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The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
club that competes in the
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
(AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in
Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
, an inner suburb of
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
, Carlton quickly became a dominant club in early Australian rules football competitions, and was a foundation member of the
Victorian Football Association The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
(VFA), winning the inaugural premiership in 1877. In 1896, Carlton joined the breakaway Victorian Football League (since renamed the AFL), and alongside rivals , and , is regarded as one of the league's historical "Big Four" clubs, having won sixteen VFL/AFL premierships, equal with Essendon as the most of any AFL club. Carlton's headquarters and training facilities are located in
Carlton North Carlton North is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Yarra local government areas. Carlton North recorded a population of 6,177 ...
at Princes Park, its traditional home ground, and it currently plays its home matches at
Docklands Stadium Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and was ...
and the
Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...
. In 2017, Carlton fielded a team in the inaugural season of
AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 1 ...
, its best result thus far being a Grand Final loss in 2019. Carlton also has reserves sides in the
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
and
VFL Women's VFL Women's (VFLW) is the major state-level women's Australian rules football league in Victoria. The league initially comprised the six premier division clubs and the top four division 1 clubs from the now-defunct Victorian Women's Football Le ...
.


Club history


Early history

The Carlton Football Club was formed in July 1864. In the early days, Carlton became particularly strong competitively and grew a large supporter base. It became a fierce rival to the
Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...
in early competitions, including the
South Yarra Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup was the name of several football trophies contested in Melbourne, Australia, during the 1860s and 1870s under the Melbourne Football Club rules and the Victorian rules (which were early versions of Australian rules football). ...
, which it won in 1871. In 1877, Carlton became one of the foundation clubs of the
Victorian Football Association The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
, and was a comfortable winner of the premiership in the competition's inaugural season. Carlton was one of the first clubs to have a player worthy of the superstar tag: champion player
George Coulthard George Coulthard (1 August 1856 – 22 October 1883) was an Australian cricketer and Australian rules footballer. Born and raised on a farm outside Melbourne, Victoria, Coulthard helped lead the Carlton Football Club to premiership success in t ...
, who played for Carlton between 1876 and 1882, and was noted by ''
The Australasian The ''Australasian Post'', commonly called the ''Aussie Post'', was Australia's longest-running weekly picture magazine. History and profile Its origins are traceable to Saturday, 3 January 1857, when the first issue of ''Bell's Life in Victoria ...
'' as 'The grandest player of the day'. He died of tuberculosis in 1883, aged 27. The club won one more VFA premiership, in 1887, but after that, particularly during the 1890s, the club went from one of the strongest clubs in the Association to one of the weaker, both on-field and off-field. In spite of this, the club was invited to join the breakaway
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
competition in 1897.Official Website of the Carlton Football ClubHistory of the Blues
Retrieved on 15 April 2007.
The club continued to struggle in early seasons of the new competition, and finished seventh out of eight teams in each of its first five seasons.


Jack Worrall to World War I

Carlton's fortunes improved significantly in 1902. The Board elected the highly respected former
Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
footballer and
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...
test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...
er
Jack Worrall John Worrall (20 June 1861 – 17 November 1937) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Fitzroy Football Club in the VFA, and a Test cricketer. He was also a prominent coach in both sports and a journalist. A small, nugge ...
, then the secretary of the Carlton Cricket Club, to the same position at the football club. As secretary, Worrall slowly took over the managing of the players, in what is now recognised as the first official coaching role in the VFL. Under Worrall's guidance in the latter part of the 1902 season, Carlton's on-field performances improved, and in 1903 he led Carlton to the
finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
for the first time. Carlton built a strong reputation and financial position, and was able to convince many great players to shift to the club from other clubs, or even (in the case of
Mick Grace Michael John Grace (24 July 187421 May 1912) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Fitzroy Football Club, Carlton Football Club and St Kilda Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of Thomas Grace, ...
) out of retirement. Worrall led the club to its first three VFL premierships, won consecutively, in 1906, 1907 and 1908. Carlton became the first club in the VFL to win three premierships in a row, and its win–loss record of 19–1 in the 1908 season (including finals) was a record which stood for more than ninety years. Following these premierships, Carlton went through a tumultuous period off-field. Some players had become frustrated by low payments and hard training standards, and responded by refusing to train or even play matches. The club removed Worrall from the coaching role (he retained the role of secretary), and after significant changes at board level after the 1909 season, Worrall left the club altogether. Many players who had supported Worrall left the club at the end of the season. Then, in 1910, several players were suspected of having taken bribes to fix matches, with two players ( Alex Lang and Doug Fraser) both found guilty and suspended for 99 matches. Despite this backdrop, Carlton continued its strong on-field form, reaching the
1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...
and 1910 Grand Finals, but losing both. Carlton fell out of the finals in 1913, but returned in 1914 under coach
Norm Clark Norman Childers "Hackenschmidt" Clark (12 November 1878 – 26 December 1943) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1905 and 1912. Family The son of Edward ...
, and with many inexperienced players, to win back-to-back premierships in
1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...
and 1915 VFL seasons. Most football around the country was suspended during the height of World War I, but Carlton continued to compete in a VFL which featured, at its fewest, only four clubs. Altogether, between Jack Worrall's first Grand Final in 1904 and the peak of World War I in 1916, Carlton won five premierships and contested nine Grand Finals for one of the most successful times in the club's history. The only success which eluded the club was the
Championship of Australia The Championship of Australia was an Australian rules football tournament which was contested between football clubs from the Victorian, South Australian, Western Australian and Tasmanian football leagues. The Championship took place three ti ...
; Carlton contested the championship three times (1907, 1908 and 1914), with its
South Australian South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...
opponents victorious on all three occasions.


