The Shepparton Swans Football Netball Club 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 the city of
Shepparton
Shepparton () ( Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Shepparton, ...
in northern
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 teams currently compete in the
Goulburn Valley League.
History
The Shepparton Swans were originally known as the "Lemnos Football Club", named after the
Greek island of the same name where some local Shepparton men were posted during World War I (the local area, originally known as 'Thomas Estate No. 5', became known as that from then on) and played in black and yellow jumpers.
The club would play in the
Goulburn Valley Second Eighteens Football Association
The Goulburn Valley Football Association (GVFA) is an Australian rules football competition that was first established in 1888 in the Goulburn Valley of Victoria, Australia, with the foundation clubs being Cobram, Muckatah, Nathalia, Numurkah ...
from its establishment in 1928 to 1936. The association's name was changed to the
Goulburn Valley Football Association
The Goulburn Valley Football Association (GVFA) is an Australian rules football competition that was first established in 1888 in the Goulburn Valley of Victoria, Australia, with the foundation clubs being Cobram, Muckatah, Nathalia, Numurkah, ...
(GVFA) at the 1937 AGM (winning three premierships in this time: 1937, 1938, and 1940).
When the GVFA's title was changed to the
Central Goulburn Valley Football League
The Central Goulburn Valley Football League (CGVFL) was established on Monday, 11 March 1946 at the Annual General Meeting of the Goulburn Valley Football Association, when a name change of this Australian rules football competition took place.
Hi ...
in 1946, Lemnos applied for admission into the newly formed league, but was refused. It also found that their colours were already being used by the
Shepparton East Football Club
The Shepparton East Football Club, now nicknamed the Eagles, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Kyabram District Football League. The club was formerly known as the ''Bombers''.
The club is based in the central Victorian city o ...
, who joined the GVFA in 1945. As a result, the club applied for and entered the
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 ...
in 1946. Being a town-based league, the club's name was changed to Lemnos-Shepparton. Again, the black and yellow colours were already in use (this time by the
Rushworth Football Club
The Rushworth Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in the town of Rushworth, Victoria, Australia. The club is one of 12 member clubs in the Kyabram & District Football League and are known as the 'Tigers'. They wear a black j ...
). As a result, in 1946 the club took up the use of a white jumper with a red v (similar to the
VFL team of
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 ...
at the time).
The first premiership the club won in this league was in 1959, beating
Kyabram
Kyabram is a town in north central Victoria, Australia. Kyabram is located in the centre of a rich irrigation district in the Goulburn River Valley, north of Melbourne. It is the second-largest town in the Shire of Campaspe, situated between t ...
by 39 points.
In the 1960s a series of improvements led to the club moving from
Deakin Reserve
Deakin Reserve is a cricket ground in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia. The first recorded match held on the ground came in 1962 when Victoria Country played the Marylebone Cricket Club. A Youth Test match was held in December 1986 when Austra ...
to Princess Park in Shepparton. It wasn't until 1970 that Lemnos-Shepparton won another premiership, again beating Kyabram (this time by 35 points).
In 1999, Lemnos-Shepparton formally adopted the new names of the Shepparton Swans, staying with this permanently.
Honours
Football Premierships
Football League – Best & Fairest winners
;Seniors
Goulburn Valley Second Eighteens Football Association
The Goulburn Valley Football Association (GVFA) is an Australian rules football competition that was first established in 1888 in the Goulburn Valley of Victoria, Australia, with the foundation clubs being Cobram, Muckatah, Nathalia, Numurkah ...
– N Gribble Cup
Lemnos
*1934 –
Paul Bell
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 ...
– Morrison Medal
Lemnos
* W Tyquin (1949)
* R Orrman (1951, 1954, 1959)
* N Smith (1975)
* M Lambourn (1996)
Shepparton Swans
* J Sutherland (2002)
* B Durbridge (2009)
World War II – Roll of Honour
The following four, former Lemnos FC players died in active duty during World War II.
*
Paul Bell
* Stepper Hawkings
* George Pearce
* Ron Taylor
References
External links
Official website1939 - Lemnos FC team photo
{{Goulburn Valley Football League
Australian rules football clubs in Victoria (state)
Sports clubs and teams established in 1928
Australian rules football clubs established in 1928
1928 establishments in Australia
Goulburn Valley Football League clubs
Netball teams in Victoria (state)