Old Brighton Grammarians | ||
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Names | ||
Full name | Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club | |
Nickname(s) | Tonners | |
Former nickname(s) | Club XVIII: Bloods, Warriors | |
2024 season | ||
After finals | VAFA : 2nd VAFAW : 1st | |
Home-and-away season | VAFA: 1st VAFAW: 1st | |
Leading goalkicker | VAFA: Nicholas Pavlou (30) VAFAW: Lily Tait (43) | |
Best and fairest | VAFA: TBC VAFAW: TBC | |
Club details | ||
Founded | 1957[1] | |
Colours | Red Navy blue | |
Competition | VAFA : Premier VAFAW : Division 1 | |
Coach | VAFA: Marcel Bruin VAFAW: Andrew Grant | |
Captain(s) | VAFA: Harry Hill VAFAW: Cat O'Brien & India Tait [2] | |
Premierships | VAFA (5) VAFAW (1) | |
Uniforms | ||
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Other information | ||
Official website | obgfc.com.au |
The Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club, nicknamed the Tonners, is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton. [3] The club maintains a close relationship with Brighton Grammar School. [4] [5]
Old Brighton has won five senior premierships since it was formed in 1957, although the club has never won a top division (A Section/Premier Division) grand final in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), finishing runners-up in 2007 and 2024. [6]
As of 2024, Old Brighton's men's team competes in the Premier Division of the VAFA, while the women's team is in Division 1 of the VAFA Women's (VAFAW).
The Old Brightonians Football Club was formed in 1921 and entered the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (MAFA, later VAFA) the same year. [7] Owing to the difficulty of maintaining a strong team, the club failed to win a single game and withdrew prior to the start of the 1922 season. [8] [9]
In 1924, the club returned to the MAFA, but only lasted two years and withdrew prior to the start of the 1927 season. [10] Another return came in 1932, but the club disbanded in 1939 in the early stages of World War II and did not compete in the 1940 VAFA season. [9]
The present-day Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club was reformed in 1957 and entered the VAFA's E Section the same year. [9] The club was promoted to D Section after a loss to Preston in the 1959 E Section grand final, and eventually won its first premiership with a 62-point victory over Alphington in the 1977 D Section grand final. [11]
In 1980, Old Brighton introduced a team (nicknamed the "Warriors") into the VAFA Club XVIII social competition. [12] The side disbanded at the end of the 1987 season, but briefly returned for the 1995 season. [12] [13] In 1996, the Warriors merged with the Bloods Football Club (which was formed in 1987) and competed as the Old Brighton Bloods for several years. [14] [15]
The club entered its first women's team in the inaugural VAFA Women's season in 2017, finishing sixth on the Division 1 ladder. [16]
Old Brighton's first A Section/Premier Division grand final was in 2007, where they lost to Old Xaverians. [17] A second top division grand final came in 2024, but the club lost by 18 points to Old Scotch. [18]
As of 2019, the club's number-one ticket holders were then-Liberal MP Tim Wilson and former Bayside mayor Felicity Frederico. [19] [20]
Competition | Division | Level | Wins | Years won |
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Victorian Amateur Football Association | Premier B | Seniors | 3 | 1997, 2013, 2017 |
Premier C | Seniors | 1 | 1980 | |
Division 1 | Seniors | 1 | 1977 | |
VAFA Women's | Division 1 | Seniors | 1 | 2024 |
The club song is sung to the tune of George M. Cohan's 1906 song "You're a Grand Old Flag", and is the same song that the Melbourne Football Club uses. [21]
Old Brighton's Club XVIII team, the Warriors, also had an unofficial song in 1987 which was sung to the tune of "Advance Australia Fair". [12]
No 1 Ticket Holder Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club
I would like to congratulate Old Brighton on an outstanding season and thank them so much for giving me the honour, with my fellow No. 1 ticketholder, Felicity Frederico, of being able to stand as their No. 1 ticketholder and in this place.