Between the wars

Through the 1920s and the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
of the 1930s, Carlton maintained a strong on-field presence. The club was a frequent finalist, contesting fourteen finals series between the wars. However, premiership success did not follow, and the club contested only three Grand Finals for just one premiership during this period, and endured the second longest premiership drought (23 years) in the club's history. The drought was broken with the club's sixth VFL premiership in
1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...
, when former Subiaco and
South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...
champion
Brighton Diggins Brighton John Diggins (born Bryton John Diggins, 26 December 1906 – 14 July 1971) was an Australian rules footballer in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of Arthur Oswald Diggins (18 ...
was recruited by the club to serve as captain-coach. On-field, Carlton's inter-war period was highlighted by two of its greatest goalkickers: in the 1920s,
Horrie Clover Horace Ray Clover (20 March 1895 – 1 January 1984) was a leading Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of Robert James Clover (1864-1900), and Phoebe Rubina Clover (-1901), née Smith, Hor ...
(396 goals in 147 games), and in the 1930s, Harry "Soapy" Vallence (722 goals in 204 games), both of which were Carlton career records at the time.


1941–64

The VFL continued to operate through World War II. With the retirement of Diggins, Carlton secured the services of former coach
Percy Bentley Percy Bentley (13 December 1906 − 25 March 1982) was an Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League. Bentley was a strong ruckman and great tactician who was a key player and coach for the Richmond Football Club duri ...
, who coached the club for fifteen seasons. Carlton continued to finish in or near the finals without premiership success through the war, before winning the premiership in 1945, one month after peace. In a remarkable season, Carlton languished with a record of 3–6 after nine weeks, but won ten of the remaining eleven home-and-away matches to finish fourth; Carlton then comfortably beat in the first semi-final, overcame a 28-point deficit in the final quarter to beat Collingwood in the preliminary final, then beat South Melbourne in the notoriously brutal and violent
Bloodbath Grand Final The 1945 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the South Melbourne Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at Princes Park in Melbourne on 29 September 1945. It was the 47th annual Grand Final of the V ...
. Carlton contested two more Grand Finals in the 1940s, both against , winning the 1947 Grand Final by a single point, and being comfortably beaten in
1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...
. Thereafter followed what was then Carlton's weakest on-field period since Worrall's appointment in 1902, with the club reaching the finals only four times between 1950 and 1964. Finishing tenth out of twelve and winning only five matches, 1964 was Carlton's worst VFL season to that point in its history.


Ron Barassi to 1973

A change of president at the end of 1964 heralded the most successful period in the Carlton Football Club's history. Between 1967 and 1988, Carlton missed the finals only three times, contested ten Grand Finals, and won seven premierships. The period of success began when George Harris replaced Lew Holmes as president of the club, after the 1964 season. Harris then signed legend
Ron Barassi Ronald Dale Barassi Jr. (born 27 February 1936) is a former Australian rules footballer, coach and media personality. Regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of the game, Barassi was the first player to be inaugurated into ...
serve as coach from 1965. Barassi was a six-time premiership player and two-time premiership captain at Melbourne during its most successful era, and at the age of 28 was still one of the biggest names in the game. His shift to Carlton remains one of the biggest player transfers in the game's history. Also contributing to Carlton's success was the strength of the
Bendigo Football League The Bendigo Football Netball League (previously known as the Sandhurst Football Association, Bendigo and District Football Association, Bendigo Football Association and Bendigo Football League) is an Australian rules football and netball compe ...
, to which Carlton gained recruitment access through the VFL's country zoning arrangements. Under Barassi, Carlton reached three consecutive Grand Finals between 1968 and 1970, resulting in two premierships: 1968 against Essendon and
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
against traditional
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
Collingwood. The 1970 Grand Final remains one of the most famous matches in football history. Played in front of an enduring record crowd of 121,696, Collingwood dominated early to lead by 44 points at half time, but Carlton kicked seven goals in fifteen minutes after half time to narrow the margin to only three points; after a close final quarter, Carlton won its tenth VFL premiership with a ten-point victory. Carlton won its first and second
Championship of Australia The Championship of Australia was an Australian rules football tournament which was contested between football clubs from the Victorian, South Australian, Western Australian and Tasmanian football leagues. The Championship took place three ti ...
titles in 1968 and 1970, beating the
SANFL The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...
's
Sturt Football Club The Sturt Football Club, nicknamed The Double Blues, is a semi-professional Australian rules football club based in the suburb of Unley, South Australia, which plays in the South Australian National Football League. Founded in 1901 by the Stur ...
in both seasons. Carlton missed the finals in 1971, and Barassi left the club at the end of the season, but Carlton returned to prominence the following year, and contested back-to-back Grand Finals. Both matches were against , with Carlton recording a high-scoring victory in
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
, and losing a rough, physical encounter in
1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
. Of the legendary players from the Barassi era, none was more important than John Nicholls, who captained all three premierships and took over as captain-coach upon Barassi's departure. Nicholls, a ruckman and forward, had played at Carlton since 1957, and he and
Graham Farmer Graham Vivian "Polly" Farmer (10 March 1935 14 August 2019) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the East Perth Football Club and West Perth Football Club in th ...
(who played with and in the WAFL during the same era) are regarded as the greatest ruckmen in the league's history. Midfielders
Sergio Silvagni Sergio Valentino Silvagni (28 June 1938 – 15 July 2021) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL), mostly as a Australian rules football posi ...
and
Adrian Gallagher Adrian Lindsay Gallagher (born 12 May 1946) is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. Cricket He was also an outstanding cricketer in his youth and received many offers to play in England, but preferred to stay ...
, half-forward
Robert Walls Robert Walls (born 21 July 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented and in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. In a playing career that spanned three decades Robert played a combined 259 gam ...
, and ruckman Percy Jones were also prominent throughout the Barassi era, and in 1970,
Alex Jesaulenko Oleksandr "Alex" Jesaulenko ( ; uk, Олександр Васильович Єсауленко, Oleksandr Vasiliovych Yesaulenko, ; born 2 August 1945) is a former Australian rules footballer and who played for the Carlton Football Club and t ...
became the first (and to date, only) Carlton forward to kick 100 goals in a season.


