The Old Melburnians Football Club, also known as Old Melburnians, 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 ...

club composed of

Melbourne Grammar School (Pray and Work) , established = 1849 (on present site since 1858 - the celebrated date of foundation) , type = Independent, co-educational primary, single-sex boys secondary, day and boarding , denominatio ...

alumni, based in

Port Melbourne Port Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Port Phillip local government areas. Port Melbourne recorded a populatio ...

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 team is, along with Old Caulfield Grammarians, the (equal) second oldest consecutively competing team in the

Victorian Amateur Football Association The Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) is the largest senior community Australian rules football competition in Victoria. It consists of seven senior men's and women's divisions ranging from Premier to Division 4. In addition there ...

(VAFA) (the oldest being

Collegians Collegians are an Australian rugby league football team based in Wollongong. The club are a part of Country Rugby League and compete in the Illawarra Rugby League premiership. Originally known as CBC Old Boys, the Club was founded in 1933. The ...

Metropolitan Junior Football Association (1892-1911)

The Metropolitan Junior Football Association (MJFA) was founded in 1892. The foundation clubs were: Alberton;

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

;

; Footscray District; St Jude’s; St Mary’s; Toorak-Grosvenor; YMCA.History of the VAFA
/ref> Old Melburnians was admitted to the MJFA competition in 1896; the team withdrew from the competition at the end of the 1896 season.

Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (1911-1915)

In 1912 the MJFA became the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association. In late 1915, the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association announced that it had suspended its competition, and would not resume the competition until the war had ended.

Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (1920-1932)

Apart from its core function of delivering a competition for amateur footballers, the MAFA's teams had also provided an (unofficial) second-level competition for the VFL prior to the MAFA's decision to suspend its competition for the duration of the war. The VFL Second XVIII competition began in 1919; the MAFA competition was not resumed, post-war, until 1920 — when, on Monday, 22 March 1920, a meeting of the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association decided to resume the inter-club competition that had been suspended for the duration of World War I. It announced that the re-formed competition would be between: * Four "pre-war" clubs:

Collegians Football Club Collegians Football Club (nicknamed the ''Lions'') is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Albert Park. Formed in 1891, it is the second-oldest club in the VAFA, after Melbourne University Football Club Mel ...

, South Yarra Amateur Football Club,

Elsternwick Football Club Elsternwick is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government area. Elsternwick recorded a population of 10,887 at the 2 ...

, and

Melbourne University Football Club Melbourne University Football Club, often known simply as University, is an Australian rules football club based at the University of Melbourne. The club fields two teams, known as the "Blacks" and "Blues", who both compete in the Victorian Amat ...

(later University Blacks), and * Four "new clubs": Old Melburnians, Old Caulfield Grammarians, Melbourne Swimming Club Football Club, and the Teachers’ College Football Club.

1920

In its first MAFA match, Old Melburnians defeated South Yarra, 10.15 (75) to 4.7 (31).

1929

In the second last round of the 1929 season Old Melburnians played State Savings Bank at the Brighton Cricket Ground. At the conclusion of the game, one goal umpire had State Savings Bank winning by a point, while the other had the teams drawn. The time-keepers also thought that the match was a draw; and, as an interim measure, the match was declared a draw, and each team was awarded two points for the match. Given the importance of the match's points allocation (two for a draw, four for a win) in determining which teams were eligible to compete for the 1929 season's premiership, the MAFA authorities met on 22 August 1938, considered the matter at considerable length, and ordered that the match be replayed on 31 August; which, of course, meant that the A Section semi-finals were postponed for a week. At the MAFA meeting on the following Monday it was determined that the match would take place, once again, at Brighton. The replay match was played in a fierce wind, and Old Meburnians were soundly defeated by State Savings Bank, 18.19 (127) to 9.17 (71). Old Melburnians (who defeated State Savings Bank in the semi-finals) played against University B (who had defeated Old Scotch in the semi-finals) in the 1929 A Section Grand Final. Although, perhaps, the far better team on the day, due to its atrociously inaccurate kicking, with 31 scoring shots to 19, Old Melburnians lost the match by 8 points: 5.26 (56) to 9.10 (64).

1930

Old Melburnians won its first MAFA premiership in 1930, defeating Elsternwick 23.16 (154) to 7.9 (51) in the A Section Grand Final.

Victorian Amateur Football Association (1933-)

In 1933, the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association changed its name to the Victorian Amateur Football Association. The VAFA competition was suspended after the first home-and-away round of the 1940 season, due to World War II, and resumed in 1946.

1938

Having been relegated from A Section to B Section at the start of the 1938 season, Old Melburnians won its first VAFA premiership in 1938, defeating Coburg 13.10 (88) to 12.10 (82) in the B Section Grand Final.

1946

When the VAFA competition resumed in 1946, Old Melburnian's were placed in B Section. The team lost the 1946 B Section Grand Final to Melbourne High School Old Boys (MHSOB) 18.13 (121) to 12.14 (86).

1978

In 1978, Ian Cordner was the captain of the Old Melburnian's B Section premier team, the B Section's leading goalkicker, and the B Section's best and fairest player.

MAFA/VAFA Senior Premierships

A Section

* 1930: Old Melburnians 23.16 (154) defeated

Elsternwick Elsternwick is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government area. Elsternwick recorded a population of 10,887 at the 2021 ...

7.9 (51). * 1953: Old Melburnians 12.16 (88) defeated

University Blues Melbourne University Football Club, often known simply as University, is an Australian rules football club based at the University of Melbourne. The club fields two teams, known as the "Blacks" and "Blues", who both compete in the Victorian Ama ...

