Preston Bullants Amateur Football Club

Last updated
Preston Bullants
PrestonBullantsAFC.jpg
Names
Full namePreston Bullants Amateur Football Club
Former name(s)Northern Bullants (2008−2012)
Northern Blues Amateur Football Club (2012−2016) [1]
Nickname(s)Bullants, Ants
Former nickname(s)Blues
2023 season
Home-and-away season VAFA : 11th
VAFAW : 3rd
Club details
FoundedLate 2008;16 years ago (2008)
Colours  Red   White
Competition VAFA : Division 1
VAFAW : Division 3
CoachVAFA: Tom Hill
VAFAW: Shannon Gore
Captain(s)VAFA: Tom Hill
VAFAW: Brenna Edsell
PremiershipsVAFA (4)
VAFAW (1)
Ground(s)W.R. Ruthven Reserve
Uniforms
Kit body nbullants2021h.png
Kit body sleeveless.png
Kit shorts whitesides2.png
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Home
Other information
Official website prestonbullantsafc.com

The Preston Bullants Amateur Football Club (Preston AFC or PBAFC), formerly known as the Northern Bullants and later the Northern Blues, is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Preston.

Contents

Preston is a separate entity to the Northern Bullants, a club in the Victorian Football League (VFL), however the two clubs share a logo and maintain close links. Preston is also linked to the Preston Bullants Junior Football Club (PBJFC), which competes in the Yarra Junior Football League (YJFL). [2]

The club's men's team currently competes in Division 1 of the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), while the women's team is currently in Division 3 of the VAFA Women's competition.

History

In late 2008, following a YJFL Colts premiership, a number of parents of junior players at PBJFC announced the formation of a new senior club − known as the Northern Bullants − to allow a pathway for players once they passed the junior football age. [3] [4] The club joined the VAFA for the 2009 season in Division 1 of the under-18s competition. [5] However, the team folded at the end of the 2010 season. [4]

The club resumed playing in 2011, fielding an under-19s team in Division 3. That team continued in 2012 alongside a new team in the Premier B Thirds competition. [5] The club was also renamed to the Northern Blues, although it retained its red and white colours. [4]

On 30 October 2012, the VAFA announced the Blues would field a senior team for the first time in 2013, entering Division 4. [6] The club defeated Eley Park in the Grand Final later that year, and was promoted to Division 3 for 2014, where they went back-to-back with a premiership over Richmond Central. [7]

In 2016, the club was renamed to the Preston Bullants and defeated St John's in the Division 2 Grand Final. [7]

Preston introduced a women's team in 2018, coached by former Darebin mayor Vince Fontana. The women's team won the Division 3 Grand Final in 2019, and the men's team won the Division 1 Grand Final the same year. [7] [8]

The Bullants did not win a game in the 2021 season, which was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however the club declined relegation. [9] At the end of the season, inaugural coach George Wakim stepped down and was replaced by under-19s coach George Cotsonis. [10] The club's first win in 931 days came in round 1 of the 2022 season against UHS-VU, the club they defeated in the 2019 grand final. [11] However, this would be Preston's only win in 2022, and the club would be relegated to Division 1 for the 2023 season. [12]

Cotsonis departed as senior coach in June 2023, and was replaced by Tom Hill, a former Greater Western Sydney and Western Bulldogs-listed player. [13] The club ultimately avoided relegation for the 2024 season as part of the VAFA's aim to keep all divisions at 10 teams each. [14]

Although they are separate entities, Preston AFC maintains close links with the Northern Bullants, who compete as a standalone side in the VFL. Both clubs use the same logo, colours and jumper design, and the Northern Bullants were also known as the Northern Blues from 2012 until 2020. [2]

A number of players have played for both Preston AFC and the Northern Bullants, including many who played for the Northern Bullants in the VFL Development League before that competition was disbanded in 2017. [2]

In 2022, Preston AFC became the first VAFA club to play a curtain-raiser for a VFL club, with the senior women's side hosting Parkside at Preston City Oval before the VFL game between the Northern Bullants and Carlton. [15]

Seasons

Source: [16]