1975–82

Carlton continued to play finals through the 1970s without premiership success, and went through several coaches in a short period of time: Nicholls (until 1975),
Ian Thorogood Ian Thorogood (25 August 1936 – 19 March 2019) was an Australian rules footballer who played and coached in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Biography Thorogood played for Melbourne, including three premiership teams. In 1963, he went ...
(1976–77), Ian Stewart (for only three matches in 1978), and Alex Jesaulenko as playing coach after Stewart's departure. It was not until 1979 that Carlton again reached the
Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
, defeating by five points in a close match best remembered for the late goal kicked by Ken Sheldon, after
Wayne Harmes Wayne may refer to: People with the given name and surname * Wayne (given name) * Wayne (surname) Geographical Places with name ''Wayne'' may take their name from a person with that surname; the most famous such person was Gen. "Mad" Anthon ...
tapped the ball into the goalsquare from the boundary line. After the 1979 season, there was off-field instability at the board level. Ian Rice replaced George Harris as president, and many of Harris' supporters left the club, including Jesaulenko, who went to . Percy Jones replaced Jesaulenko as coach in 1980, before coach
David Parkin David Alex Parkin, OAM (born 12 September 1942) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and for the Subiaco Football Club in the Western Australian Na ...
was recruited in 1981, Carlton's sixth coach in eight seasons. Despite the off-field troubles, Carlton continued to thrive on-field, and Parkin led the team to back-to-back premierships in
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
and
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
, with victories in the Grand Finals against Collingwood and respectively. With its fourteenth premiership in 1982, Carlton overtook Collingwood to become the most successful club in the league's history, based on premierships won – a position it has held either outright or jointly with since. Starring on-field during this period for Carlton was Bruce Doull, regarded as one of the best half-back flankers in the history of the league. Wayne Johnston was a prominent centreman/forward, and Carlton had great success recruiting high-profile Western Australian footballers to the club, including
Mike Fitzpatrick Michael Gerard Fitzpatrick (June 28, 1963 – January 6, 2020) was an American attorney and politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing from 2005 to 2007 and 2011 to 2017. He was fir ...
, Ken Hunter and
Peter Bosustow Peter Robert Bosustow (born 27 October 1957) is a former Australian rules footballer with the Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Career Bosu ...
.


1983–2001

In 1983, John Elliott took over the presidency from Ian Rice. On-field, the club endured three consecutive unsuccessful finals campaigns under Parkin before he was replaced by
Robert Walls Robert Walls (born 21 July 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented and in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. In a playing career that spanned three decades Robert played a combined 259 gam ...
in 1986. Also in 1986, Carlton lured three of South Australia's top young players to the club:
Stephen Kernahan Stephen Scott Kernahan (born 1 September 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and for the Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football ...
,
Craig Bradley Craig Edwin Bradley (born 23 October 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer and first-class cricketer. He is the games record holder at Carlton in the AFL/VFL, and in elite Australian rules football (the AFL/VFL, SANFL and WAFL). Early ...
and
Peter Motley Peter Motley (born 24 September 1964 in Adelaide, South Australia) is a former professional Australian rules footballer, representing Sturt Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and Carlton Football Club in the ...
. The club reached the next two Grand Finals, losing in
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
and winning in
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
, both times against . Kernahan went on to become the club's longest serving captain and leading career goalkicker (738 goals), and Bradley became the club games record holder (375 games); Motley's career was unfortunately cut short by a non-fatal car accident in 1987. Carlton had also recruited
Stephen Silvagni Stephen Silvagni (born 31 May 1967) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). As the second member of three generations of Silvagnis to represent the Blues, he is ...
(son of Sergio) in 1985, who is now recognised as one of the greatest fullbacks of all-time, and secured the league's star player Greg Williams in a trade in 1992. David Parkin returned to coach the club from 1991 until 2000, and Carlton was a mainstay of the finals throughout most of this time. In 1995, Carlton became the first team to win twenty matches in a home-and-away season (finishing with a record of 20–2), and won the
Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
against to claim its sixteenth premiership. Carlton reached two other Grand Finals during the 1990s, losing to Essendon in
1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
and to the
Kangaroos Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
in
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
; in 1999, Carlton had come from sixth on the home-and-away ladder to qualify for the Grand Final, famously beating its
rival A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
Essendon (the minor premiers) by one point in the preliminary final.


