South Yarra Football Club (1858–1873)
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The South Yarra Football Club was a 19th-century football club based in the Melbourne suburb of
South Yarra South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a populati ...
which was seminal in the formative years of the sport of
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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
. Throughout the first decade of football in Melbourne, South Yarra was one of the pre-eminent clubs in the colony in prestige and performance. In 1865 and 1866, the club won the Athletic Sports Committee Challenge Cup. Its demise played a role in the formation of the modern day
St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club's name originates fro ...
, formed in 1873.


History

The formal date of the South Yarra Football Club's establishment is unknown, with contemporary reports placing it somewhere between September 1858 (when a match was played between "thirty gentlemen resident at South Yarra, and an equal number, chiefly members of the
Melbourne Cricket Club The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) is a sports club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is one of the oldest sports clubs in Australia. The MCC is responsible for management and development of the Melbourne Cricket Groun ...
"), and April 1859, when ''the Argus'' newspaper spoke of the formation of suburban clubs and mentioned the club by name, making it one of the first football clubs in Melbourne. The club did not initially play under the
Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...
rules which became the basis of
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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
, and was possibly at this time a
Rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union or rugby league. Rugby football started at Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, where the rules were first codified in 1845. Forms of football in which the ball ...
club. Its members, consistent with South Yarra's demographics, were chiefly upper class and white collar workers, with many of their members having played school football in the English public school system. The club played its first match against under Melbourne rules – with one compromise that a
mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...
could not be claimed from the kick of an opponent – on 9 and 23 July 1859, losing 3–0. Over the following years, the club was involved in conferences which further developed the Melbourne rules as they became widely used across the city; it was the first known club believed to have played with the rule now known as
push in the back A push in the back (colloquially "in the back") is a free kick awarded in Australian rules football against a player who illegally tackles or interferes with a player from behind when contesting Possession (sports), possession. Due to the lack ...
, advocating strongly for its inclusion in the laws of the game. Throughout the first decade of football in Melbourne, South Yarra was one of the pre-eminent clubs in the colony in prestige and performance. In 1865 and 1866, the club won the Athletic Sports Committee Challenge Cup, a perpetual trophy which was contested among the principal clubs and won outright by the first club to win three consecutive cup matches without defeat. In 1865, the club fell one win short of claiming the cup after losing the final match of the year against Melbourne, but in 1866, they won the opening match of the year and were unbeaten thereafter, claiming permanent ownership after five draws and two more wins.


Decline and demise

Club captain and committee member
George O'Mullane George Jeremiah Patrick O'Mullane (3 December 1842 – 20 December 1866) was an Australian cricketer and Australian rules footballer. Born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, O'Mullane was a standout cricketer from an early age, and came to ...
, one of the best footballers of the era, died aged 24 following the 1866 season. South Yarra's off-field organisation declined after 1866: as football began to transition from a club-based pastime to a more regular system of competition, the club lost many of its best players and its performances declined. The club also became known for commitment issues, frequently turning up late to interclub matches. Despite these issues, the club continued to be considered one of the principal senior clubs, and was prominent in off-field organisation, including presenting its own
Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...
for competition in 1870. However, by 1870, the club's onfield standard was well short of the other senior clubs, and they failed to defeat a senior opponent after 1868. In 1871, the sportswriter of ''the Australasian'' said of the club that "they have as good material players as any other club, but ... it is at once apparent they have never practiced together", as well as noting that the club lacked leadership and organisation. During 1872, the club split into two groups of members who trained separately, one based at St Kilda and one based at South Yarra, which heralded the ultimate demise of the club. Prior to the start of the 1873 season, the St Kilda-based members broke away to form a new club, the
St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club's name originates fro ...
, which survives today, while almost all of the prominent South Yarra-based members left for the University Football Club. While the fragmented and weakened South Yarra arranged matches against the principal clubs for 1873, these were not played as the club folded in June of that year: its last competitive match was a 2–0 loss against the junior
Williamstown Football Club The Williamstown Football Club, nicknamed the Seagulls, is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown, Victoria, Williamstown. The club currently competes in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and VFL Wome ...
on 31 May.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:South Yarra Football Club (1858-1873) 1858 establishments in Australia Australian rules football clubs established in 1858 Australian rules football clubs in Melbourne