PremiersGrand FinalistMinor premiersFinals appearanceWooden spoon

Men's

Seniors

YearDivisionFinishWLDCoachCaptainBest and fairestLeading goalkickerRef
2013 Division 4 6th880George WakimTodd Beames;
Dean Calcedo
2014 Division 3 1st1440George WakimTodd Beames;
Dean Calcedo		Damon Marcon58
2015 Division 2 4th1260George WakimDean CalcedoLachlan McRedmond61
2016 Division 2 3rd1330George WakimJay PhelanDamon Marcon37
2017 Division 1 5th1170George Wakim
2018 Division 1 6th990George WakimConor Howard23
2019 Division 1 1st1341George WakimSean CalcedoJack Sammartino50
2020 Premier C (No season)George WakimSean Calcedo(No season)
2021 Premier C 10th0110George WakimSean CalcedoPatrick VaninJackson Curic22
2022 Premier C 11th1190George CotsonisJames KingRory HowardEthan Lowe22 [17]
2023 Division 1 9th3150George Cotsonis;
Tom Hill		James KingPaddy Davies27
2024 Division 1 Tom HillTom Hill [18]

Women's

Seniors

YearDivisionFinishWLDCoachCaptainBest and fairestLeading goalkickerRef
2018 Division 3 1st1130Vince FontanaBinny GraingerJacara EganJacara Egan14 [19]
2019 Division 3 2nd1220Vince FontanaMelanie Cook20
2020 Division 2 (No season)Doug Hamilton(No season)
2021 Division 3 7th190Doug HamiltonKaitlin PikeKaitlin Pike
2022 Division 3 6th680Doug HamiltonBinny Grainger;
Shannon Gore		Shannon Gore10
2023 Division 4 3rd771Siobhan O'DwyerShannon Gore19 [20]
2024 Division 3 TBAShannon GoreBrenna Edsell

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References

  1. ↑ "Historical details for ABN 45 389 028 140". ABN Lookup. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Northern Blues Amateur Football Club
  2. 1 2 3 "Bullant Community Celebrate Luke Green's VFL Journey". Victorian Amateur Football Association. 15 April 2024. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024.
  3. ↑ "VAFA Legends: Meet the man who built a dynasty at the Preston Bullants". 2 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Our History". Preston Bullants Amateur Football Club. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  5. 1 2 "History". GameDay. Preston Bullants Amateur Football Club. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024.
  6. ↑ "NORTHERN BLUES STEP UP". Victorian Amateur Football Association. 30 October 2012. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "NORTHERN BLUES VAFA - GRAND FINALS". Australian Football. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  8. ↑ "Preston Bullants 7.1-43 def. 3.5-23 Hampton Rovers". GameDay. VAFA Results Archive. 18 August 2019. Archived from the original on 29 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  9. ↑ Higgins, Ben (4 April 2022). "Preston Bullants claim maiden VAFA Premier C victory in one-point thriller". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024.
  10. ↑ Higgins, Ben (21 October 2021). "Preston Bullants promote from within to replace coach George Wakim". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  11. ↑ Maclean, Hugh (5 April 2022). "Preston notch first Premier C Mens victory as 2022 season gets underway". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 29 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  12. ↑ "2022 VAFA Men's Premiership Season - Premier C". Australian Football. Archived from the original on 29 November 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  13. ↑ "Preston Bullants AFC is excited to announce that Tom Hill will be taking the reins as our interim Senior Men's Coach for the remainder of the 2023 season". Facebook. Preston Bullants AFC. 7 June 2023. Archived from the original on 18 November 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  14. ↑ Pignataro, Joe (12 October 2023). "2024 Men's Premier & Divisional competition structure". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  15. ↑ "Get down to PCO on Sunday to see our Senior Women take on Parkside in a curtain raiser for the Northern Bullants VFL side!". Facebook. Preston Bullants AFC. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 21 September 2024. This is the first time in VAFA history that a team will play a curtain raiser for a VFL team
  16. ↑ "Honour Roll". GameDay. Preston Bullants Amateur Football Club. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  17. ↑ "2022 Premier C Men's Ladder". GameDay. VAFA Results Archive. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  18. ↑ Cole, Liam (16 April 2024). "Percentage bolstering wins the theme of Round 1". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024. The Bullants playing coach and captain Tom Hill led from the front in the midfield kicking two goals.
  19. ↑ Courtney Hagen; Kirby Fenwick (26 February 2021). "Jacara Egan is stepping into her power and onto the footy field". Siren Sport. Archived from the original on 22 June 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  20. ↑ Pignataro, Joe (15 November 2023). "Meet the new coaches leading VAFA Women's clubs in 2024". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2024. O'Dwyer has also coached Worawa all Indigenous Academy for five years as well as experience with several other VAFA clubs, most recently with the Preston Bullants in 2023.
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