Period of struggle (2002–present)

In 2002, Carlton swiftly fell from being one of the most successful clubs, both on-field and off-field, to one of the least successful. The club had been much slower than others to embrace the
AFL Draft The Australian Football League draft is the annual draft of unsigned players, especially new nominations, by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League (AFL). History ...
as a means for recruitment, so when its champion players from the 1990s began to retire in the early 2000s, on-field performances fell away quickly, and in 2002, the club won the
wooden spoon Wooden Spoon may refer to: * Wooden spoon, implement * Wooden spoon (award) A wooden spoon is an award that is given to an individual or team that has come last in a competition. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous e ...
for the first time in its VFL/AFL history; it was the last of the twelve Victorian clubs to win the wooden spoon. At the same time, the club was starting to struggle financially, due to unwise investments under John Elliott – most significantly, building a new
grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap a ...
at Princes Park during the 1990s, at a time when other clubs were finding it more profitable to play at the higher-capacity central venues. Then, at the end of 2002, it was revealed that Carlton had been systematically cheating the league
salary cap In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...
during the early 2000s. The
scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
resulted in the loss of draft picks and a fine of $930,000, which exacerbated the club's poor on-field and off-field positions. In the immediate fall-out from 2002, president John Elliott was voted out by the members, and was replaced with
Docklands Stadium Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and was ...
CEO Ian Collins. Under Collins, the club shifted its home stadium from Princes Park to Docklands, with the final match played at Princes Park in 2005. Additionally, coach
Wayne Brittain Wayne Brittain (born 13 June 1958) is a former coach of the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Career Playing career In his playing career, Brittain played for Zillmere Eagles in the Queensland State League. He ...
was sacked, and replaced with Kangaroos coach
Denis Pagan Denis Leslie Pagan (born 24 September 1947) is a former Australian rules football coach and player in the VFL/AFL. Pagan is a dual AFL premiership coach, and he also won the prestigious Victoria derby in 2020 as a trainer and owner of the horse ...
. On-field performances did not improve under Pagan, and overall the club won three wooden spoons and finished in the bottom two five times between 2002 and 2007. Carlton's overall position began to improve in 2007, when businessman Richard Pratt, Steven Icke and Collingwood's
Greg Swann Greg Swann (born 1962) is an Australian Football League (AFL) chief executive officer of the Brisbane Lions, an Australian rules football club based in Brisbane competing in the Australian Football League. He has been in the role since July 20 ...
came to the club as president, general manager of football operations, and CEO respectively; although Pratt's presidency lasted only sixteen months, after which he was replaced by
Stephen Kernahan Stephen Scott Kernahan (born 1 September 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and for the Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football ...
, the new personnel stabilised the club's off-field position. Pagan was sacked as coach mid-season after a string of heavy defeats, and was replaced by former club captain
Brett Ratten Brett Ratten (born 11 July 1971) is an Australian rules football coach and former player in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played 255 games for the Carlton Football Club between 1990 and 2003, including the club's 1995 premiership. He ...
. Then, prior to the 2008 season, Carlton was able to secure a trade for 's
Chris Judd Christopher Dylan Judd (born 8 September 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer and captain of both the West Coast Eagles and Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Widely regarded as one of the bes ...
, one of the league's best midfielders, to join the club as captain. The time spent at the bottom of the ladder also allowed Carlton to secure three No. 1 draft picks – Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs and
Matthew Kreuzer Matthew Kreuzer (born 13 May 1989) is a retired professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was selected first overall pick in the 2007 AFL Draft. He announced h ...
– who helped the club's on-field position. Brett Ratten led Carlton to the finals from 2009 until 2011, but was sacked with a year remaining on his contract after the club missed the finals in 2012, and was replaced by former and premiership coach
Mick Malthouse Michael Raymond Malthouse (born 17 August 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer, who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After finishing his playing career, Maltho ...
. Under Malthouse, the club returned to the finals in 2013, but fell to thirteenth in 2014. Kernahan stepped aside in mid-2014, and was replaced by Mark LoGiudice, who presided over a period of mediocre onfield results. The relationship between Malthouse and the club's quickly and publicly deteriorated; and in early 2015, after giving a radio interview critical of the board, Malthouse was sacked the club going on to finish last. Former Hawthorn assistant coach
Brendon Bolton Brendon Bolton (born 18 April 1979) is an Australian rules football coach who is currently serving as the director of coaching with the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League. Bolton previously was the head coach of the ...
took over as coach from the 2016 season, leading only into his fourth season before he too was sacked after overseeing the team's decline to another wooden spoon in 2018 with a 2–20 record, the worst win–loss record in its VFL/AFL history, followed by an equally weak 1–10 start to the 2019 season. Bolton's replacement, David Teague, helped the club avoid the 2019 wooden spoon, but lasted only two years into a three-year contract without a finals appearance. LoGiudice handed over the presidency to
Luke Sayers Luke Sayers AM is an Australian businessman. He is the former CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia. Since 2012, Sayers has served on the board of the Carlton Football Club and became the President of Carlton Football Club on August 17, 2021. ...
in August 2021, and Sayers conducted an extensive independent review of the football department during the second half of that season; Teague was sacked, and
Michael Voss Michael Voss (born 7 July 1975) is a former professional Australian rules football player with the Brisbane Bears/Lions and current senior coach of the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Voss was a triple premiersh ...
was appointed senior coach. Voss led the club to ninth in his first season.


