The Castlemaine Football and Netball Club, nicknamed ''

The Magpies "The Magpies" is the most famous poem by New Zealand poet Denis Glover (1912–1980). It helped define New Zealand's distinctive style of poetry. The poem was first published in Glover's 1964 anthology ''Enter Without Knocking''. Over the course ...

'', is an

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 ...

and

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

club based in

Castlemaine, Victoria Castlemaine ( , Variation in Australian English, non-locally also ) is a small city in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria, Goldfields region about 120 kilometres (75 miles) northwest by road from ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and is currently a member 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 ...

. The club is notable for several reasons. Formed in 1859, it is the second oldest documented football club in Australia after 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, ...

and it has produced many notable Australian rules footballers.

History

Foundation

The "Castlemaine Football Club" was formed on 15 June 1859 at the Supreme Court Hotel and chaired by T Butterworth. Castlemaine played its first match on 22 June 1859 on the Cricket Ground Barkers Creek. Records for the foundation date was discovered in 2007 which rewrote history; as many had previously believed that the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2022 ...

had been formed earlier.

Competition

The club was formed in an era before codified rules organised competition, but according to some sources, including Graeme Atkinson, "football" was popular in the goldfields region; and, without a league to participate in, the club was an irregular competitor during its first decade.

Uniform

The original uniform was a white cap with royal-blue

Maltese cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which developed f ...

1925

In 1925, Castlemaine joined the Bendigo Football League, Coached by the West Australian champion

Phil Matson Phillip Henry Matson (22 October 1884 – 13 June 1928) was a record-breaking swimmer, and both a highly successful player and coach of Australian rules football in the early 20th century, chiefly in Western Australia. Family The son of Georg ...

, Castlemaine made the 1925 Grand Final, but lost to South Bendigo by 14 Points: 7.12 (54) to 6.4 (40).Bendigo League Premiership Won by South Bendigo, ''The Australasian'', (Saturday, 10 October 1925), p.37.
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Alumni

Castlemaine players in the VFL/AFL

References

External links

Official website
{{Bendigo Football League Australian rules football clubs established in 1859 Australian rules football clubs in Victoria (Australia) 1859 establishments in Australia Bendigo Football League clubs