History
Yallourn Soccer Club is widely credited as being among the catalyst for the success of soccer in the Latrobe Valley, [3] and for emerging as the Gippsland region's first truly powerful club.
Work on the Yallourn township began in 1921 to house employees of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV), who operated the nearby Yallourn Power Station complex - and within two years, the Yallourn Soccer Club was formed. [4]
The club made headlines when they signed former England international John Elvey for a single season in 1925. Having played for Luton Town, Bolton Wanderers and Arsenal, Elvey was arguably the most credentialed footballer to set foot in Australia at that point. In 1920, Elvey had moved from Luton to Bolton for the then-record fee of GBP £2,500, but by 1925 had accepted an offer to come to Australia and be engaged as a bricklayer in the construction of the boilers in the Yallourn 'A' Power Station. [5]
In one match against Sale United on 13 August 1925 - played on a makeshift field on a farm at the rear of the Turf Club Hotel in Sale - the Gippsland Mercury described Elvey's remarkable display: "The best players for the visitors were Elvey, McGregor, Dewey and House. Their consistency and systematic method of passing was splendid, and enabled them to win the day. Elvey's footwork was superb, and his technique showed himself a professional, for we are informed that he is an ex-Bolton Wanderers player (one of England's leading first Division teams) and was bought by that club from Luton from the sum of 3,500 [sic] pounds."
From 1933, the club took part in the Central Gippsland Soccer Football Association - which featured two teams from Yallourn SC ('Wanderers' and 'Rovers') and a team from Yallourn North, 'Brown Coal Mine' (the former name of the Yallourn North township).
Following a hiatus due to Second World War, the Association eventually evolved into Latrobe Valley Soccer Association, giving birth to the Latrobe Valley Soccer League in 1951. Yallourn was one of the four founding clubs (along with Morwell, Heyfield and A.P.M Maryvale SC) and hosted Maryvale at Yallourn in the league's opening match on Saturday, July 15, 1951. The LVSL side was often described as Yallourn 'A', given the club's top two sides played seniors and reserves in the metropolitan competition at the time. [6]
In 1947, Yallourn SC was granted entry into the Men's State League, and were granted permission to join 'Section B' of the metropolitan league's highest division. [7] , commencing their State League journey away to Coburg on April 19, 1947 [8] . After three years in the State's top tier, Yallourn were relegated to Division Two in 1949 after finising second last. [9]
However, the team finished as runners up behind Western Suburbs in 1950, earning direct promotion back to the top flight. [10]
By 1950, Yallourn had as many as 15 teams, including 12 schoolboy teams [11] - and smaller clubs, such as Red Triangle Yallourn (composed of workers from the town's East and West Camps) and the Yallourn YMCA. [12] [13]
Yallourn SC also made the quarter-finals of the Dockerty Cup - twice - losing at that stage to Park Rangers in 1948 and eventual champions Moreland City in 1950.
Yallourn's reserves side not only won the 1950 Division Two championship (losing only once) [14] but also made the 1950 Reserve Cup final. In front of 4000 fans at Olympic Park, Yallourn came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against first division side South Yarra, only to lose the replay. [15]
After winning promotion in 1950 to the highest division in the Victorian State League, Yallourn was crowned Victorian Champions in 1951. Yallourn won the league title by four points, losing only once all season - a 6-0 hammering at home to Prahran. [16] However, Yallourn won their last five matches to finish four points clear of Sunshine United and five points clear of Brighton. [17]
The Championship was secured on the final day of the season (Saturday, August 4, 1951) when the side travelled to Melbourne to play South Yarra. Despite losing captain Charlie Pyke to injury just before the interval, a "glorious shot" by G. Campbell three minutes after half-time gave Yallourn the lead, before the title was secured with a majestic free-kick - described as "one of best goals was scored that anyone would ever see" - by Ray Rowe on 65 minutes. Whilst South Yarra scored soon after, Yallourn would run out 2-1 victors and become the first regional team to win an Australian state league championship. [19]
However, the club was unable to celebrate becoming champions on the day, for they would have to wait until their appeal against a two point fine for an incorrect team sheet entry against Box Hill in May was heard on August 13. The appeal was successful, with Box Hill officials defending Yallourn and persuading the Victorian Amateur Soccer Football Association Council to drop the points deduction. Yalloun were instead fined £3, and second-placed Sunshine United - who still had a match to play - were now four points behind, officially handing Yallourn the title. [20]
Yallourn would finish fifth in 1952 but were relegated in 1953, and while they were promoted again in 1954, they suffered relegation in 1955 - spelling the end of their period as a top tier club. [21]
As part of a controversial plan to boost regional soccer by the newly formed Victorian Soccer Federation, all non-metropolitan clubs were eliminated from the State Leagues from the start of 1964, meaning Yallourn were forced back into the Latrobe Valley Soccer League. [22]
They immediately won league championships in 1964 and 1966 and a hat-trick of Battle of Britain Cups (1964, 1965 and 1966) before being allowed to re-enter the Metropolitan leagues, albeit at the bottom tier - winning the 1967 Victorian Metropolitan League Division Four at the first attempt. [23] Yallourn would also win the 1968 Victorian Metropolitan League Division Three [24] and 1970 Victorian Metropolitan League Division Two, [25] making it three promotions in four years.
Yallourn spent three years in the State's second-highest league before suffering back-to-back relegations, as houses began to be moved from Yallourn in preparation for the town's closing - a decision made by the SEC in 1968 which was being gradually undertaken throughout the 1970s. [26]
The club was the highest ranked of any Gippsland team until the 1978 season, when the Morwell Falcons were promoted to the Victorian Metropolitan League Division Three, finishing 3rd, three places ahead of Yallourn. [27]
In 1980, with the decommissioning of Yallourn almost complete, the club moved to WH Burrage Reserve in Newborough, where the club still plays today. Many Yallourn residents relocated to Newborough, as did many of the actual homes. [28]
The merged entity's first LVSL championship finally arrived in 2019, when they stunned the competition to emerge as runaway league champions, sealing the championship with a 4-1 victory over Moe United. [29]