Club symbols


Guernsey

The current Carlton guernsey is plain navy blue, emblazoned with a white CFC
monogram A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series o ...
(which stands for "Carlton Football Club") on the front, and white numbers on the back. Other than changes to the
font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design. In mod ...
of the monogram, this has been Carlton's guernsey continually since 1909. The club has worn navy blue in its uniform since 1871, when colour of the team's caps was changed from orange/yellow. The club's on-and-off field apparel was manufactured by
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
from 1998 until 2019, and by Puma from 2020 until at least 2029. The team wears navy-blue shorts in home games, and white shorts in away games. Since 2013, Carlton's clash guernsey has generally been predominantly white, with navy blue monogram, numbers and some trimmings. Sky blue and silver clash guernseys have also been used in some seasons.


Nickname

Carlton's official nickname is the 'Blues'. Since the addition of navy blue to the playing uniform in 1871, the club has been known almost universally in print media as the Blues, Dark Blues or Navy Blues. Other colloquial nicknames include Bluebaggers or 'Baggers. Prior to 1871, when the uniform was predominantly chamois, the club was known informally as the Butchers. After World War II, the club briefly considered changing its nickname to the Cockatoos, but this never formally eventuated; even so, the push was serious enough that newspaper cartoons depicting a Carlton cockatoo were printed around that time.


Club song

Carlton's club song is ''We Are the Navy Blues''. The lyrics are believed to have been written in around 1930 by cousins Irene McEldrew and Agnes Wright, who ran a boarding house for several club players and the latter of whom was the niece of then-coach
Dan Minogue Daniel Thomas Minogue (4 September 1891 – 27 July 1961) was an Australian rules footballer, who played with three different clubs in the (then) Victorian Football League (VFL), and who was the coach of five different VFL clubs. Family The ...
. It is sung to the tune of ''Lily of Laguna'', a British '
coon song Coon songs were a genre of music that presented a stereotype of black people. They were popular in the United States and Australia from around 1880 to 1920, though the earliest such songs date from minstrel shows as far back as 1848, when they w ...
' often performed in
blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...
before less racist versions became popular in the mid-20th century. In 2021, Carlton, in a decision partly based on feedback from its indigenous reconciliation action plan committee, rejected a suggestion from Indigenous anti-racism activist Stephen Hagan that the club compose a new tune to sever its connection with the song's racist history.


Home grounds, headquarters, training and administrative base

The club's traditional home ground is Princes Park (currently known as Ikon Park), located in North Carlton. After struggling to find a permanent home venue during its time in the VFA, Carlton established Princes Park as its home venue when it joined the VFL in 1897. The club played most of its home matches at Princes Park every year between 1897 and 2004 (except for 2002, when it played only four home games there), and a single farewell game was staged at the venue in 2005. It was the last of the suburban home grounds to be used in AFL competition. The venue remains Carlton's training and administrative base, and the club's current 40-year lease on the venue with the
City of Melbourne The City of Melbourne is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central city area of Melbourne. In 2018, the city has an area of and had a population of 169,961. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. The ci ...
runs until 2035. Since 2005, Carlton has split its home games between
Docklands Stadium Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and was ...
and the
Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...
, with matches expecting to draw higher crowds usually played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. From 2005 until 2014, Docklands Stadium was the club's primary home ground and hosted the majority of Carlton's home games in those years, under a ten-year deal established during Ian Collins' presidency. The Melbourne Cricket Ground became the club's primary home ground from 2015, and has hosted the majority of the club's home games.


Rivalries

Carlton possesses a long and bitter rivalry with , with the rivalry considered to be one of the most historic and significant in Australian sport, dating back to their spiteful 1910 Grand Final. They have met six times in
Grand Finals Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
, with Carlton successful in all bar the first. Carlton home matches between the club contest the Richard Pratt Cup, and Collingwood home matches are designated as the Peter Mac Cup. Carlton also has rivalry with
Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...
. With 16 premierships apiece, the two teams are the joint most successful teams in the VFL/AFL history.


Club honours


Carlton Team of the Century

Four emergencies were also named: (1)
Laurie Kerr Lawrence Kitchin Kerr (25 June 1928 – 28 December 2001) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), Englis ...
, (2)
Bob Chitty Robert Main-Warring Chitty (4 July 1916 – 4 April 1985) was an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of Alan Peter Chitty (1884-1981), and Hannah Evelyne Chitty (1887-1 ...
, (3)
Horrie Clover Horace Ray Clover (20 March 1895 – 1 January 1984) was a leading Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of Robert James Clover (1864-1900), and Phoebe Rubina Clover (-1901), née Smith, Hor ...
and (4) Rod McGregor. The five players with an
asterisk The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
(*) are also members of the
AFL Team of the Century The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling ...
– the largest number of any AFL club.


