Full name |
Hurstbridge Football Club |
Nickname |
The Bridges |
Strip |
Navy Blue with gold vertical stripe |
Founded |
1914 |
League |
Northern Football League |
Ground |
Ben Frilay Oval, Hurstbridge |
Senior Premierships |
9 |
Premierships Years |
1935, 1948, 1952, 1962, 1965, 1968, 1970, 2003, 2010 |
Hurstbridge Football Club is an Australian rules football club located in the outer northern Melbourne suburb of Hurstbridge. The club is affiliated with the Northern Football League.
From the 1890s, social football was played at Lew Curtis's Flat,between the Diamond Creek and Main Rd (roughly opposite Rose Ave). By 1905 the game was played in Joe Parks paddock (Cnr present Rose Ave and Lynbrae Ave) and in 1914 the Hurstbridge Football Club was founded.
Matches were played in the Bourke Evelyn Football League with Hurstbridge transferring to the Heidelberg District Football Association for just the one season in 1921 before returniing to the Bourke-Evelyn Football League. The Club moved activities to Memorial Park / now Ben Frilay oval in 1922 which was created in memory of those who served in the Great War.
In 1923 the Club joined the D.V.F.L for the first time and their first game was against Eltham at Hurstbridge. In 1924 the team purchased new jerseys and socks at the League's insistence that club's wear uniform colours. In the early days Hurstbridge wore a Black guernsey with a yellow sash and later changed to a navy guernsey with a white HFC monogram. In those days the team traveled to away matches in Roy Sharps bus, thus where the "Sharps" from Graysharps Rd comes from.
The club went into recess between 1925 and 1928, before rejoining the DVFL for the 1929 season. Hurstbridge then joined the newly formed P.H.F.L in 1932. When this league went into recess in 1937 & 1938, Hurstbridge returned to the DVFL, only to return to the PHFL again in 1939 where it remained until the league's demise at the end of the 1987 Season. Hurstbridge enjoyed considerable success in the PHFL winning seven premierships.
In 1988 with the club rejoining the D.V.F.L, the strip changed to its current blue and yellow guernsey to avoid clashes with existing D.V.F.L clubs. In 2003 Hurstbridge broke a long drought winning the D.V.F.L Second Division Premiership defeating Lalor. Promotion to the highly competitive First Division in 2004 saw the Club failing to win a match and Hurstbridge was relegated back to Second Division for 2005.
2009 was grading year for Division Two sides in the NFL, with those that finished in the bottom half of Division 2 moved to a new Division 3 competition. Hurstbridge was one of the relegated sides. The winner of the 2009 Grand Final still remained in 3rd division for 2010 and from 2010 onwards whoever wins the flag is moved back up to Division 2. In 2009 the Bridges faced off Parkside in the Grand Final and unfortuantely came off second best, however on the same day the Reserves coached by Paul Holzer were successful in premiership glory. 2010 saw the seniors grand final rematch v Parkside, and 2nd time around the Bridges got it right and have been moved back to Division 2 for the 2011 season and beyond!
DVFL Junior Premierships
1993 - Under 17 - Divison 3 - Coach:
1994 - Under 13 - Division 3 - Coach:
- Under 17 - Division 2 - Coach:
1995 - Under 11 - Division 2 - Coach: Shane Christopher
1997 - Under 15 - Division 3 - Coach:
1998 - Under 12 - Division 2 - Coach: Steve Richards
2000 - Under 10 - Division 3 - Coach: David Shanhun
- Under 11 - Division 3 - Coach: Ralph Westlake
2004 - Under 13 - Division 2 - Coach: Colin Orvad
2005 - Under 17 - Division 2 - Coach: David Shanhun
2009 - Under 11 - Division 3 - Coach: Scott Blackwood
- Under 14 - Division 3 - Coach: Phil Crawford
- Under 15 - Division 2 - Coach: David Mitchell
2011 - Under 15 - Division 2 - Coach: Rob Lucas
- Under 17 - Division 2 - Coach: Mark Donnelly
We sincerely thank and acknowledge Cappy Sinclair who kindly provided a lot of the information contained herein. Cappy Sinclair was a strong supporter of the Cricket club until his death, aged over 90 years. Cappy coached the 1948 Grand Final side to which we have a signed by all the players dinner menu, membership ticket and a blazer that hangs in the clubrooms now next to the 1970 Premiership blazer. In the book there is photo of the 1935 team playing in what looks like an Essendon jumper but it is we believe a Blue top with a red sash. We do have a membership ticket from 1925 that Les Barker gave to the Club. Les a true gentleman was the Club president and then the P.H.F.L President for many years and recieved the "Services to Football" award in 1984.
We are always on the lookout for more information about the whereabouts of our past players. Dave Tanky winner P.HF.L B&F, Rob Meitus D.V.F.L B&F winner and many more. If you know of any past players or are in possession of club memoribillia or history we would appreciate an opportunity to speak with you.
You can reach the club via our email address: hurstbridgefc@gmail.com
or you can drop us a line - Att: Club Secretary, HFC PO Box 531 Hurstbridge VIC 3099
Last Modified on 12/04/2014 11:02