6.8 (44). * 1954: Old Melburnians 9.19 (73) defeated University Blues 9.14 (68). * 1955: Old Melburnians 11.18 (84) defeated Ormond 6.12 (48). * 1994: Old Melburnians 11.13 (79) defeated

7.19 (61).

B Section

* 1938: Old Melburnians 13.10 (88) defeated

Coburg Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it was ...

12.10 (82). * 1959: Old Melburnians 11.8 (74) defeated

Commonwealth Bank The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), or CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of financial services including retail, busines ...

8.9 (57). * 1978: Old Melburnians 18.16 (124) defeated

Old Paradians Old or OLD may refer to: Places * Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

11.10 (76). * 1982: Old Melburnians 18.7 (115) defeated

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...

15.12 (102). * 1993: Old Melburnians 18.17 (125) defeated Therry C.C.O.B. 10.10 (70). * 2002: Old Melburnians 14,9 (93) defeated Old Haileyburians 12.9 (81). * 2009: Old Melburnians 18.21 (129) defeated Old Trinity 12.11 (83).

C Section

* 1976: Old Melburnians 12.22 (94) defeated Old Haileyburians 8.15 (63). * 1988: Old Melburnians 11.10 (76) defeated Brighton Grammarians 10.10 (70).

VAFA awards

Best and fairest in Section

A number of footballers from Old Melburnians have been voted the best and fairest player in their Section. * 1939: E.J. Atkins — A Section. * 1960: B.N. Kerr — A Section. * 1978: R. Ian Cordner — B Section. * 1996: Peter D. O'Brien — A Section. * 2014: Thomas Paule — B Section.

Leading goalkicker in Section

A number of footballers from Old Melburnians have been the leading goalkicker in their Section. * 1938: J.C. Cooper — B Section (100 goals). * 1954: J. Duncan Anderson — A Section (75 goals). * 1964: I.A. Murray — A Section (44 goals). * 1976: P.J. Robertson — C Section (71 goals). * 1978: R. Ian Cordner — B Section (50 goals). * 1982: R.R. Cameron — B Section (74 goals). * 1986: J.A. Mitchell — B Section (48 goals).

Big V Carnival Best Player Medal

* 1985:

Rohan Brown Rohan Brown (born 2 October 1957) is an educator and former Australian rules footballer. He played with Carlton in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serv ...

.Big V Legends and Champions, ''vafa.com.au'', 2018.
/ref>

AAFC Awards

A number of footballers from Old Melburnians have awarded the Grosvenor Medal for the fairest and best player during an

Australian Amateur Football Council The Australian Amateur Football Council (AAFC) is the governing body of amateur Australian football in the states of Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania in Australia. The council was formed in 1933. Overview The council organises amateur ...

carnival. * 1948:

Ken Rollason Kenneth Neville Cumstie Rollason (12 July 1928 – 27 July 2017) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The second son of Geelong player Neville Rollason (1895-1976) and Mar ...

. * 1950: Peter Cox. * 1953: Bryce Thomas.Report on Amateur Carnival, ''The (Launceston) Examiner'', (Monday, 10 August 1953), p.12.
/ref> * 1982: Rohan Brown. * 1985: Rohan Brown. * 1994:

Ian McMullin Ian McMullin (born 1 September 1964) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the VFL/AFL. McMullin, an ex-Old Melbournian footballer, was recruited by Collingwood in the 1980s. As a half-forward he was a noted goal-kicker. In 1 ...

Old Melburnians Football Club players who have also played VFL/AFL football

Jack Atkins Ernest John Atkins (19 December 1916 – 1 March 1942) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He was an able seaman on HMAS ''Perth''; and he died during World War II when HMAS ''P ...

Dick Atkinson Dick Atkinson (born 30 June 1934) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). See also * Australian football at the 1956 Summer Olympics Australian rules football was one o ...

* Murray Clapham *

Peter Cooper Peter Cooper (February 12, 1791April 4, 1883) was an American industrialist, inventor, philanthropist, and politician. He designed and built the first American steam locomotive, the ''Tom Thumb'', founded the Cooper Union for the Advancement of S ...

* David Cordner * Harcourt Dowsley * Audley Gillespie-Jones * Stuart Griffiths * Ken McKaige * Peter McLean *

* Jeremy Nichols *

* Ron Rutherford * Andrew Thompson * John Tilbrook *

Francis Vine Francis "Pop" Vine (1 October 1904 – 6 October 1960) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Vine is one of just four players in VFL/AFL history to play in a premiership on de ...

Andrew Witts Andrew Witts (born 22 August 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Witts, who came from amateur club Old Melburnians, was already 23 when he played his only season at ...

Barney Wood Percival Barnes Wood (22 December 1901 – 9 June 1941), known as "Barney", was an Australian sportsman who played both first-class cricket and Australian rules football. He was killed in action while serving with the Second AIF. Family One o ...

Mike Woods (Australian footballer) Michael "Mike" Cranston Woods (1 August 1926 - 4 October 2017) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Woods was born in Melbourne and attended Melbourne Grammar. In 1944, ...

Footnotes

External links

The Old Melburnians Football Club website.

Old Melburnians, ''australianfootball.com''.
{{VAFA Victorian Amateur Football Association clubs 1920 establishments in Australia Australian rules football clubs established in 1920 Australian rules football clubs in Melbourne Sport in the City of Bayside Melbourne Grammar School