Hall of Fame

The Carlton Football Club established its Hall of Fame in 1987, with nine inaugural inductees. Each year between 1988 and 2001 an additional three to five people were inducted into the Carlton Hall of Fame. After a five-year break, an additional ten people were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006. As of May 2016, there have been 77 inductees. The club added a Legends category to the Hall of Fame in 1997. There are currently fourteen Legends in the Hall of Fame:
Craig Bradley Craig Edwin Bradley (born 23 October 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer and first-class cricketer. He is the games record holder at Carlton in the AFL/VFL, and in elite Australian rules football (the AFL/VFL, SANFL and WAFL). Early ...
, Bert Deacon, Bruce Doull,
Alex Jesaulenko Oleksandr "Alex" Jesaulenko ( ; uk, Олександр Васильович Єсауленко, Oleksandr Vasiliovych Yesaulenko, ; born 2 August 1945) is a former Australian rules footballer and who played for the Carlton Football Club and t ...
, Wayne Johnston,
Stephen Kernahan Stephen Scott Kernahan (born 1 September 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and for the Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football ...
, John Nicholls,
Stephen Silvagni Stephen Silvagni (born 31 May 1967) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). As the second member of three generations of Silvagnis to represent the Blues, he is ...
and
Harry Vallence Henry Francis "Soapy" Vallence (4 June 1905 – 25 July 1991) was a champion Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the Victorian Football Association (VFA). He played at full forward for the VFL's Carlton Foo ...
(all elevated in 1997);
Ken Hands Ken Hands (26 October 1926 – 22 December 2017) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tie ...
(2006);
Robert Walls Robert Walls (born 21 July 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented and in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. In a playing career that spanned three decades Robert played a combined 259 gam ...
(2011);
Geoff Southby Geoff Southby (born 27 October 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League (VFL). An attacking full-back who ran hard from defence and stopped the best full-forwards, Southby was a key contributor to C ...
(2013);
Sergio Silvagni Sergio Valentino Silvagni (28 June 1938 – 15 July 2021) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL), mostly as a Australian rules football posi ...
(2016); and David McKay (2021).


Individual awards


John Nicholls Medallists

Known as "Robert Reynolds Trophy" until 2003


Brownlow Medallists


League leading goalkickers

VFL/AFL except where noted. Awarded the
Coleman Medal The Coleman Medal is an Australian rules football award given annually to the Australian Football League (AFL) player who kicks the most goals in the home-and-away season. It is named after Essendon full-forward John Coleman, one of the most ...
since 1955.


Norm Smith Medallists


Mark of the Year winners


Goal of the Year winners


Leigh Matthews Trophy winners


Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees

Twenty-five people have been inducted into the
Australian Football Hall of Fame The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coa ...
for their services to football for careers which were either partially or entirely served with the Carlton Football Club. Of those, three have Legend status in the Hall of Fame. ;Legends
Ron Barassi Ronald Dale Barassi Jr. (born 27 February 1936) is a former Australian rules footballer, coach and media personality. Regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of the game, Barassi was the first player to be inaugurated into ...
,
Alex Jesaulenko Oleksandr "Alex" Jesaulenko ( ; uk, Олександр Васильович Єсауленко, Oleksandr Vasiliovych Yesaulenko, ; born 2 August 1945) is a former Australian rules footballer and who played for the Carlton Football Club and t ...
, John Nicholls ;Players Peter Bedford,
Craig Bradley Craig Edwin Bradley (born 23 October 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer and first-class cricketer. He is the games record holder at Carlton in the AFL/VFL, and in elite Australian rules football (the AFL/VFL, SANFL and WAFL). Early ...
,
Horrie Clover Horace Ray Clover (20 March 1895 – 1 January 1984) was a leading Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of Robert James Clover (1864-1900), and Phoebe Rubina Clover (-1901), née Smith, Hor ...
,
George Coulthard George Coulthard (1 August 1856 – 22 October 1883) was an Australian cricketer and Australian rules footballer. Born and raised on a farm outside Melbourne, Victoria, Coulthard helped lead the Carlton Football Club to premiership success in t ...
, Bruce Doull,
Ken Hands Ken Hands (26 October 1926 – 22 December 2017) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tie ...
,
Ern Henfry Ernest Edgar "Ern" Henfry (24 July 1921 – 14 January 2007) was an Australian rules footballer who played for in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) and in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He later served as coach o ...
, Ken Hunter, Wayne Johnston,
Chris Judd Christopher Dylan Judd (born 8 September 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer and captain of both the West Coast Eagles and Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Widely regarded as one of the bes ...
,
Stephen Kernahan Stephen Scott Kernahan (born 1 September 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and for the Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football ...
,
Anthony Koutoufides Anthony Koutoufides (born 18 January 1973), also known by his nickname of Kouta, is a retired Australian rules footballer with the Carlton Football Club. Considered by many as one of the most powerful and athletic players of all-time, he played ...
, Rod McGregor,
Peter McKenna Peter McKenna (born 27 August 1946 in Brunswick West, Victoria) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented Collingwood and Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. He also represented Devonport ...
,
Stephen Silvagni Stephen Silvagni (born 31 May 1967) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). As the second member of three generations of Silvagnis to represent the Blues, he is ...
,
Geoff Southby Geoff Southby (born 27 October 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League (VFL). An attacking full-back who ran hard from defence and stopped the best full-forwards, Southby was a key contributor to C ...
,
Harry Vallence Henry Francis "Soapy" Vallence (4 June 1905 – 25 July 1991) was a champion Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the Victorian Football Association (VFA). He played at full forward for the VFL's Carlton Foo ...
,
Robert Walls Robert Walls (born 21 July 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented and in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. In a playing career that spanned three decades Robert played a combined 259 gam ...
, Greg Williams. ;Coaches
Mick Malthouse Michael Raymond Malthouse (born 17 August 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer, who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After finishing his playing career, Maltho ...
,
David Parkin David Alex Parkin, OAM (born 12 September 1942) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and for the Subiaco Football Club in the Western Australian Na ...
,
Jack Worrall John Worrall (20 June 1861 – 17 November 1937) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Fitzroy Football Club in the VFA, and a Test cricketer. He was also a prominent coach in both sports and a journalist. A small, nugge ...
;Administrators
Mike Fitzpatrick Michael Gerard Fitzpatrick (June 28, 1963 – January 6, 2020) was an American attorney and politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing from 2005 to 2007 and 2011 to 2017. He was fir ...
, Sir Kenneth Luke


