Murchison-Toolamba Football Netball Club, nicknamed the Grasshoppers, 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 that plays its home games in the small north eastern

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 ...

town of Murchison. Its name also recognises the initial 1952 merger with nearby town of

Toolamba Toolamba is a town in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia. It is in the City of Greater Shepparton local government area, north of the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Toolamba and the surrounding area had a population of 873. ...

. It now competes in the

Kyabram District Football League The Kyabram District Football League (KDL) is an Australian rules football league in Victoria. It is made up of 15 teams; the most recent additions include Dookie United in 2018 and Shepparton East in 2019. The KDL is made up of smaller country t ...

, where they field four teams in four grades of football (Seniors, Reserves, Under 18's & Under 12's), and 13 teams across 10 grades of Netball (KDNL; A-Grade, B-Grade, C-Grade, C Reserve, Under 17's, Under 15's, Under 13's and Under 11's. TNA Div 1 - Murchison Green, Murchison Gold, TNA Div 2 - Murchison, Toolamba Pink, Toolamba Black).

History

The Murchison FC was established in 1881 and began in the

Upper Goulburn Football Association Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...

in 1897. Toolamba, which has a population of about 900, had its own football club for the first half of the 20th century. But the club, which played in various district leagues, ended up merging with nearby Murchison. The merged entity was initially known as Murchison-Toolamba, and evidence of this, in the form of a team photo, still hangs in the Junction Hotel in Toolamba. However, the Toolamba name was dropped when the club joined the Kyabram District league in 1964. For the next five decades the club was simply known as the Murchison Grasshoppers. The name Murchison-Toolamba was reinstated following a member vote on 14 April 2016 The club's current colours are bottle green with a gold sash, with some white highlights being added in 2012 to reduce the clashing with opposition clubs Rushworth and Lancaster. The green with gold sash have been the colours of the club since 1910, before that the club wore black & white stripes with a green sash (1908–1909), Green & Gold Stripes with a Red Sash (1895–1907) and a Navy Jumper with Navy Knickerbockers, Red hose & Cap (1881–1894). The current senior football coach is Nick Iorianni, A Grade netball coach is Jenni McCluskey and the President is Craig Thompson. The 2022 season saw Murchison-Toolamba FNC entered every possible KDL grade and all teams made finals. The Senior team went down in the decider by 10 points to Lancaster in torrential conditions.

Premierships 1st XVIII

*Upper Goulburn Football Association **1897 * Waranga Football Association **1904 *

Goulburn Valley Football League The Goulburn Valley Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball competition based in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia. It is a member of the Victorian Country Football League and has won the Victorian Co ...

**1910 * Waranga-North East Football League **1914 *

Euroa District Football League Euroa is a town in the Shire of Strathbogie in the north-east of Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Euroa's population was 3,275. The name Euroa comes from an Aboriginal word in the old local dialect meaning 'joyful'. History Major T. ...

**1945 *

Kyabram & District Football League The Kyabram District Football League (KDL) is an Australian rules football league in Victoria. It is made up of 15 teams; the most recent additions include Dookie United in 2018 and Shepparton East in 2019. The KDL is made up of smaller country ...

**1964, 1966, 1982, 2013

Premierships 2nd XVIII

**1967, 1972, 1982, 2001

Premierships 3rd XVIII

*1970, 1980, 2010

Netball Premierships

*A Grade **Nil *B Grade **Nil *C Grade **2012, 2013, 2014 *C Reserve **Nil *17 & Under **Nil *15 & Under **Nil *13 & Under **Nil *11 & Under **Nil

References

Sources

Grass Boots: It started as a hoot, but neglected Toolamba reclaims its history

External links

Official Kyabram and District Football League Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyabram and District Football League * 1881 establishments in Australia Australian rules football clubs established in 1881 Goulburn Valley Football League clubs