Melbourne Thistle FC

Melbourne Thistle

Full name	Melbourne Thistle Football Club
Founded	1912;113 years ago (1912)
Dissolved	1935;90 years ago (1935)
Ground	Middle Park (presumed)

The Melbourne Thistle Football Club was an Australian Anglo-Celtic backed association football (soccer) club based in Melbourne, presumably in the suburb of Albert Park. ^[1] The club was founded in 1912 ^[2] and spent most of its existence in the first division league of the Victorian soccer system. ^{[3] [4]} The club won seven titles within the state's tier one and tier two leagues, including the Dockerty Cup three times. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

The league was in recess from 1916-1918 due to World War 1. Of the 34 Thistle players that enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, nine members did not survive the war. ^[8]

Off the field, little is known about the club itself other than a handful of recorded home games were played at the former Middle Park ground in the neighboring suburb of Albert Park. ^{[9] [10]} The club was dissolved after resigning from the Victorian First Division mid-season in July 1935. ^[11]

Honours

League

• First Division
  • Premiers (4): 1914, 1915, 1920 (Section B), 1925

Cup

• Dockerty Cup
  • Winners (3): 1914, 1915, 1925
  • Runners-up (1): 1932

Doubles

• First Division and Dockerty Cup : 3
  • 1914, 1915, 1925

References

1. "Soccer". emelbourne.net.au. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
2. "BRITISH ASSOCIATION". The Herald . Victoria, Australia. 19 April 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 26 January 2020– via Trove.
3. "Victorian Football Club Archive - Maccabi to Mulgrave". ozfootball.net. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
4. "Melbourne Thistle Divisional History". ozfootball.net. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
5. "Dockerty Cup Winners & Runners-Up". ozfootball.net. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
6. "Australia - List of Regional Cup Winners". RSSSF . Retrieved 30 September 2019.
7. "Victoria Division One Champions". socceraust.co.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
8. Syson, Ian (24 April 2015). "Soccer also made its sacrifice". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
9. "1934 Dockerty Cup - Results". ozfootball.net. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
10. "The Story of Football in Victoria - Roy Hay & Ian Syson.pdf - Google Drive". drive.google.com. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
11. "HAKOAH-CALEDONIANS MATCH MAY DECIDE SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP". The Herald . Victoria, Australia. 19 July 1935. p. 3. Retrieved 26 January 2020– via Trove.