Current playing squad


Corporate and administration

The Carlton Football Club was founded in 1864, and since 1978 has operated as the incorporated company Carlton Football Club Limited.


Board of directors

President –
Luke Sayers Luke Sayers AM is an Australian businessman. He is the former CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia. Since 2012, Sayers has served on the board of the Carlton Football Club and became the President of Carlton Football Club on August 17, 2021. ...
Board members – Craig Mathieson, David Campbell, Patty Kinnersly, Greg Williams, Robert Priestly, Lahra Carey, Tim Lincoln.


Chief Executive Officers

CEOs since 1980.


Sponsorship


Individual records


Most career goals


Most career games


VFL/AFL match records

*Most goals in a game: 13 by Horrie Clover vs. in 1921 *Highest score: 30.30 (210) vs.
Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...
on 12 April 1969 *Lowest score: 0.6 (6) vs. Collingwood on 4 June 1898 *Greatest winning margin: 140 points vs. St Kilda on 8 April 1985 *Greatest losing margin: 138 points vs. Hawthorn on 24 July 2015 *Highest losing score: 22.13 (145) v North Melbourne on 15 April 1985 *Lowest winning score: 3.6 (24) v
South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...
on 24 June 1899 *Record attendance (home and away game): 91,571, 21 July 2000 at
MCG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...
v
Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...
*Record attendance (finals match): 121,696, Grand Final, 26 September 1970 v Collingwood.


Reserves team

Carlton operated its own second/reserves team from 1919 until 2002. From 1919 to 1991 the VFL/AFL operated a reserves competition, and from 1992 to 1999 a ''de facto'' AFL reserves competition was run by the
Victorian State Football League The Victorian State Football League is a former Australian rules football governing body. The VSFL was established at the end of 1991 to take over administration of football in Victoria from the Australian Football League, which was now becomi ...
. The Carlton Football Club fielded a reserves team in both of these competitions, allowing players who were not selected for the senior team to play for Carlton in the lower grade. During that time, the Carlton reserves team won eight premierships (1926, 1927, 1928, 1951, 1953, 1986, 1987, 1990). Following the demise of the AFL reserves competition, the Carlton reserves team competed in the new
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
for three seasons from 2000 until 2002. The reserves team was dissolved at the end of 2002, and Carlton entered a reserves affiliation with existing VFL club, the
Northern Bullants The Preston Football Club, which trades and plays as the Northern Bullants, is a long-established Australian rules football club based in Preston that plays in the Victorian Football League (VFL). It plays its home games at the Preston City Ov ...
. Under the affiliation, reserves players for Carlton played VFL football with the Northern Bullants. The partnership between the two clubs was strengthened in 2012, when the Northern Bullants were renamed the Northern Blues and they adopted Carlton's navy blue colours, and the club split its home games between the VFL club's traditional home, the
Preston City Oval The Preston City Oval is an Australian rules football stadium in Cramer Street in Preston, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne. It has a main grandstand and the ground is capable of holding around 5,000 spectators. The Ground The ground was the ...
; and Carlton's traditional home, Ikon Park. Carlton terminated the affiliation with the Northern Blues in early 2020, as a cost saving measure during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, and re-established a dedicated reserves team in the VFL for the 2021 season.


Development systems

Under the AFL's 2016 plan to establish club-branded Next Generation Academies across Australia to give all AFL clubs a more active role in junior development, Carlton was allocated the northern metropolitan zone of Melbourne. The academy is linked to the Preston-based
Northern Knights The Northern Knights is an Australian rules football club playing in the NAB League, the top statewide under-18 competition in Victoria, Australia. They are based in Preston, representing the northern suburban area of Melbourne. The Knights a ...
in the
TAC Cup The NAB League Boys (also referred to as simply the NAB League and formerly known as the TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition held in Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victo ...
system. Since 2019, the club has operated the Carlton College of Sports, a higher education institution in partnership with
La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...
, which offers sports education diplomas and is operated out of the redeveloped grandstands at Ikon Park.


