Mine. [31]
Whilst there was an invitation to the town of Warragul from the Latrobe Valley Soccer Association to join the inaugural Latrobe Valley Soccer League in 1951, and growing interest from newly settled immigrants from Europe, [32] Warragul's representatives could not organise a team to compete competition. [33]
It wasn't until 1963, 12 years after the formation of the LVSL, that Warragul United was born - a club that, after an initial struggle, would go on to become one of the dominant clubs of the Latrobe Valley Soccer League, claiming the first LVSL titles for the West Gippsland region in 1998, 1999 and 2001, [34] leading them to join the Victorian State Leagues, where multiple promotions led them to the brink of NPL Victoria. [35]
Since 2018, Warragul United have been the highest-ranked club in the wider Gippsland area (changing their name to Gippsland United in 2022), overtaking Morwell Pegasus, who withdrew from Metropolitan competition and returned to the Latrobe Valley Soccer League that same season. [36]
Latrobe Valley Soccer League expands to become Gippsland Soccer League
Whilst Warragul United attracted players from across West Gippsland, nearby club lowly began to form, starting with Drouin Dragons in 1975 and 'Leonburra' (formed of residents from Leongatha and Korumburra) side also forming, later being known as South Gippsland Soccer club. [37]
Latrobe Valley Soccer League and Gippsland Soccer League divorce (2016-)
In 2016, a significant split occurred when twelve clubs departed to form the new Latrobe Valley Soccer League. [38]
The remaining clubs, primarily from the southern region, retained the Gippsland Soccer League identity and continued their competitions independently.
The league continues to field teams in representative competitions run by Football Victoria. [39]
Australia 