Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club

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Old Brighton Grammarians
Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club.png
Names
Full nameOld Brighton Grammarians Football Club
NicknameTonners
Former nickname(s)Club XVIII: Bloods, Warriors
2025 season
After finals VAFA : 1st
VAFAW : 1st
Home-and-away seasonVAFA: 1st
VAFAW: 1st
Club details
Founded1957;69 years ago (1957) [1]
Colours  Red   Navy blue
Competition VAFA : Premier
VAFAW : Premier B
CoachVAFA: Marcel Bruin
VAFAW: Andrew Grant
Captain(s)VAFA: Harry Hill
VAFAW: Cat O'Brien & India Tait [2]
PremiershipsVAFA (6)
VAFAW (2)
Ground Brighton Beach Oval
Uniforms
Kit body red v top.png
Kit body sleeveless.png
Kit shorts redsides.png
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Home
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]

Contents

Old Brighton has won six senior premierships since it was formed in 1957, including its first top division (A Section/Premier Division) grand final in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) in 2025. [6] It also finished runners-up in 2007 and 2024. [7]

As of 2025, Old Brighton's men's team competes in the Premier Division of the VAFA, while the women's team is in Premier B of the VAFA Women's (VAFAW).

History

Origins

The Old Brightonians Football Club was formed in 1921 and entered the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (MAFA, later VAFA) the same year. [8] 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. [9] [10]

In 1924, the club returned to the MAFA, but only lasted two years and withdrew prior to the start of the 1927 season. [11] 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. [10]

Present-day club

The present-day Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club was reformed in 1957 and entered the VAFA's E Section the same year. [10] 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. [12]

In 1980, Old Brighton introduced a team (nicknamed the "Warriors") into the VAFA Club XVIII social competition. [13] The side disbanded at the end of the 1987 season, but briefly returned for the 1995 season. [13] [14] 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. [15] [16]

The club entered its first women's team in the inaugural VAFA Women's season in 2017, finishing sixth on the Division 1 ladder. [17]

Old Brighton's first A Section/Premier Division grand final was in 2007, where they lost to Old Xaverians. [18] A second top division grand final came in 2024, but the club lost by 18 points to Old Scotch. [19]

As of 2019, the club's number-one ticket holders were then-Liberal MP Tim Wilson and former Bayside mayor Felicity Frederico. [20] [21]

Honours

Premierships

CompetitionDivisionLevelWinsYears won
Victorian Amateur Football Association Premier Seniors1 2025
Premier B Seniors3 1997, 2013, 2017
Premier C Seniors1 1980
Division 1 Seniors1 1977
VAFA Women's Premier B Seniors1 2025
Division 1 Seniors1 2024

Club song

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. [22]

It's a grand old flag, it's a high flying flag,
It's the emblem for me and for you,
It's the emblem of the team we love,
The team of the Red and the Blue.
Every heart beats true, for the Red and the Blue,
And we sing this song to you,
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the Red and the Blue.

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". [13]

Old Brighton's sons let us rejoice, for the footy season's back you see.
With cans in our hands and [censored], a flag's our destiny,
We'll sink more beers and kick more goals, a few may get a shag...
Old Brighton couldn't keep us there, we were too good they found,
So on one dark and stormy night they kicked us off our ground,
We'll kick more goals and drink more beers...

References

  1. ↑ "Vale: Doug Ridley". Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club. 26 February 2024. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  2. ↑ Ireland, Annie (5 September 2024). "Old Brighton reigns supreme in heavyweight battle". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  3. ↑ Beitzel, Brad (16 September 2013). "Old Brighton ends 15-year blight". The Age. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  4. ↑ "OLD BRIGHTON GRAMMARIANS FOOTBALL CLUB". Issuu. Brighton Grammar School. 18 April 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  5. ↑ "2024 VAFA Rules" (PDF). Victorian Amateur Football Association. March 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  6. ↑ "Old Brighton crowned 2025 Premiers". 26 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "Brighton tops B-grade". The Age. 12 May 2003. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  8. ↑ "Old Brighton Football Club". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  9. ↑ "METROPOLITAN AMATEUR ASSOCIATION". The Argus. 8 August 1921. p. 5. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 McLellan, Bob. "OBGFC: A Tribute" (PDF). Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club. pp. 1–194. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  11. ↑ "Second Round Today". The Sun News-Pictorial. 3 July 1926. p. 27. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  12. ↑ "The Amateur Footballer Week 22 1977" (PDF). Victorian Amateur Football Association. 17 September 1977. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 McLellan, Bob. "OBGFC: A Tribute" (PDF). Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club. pp. 298–500. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  14. ↑ "A Tribute: Roger 'Doggy' Brown". Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club. 11 October 2023. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  15. ↑ "The Amateur Footballer, Week 21, 1997". Issuu. VAFA Media. 6 September 1997. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  16. ↑ "Old Brighton Bloods Football Club (Vic)". Footypedia. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  17. ↑ "Women's Development Division 1 2017". GameDay. VAFA Results Archive. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  18. ↑ Pignataro, Joe (9 September 2022). "There is no tomorrow for Collegians and Old Brighton". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  19. ↑ Bennett, Jason (30 September 2024). "Old Scotch wins Premier Men's flag for first time in 46 years!". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  20. ↑ "Tim Wilson MP - 46th Parliament". openpolitics.au. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024. No 1 Ticket Holder Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club
  21. ↑ Wilson, Tim (24 October 2017). "Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club". Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024. 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.
  22. ↑ "Club Song". Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
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