The Lara Sporting Club, nicknamed the ''Cats'', is an

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 A ...

sports club A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...

based in the city of

Lara Lara may refer to: Places * Lara (state), a state in Venezuela *Electoral district of Lara, an electoral district in Victoria, Australia * Lara, Antalya, an urban district in Turkey * Lara, Victoria, a township in Australia * Lara de los In ...

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 ...

. The club's

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 ...

teams currently compete in the Geelong Football Netball League. Lara play its home games at Lara Recreation Reserve.http://www . Other sections of the club include

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

Lara is situated between

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

and

Werribee Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham Local government areas of Victoria, local government a ...

on the main Geelong rail line so over the years the club has played in competitions to the East and West of the town.

History

*1907-1914 Geelong Football Association *1919-1927 Werribee Lara Football Association *1928-1932 Geelong Athletic Societies League *1933-1935 Geelong Football Association *1936-1946 Werribee District Football League *1947-1988

Geelong & District Football League The Geelong & District Football League (GDFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball league in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, being the oldest surviving competition in the region. It is one of three leagues in the Geelong area, the other ...

*1989-2019

Geelong Football League The Geelong Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball league in Victoria, Australia. It is widely regarded as the highest standard Australian rules football league in regional Victoria, with several former AFL players n ...

Merger

In 1975 the Football club and the cricket merged to form the Lara Sporting Club.

Geelong Football League

After winning two premierships in three years Lara opted to move into the GFL in 1989. In 2015 the League was absorbed into the AFL Barwon Football League.

VFL / AFL players

* Allen Christensen – , * Josh Walker – , *

Michael Kol Michael Kol (born 1 January 1962) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1980s. Kol played for Geelong Football League club Lara and the Geelong Under-19s before making ...

– *

Nigel Kol Nigel Kol (born 1 January 1962) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong and Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Originally from Geelong Football League club Lara, Kol made his senior VFL debut for Geelon ...

– *

Devon Smith Devon Sheldon Smith (born 21 October 1981 in Hermitage, Grenada) is a cricketer who features as a opening or top order left-handed batsman. Smith has played for the West Indies and the Windward Islands in regional tournaments. Smith also ho ...

- ,

Bibliography

* ''Cat Country: History of Football In The Geelong Region'' by John Stoward –

References

External links

Official website
{{AFL Barwon Women's Football Geelong Football League clubs 1880 establishments in Australia Geelong & District Football League clubs Sports clubs and teams established in 1880 Netball teams in Victoria (state) Club cricket teams in Australia Baseball teams in Australia