Women's teams

The Carlton Football Club operates two senior women's teams: one team in the national
AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 1 ...
competition, which it has fielded since the 2017 AFLW season; and one team in the state
VFL Women's VFL Women's (VFLW) is the major state-level women's Australian rules football league in Victoria. The league initially comprised the six premier division clubs and the top four division 1 clubs from the now-defunct Victorian Women's Football Le ...
competition, which has been fielded since the 2018 VFLW season.


History

Carlton was a key cog in the establishment of Women's football in the state of Victoria. In August 1933 the club hosted the first ever VFL sanctioned match between women's teams, with sides representing Carlton and Richmond. Though Richmond's side was not associated directly with the VFL club of the same name, the Carlton side was picked and trained by the club with VFL players
Mickey Crisp Cresswell William 'Mickey' Crisp (12 May 1908 – 15 April 2001) was an Australian rules footballer who debuted with Carlton in the VFL in the 1931, after winning the 1930 Bendigo Football League The Bendigo Football Netball League (pr ...
and
Ray Brew John Raymond Brew (14 January 1903 – 21 August 1979) was an Australian rules footballer who played for and coached in the Australian Football League, Victorian Football League. Brew grew up in the suburb of West Melbourne where his father M ...
as coaches. The match, played at Carlton's home Princes Park drew an estimated crowd of 10,000 and raised funds as part of a VFL bye-week carnival for The Royal Melbourne Hospital. The club next fielded a women's team more than a decade later when it competed in a 1947 charity exhibition series raising funds in support of food shortages in post-war
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
countries. The club's team played multiple matches in multiple series that season including a match against Footscray in July and a subsequent series against ,
South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...
, and Footscray in August 1947.


AFL Women's team

In June 2016, Carlton was granted a licence to establish and field a team in the eight team
AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 1 ...
league, which is set to stage its inaugural season in February–March 2017. The team is run and fully integrated within the Carlton Football Club, with football operation overseen by existing Head of Football Andrew McKay. Damien Keeping served as the team's inaugural head coach, and the club's existing Female Football Ambassador,
Lauren Arnell Lauren Arnell (born 15 March 1987) is a retired Australian rules footballer and senior coach of the Port Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women's competition, having previously played for Carlton and the Brisbane Lions. She served as Carlton ...
, served as the inaugural captain; she, along with Marquee players and
Darcy Vescio Darcy Vescio (born 3 August 1993) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Carlton Football Club in the AFL Women's competition. As a heavily marketed marquee player, Vescio has been referred to as a "household name" in Australia by E ...
and
Brianna Davey Brianna Iris Davey (born 13 January 1995) is an Australian footballer in both the Association football (soccer) and Australian rules football codes. In soccer, she was a goalkeeper for the national women's team the Matildas and played in the W ...
were the club's inaugural marquee signings. In its short history, the team has played in one Grand Final, which it lost against
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
in
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
. ;Current squad


VFL Women's team

Prior the 2018 season, Carlton was granted a licence to field a team in the
VFL Women's VFL Women's (VFLW) is the major state-level women's Australian rules football league in Victoria. The league initially comprised the six premier division clubs and the top four division 1 clubs from the now-defunct Victorian Women's Football Le ...
competition. The VFLW team originally operated under a separate program to the club's AFLW team, however in 2021 the VFLW was formally aligned with the AFLW competition, similar to the men's AFL/VFL system.


See also

* Wikipedia listing of Carlton players *
List of Carlton Football Club coaches The following is a list of coaches who have coached the Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's ...
*
Sport in Australia Sport is an important part of Australia that dates back to the early colonial period. Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football, Rugby league in Australia, rugby league, Rugby union in Australia, rugby union, Soccer in Au ...
*
Sport in Victoria The state of Victoria, Australia, has a strong sporting culture and includes many popular sports. The most popular sports played in the state are basketball, Australian rules football, cricket, shooting, soccer, and netball. Horse racing join ...


Footnotes

:1. Specifically, Carlton's 19–1 record set a record for the best win–loss percentage across a full season, including finals, which stood until broke it in the
2000 AFL season The 2000 AFL season was the 104th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured six ...
with a record of 24–1. The record was matched twice before it was broken: by in 1929, and Essendon in 1950. :2. Harris had served two tenures as Carlton president: from 1965–1974, then from 1978–1979. :3. The "suburban grounds" is a collective term generally understood to mean all venues in Melbourne, except for the
Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...
,
Docklands Stadium Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and was ...
and
Waverley Park Waverley Park (also and originally called VFL Park) was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian-based Victorian Football ...
.


References


External links

*
Blueseum – History of the Carlton Football Club
{{Authority control Australian rules football clubs established in 1864 Australian Football League clubs Australian rules football clubs in Melbourne 1864 establishments in Australia Former Victorian Football League clubs AFL Women's clubs Sport in the City of Melbourne (LGA)