The St.
Arnaud Football Club was established on the 16/05/1877 at a meeting held at
Cox’s Royal Hotel where 35 names were set down as members. The colours were
blue with white and blue stockings and red and blue caps. The first game played
by St. Arnaud was on the 1st of July 1877, against Charlton East on
the Market Reserve. The rules were set down that there would be two hours of
play (2 x 60 minute halves), and the winning side to be the one who kicked the
greatest number of goals. The result was a draw with one goal each.
There were no
organised competitions in the late 1870’s and 1880’s. One off games were
arranged between some of the following towns: Jeffcott, Clunes, Stuart Mill and
Moyreisk to name a few. The first recorded match between St. Arnaud Juniors and
Donald Juniors took place on the 5th August 1881.
The first
official competition took place in 1891 between St. Arnaud, Bealiba, Stuart
Mill and Riverside, when they played for the Giles Cup. There were two rounds
played and by virtue of finishing on top of the ladder on 20 points, St. Arnaud
was awarded the Giles Cup (our first premiership).
In the mid
1900’s the town competition was held on Wednesday afternoons and played on the
Cricket Oval in Burnside Road. The Lord Nelson Mine worked three shifts and
each shift fielded a team. They played a match every Saturday afternoon on the
Market Reserve, at the rear of the town hall. They always drew a large crowd as
there was no charge for admission.
In 1909, St.
Arnaud Football Club won their first official Premiership defeating Watchem in
the Birchip Association. This was the commencement of the Line League with
teams from St. Arnaud, Donald, Watchem and Birchip.
In 1915, all
competition went into recess because of the first World War. On the
recommencement after the war in 1919, St. Arnaud were victorious in defeating
Donald for the Premiership.
From 1920
games were played at King George’s Park in the North Western Association. On
the first home game of the season against Donald, one thousand people assembled
to watch. The 1920’s and 1930’s were a very successful era for St. Arnaud
Football Club playing in seven Grand Finals and winning six of them. In the
same period, St. Arnaud had a second team playing in the Coonooer Association
and the Kara Kara Association call the St. Arnaud Rovers (and later the St.
Arnaud Stars). They also had a great 1920’s and 1930’s playing in six Grand
Finals and winning five.
In 1941 the
War again interrupted the football competition which went into recess until
1945. With a lack of numbers for the St. Arnaud Stars team and a shortage of
funds for the St. Arnaud team it was decided to amalgamate and they became the
St. Arnaud Stars Football Club. The club jumper was royal blue with a red panel
across the chest on which the word ‘Stars’ was written. In this year the St.
Arnaud Stars lost all games played and finished on the bottom of the ladder.
Under the
guidance of A. E. Walsh as President and Mr. Peter Alexander as Coach, the
Stars won their first post war Premiership in 1948. In this season Frank
Alexander kicked 14 goals in one game to create a new North Central Football
League (NCFL) record which stood for 32 years.
1954 was the
next major milestone in the history of the St. Arnaud Starts Football Club when
they moved from their home ground of King George’s Park to the new Lord Nelson
Park with the first game being played on 14th August 1954 against
Watchem Football Club. The Seniors lost this game by 11 points with the
Reserves having a win by a 10 goal margin. This was also the year the Reserves
won their first Premiership, following up in 1955 to win Back to Back flags.
On November
29th 1957 at the Annual General Meeting, a vote was taken to change
the name of the St. Arnaud Stars Football Club to the St. Arnaud Football Club
with a decisive yes bote for the latter, 98 votes for and 11 votes against. It
had been 10 years since St. Arnaud had won a Senior Premiership. Led by W.
(Bill), Fithall as President and Tom Leehane as Coach, this was achieved in
1958.
Although the
name of the football club had changed in 1957, the word ‘stars’ remained. It
was not removed from the jumper until 1960, the colours remained unchanged. The
club only had three coaches during the 1960’s, Kevin Hint (3), Brian Hill (2)
and John Brown (5), all class players and coaches but were unable to secure a
Senior Premiership, the Reserves won three. In 1961, Under 16 football was
played for the first time for Premiership points, with St. Arnaud winning the
first Premiership followed by another in 1962.
The 1970’s
started slowly but with the appointment of Maurie Wood as coach in 1972, the
balance of the 1970’s was very exciting, playing six Grand Finals in seven
years, winning one, drawing one and losing four. The 1978 season would be
recorded as the greatest moment in the history of the club, winning the
Premierships in all four grades of football, an achievement that has still not
been matched by another other club in the same league.
The 1980 season
highlighted some great achievements by individual players of the club with
Frank Scarce winning the Feeny Medal, John Goode being the first St. Arnaud
player to kick 100 goals in a season and also break the NCFL goal kick record
with 17 goals in one match, and Jim Jess now playing with Richmond and being
selected to play for Victoria. In 1987, the club changed it’s jumper to red,
white and blue hoops after a Victorian Country Football League (VCFL),
directive for all country clubs to fall in line with Australian Football League
(AFL), club colours. Again the magical number 8 came into play with the Senior
team winning the 1988 Premiership. The winning coach was Carl Robertson and the
President was Barry Young.
The 1990’s
became a very successful era of senior football. St. Arnaud played in five
Grand Finals with three losses and two wins. From a most heart wrenching start
losing three in a row 1990, 1991 and 1992, to the high point of winning Back to
Back in 1998 and 1999 for the first time since the war with Simon McLean as
coach and Presidents Ian Lewis (1998) and Brett Douglas (1999).
The start of
the new millennium showed plenty of promise with the Under 14’s being runners
up in 2000 and Premiers for the next four years. The Under 16’s were also successful
with two runners up and three Premierships. The Reserves went Back to Back in
2002 and 2003, and our senor team played off in the 2003 Grand Final. 25 years
on from the great success of 1978, we again had all four teams playing in the
Grand Final. Unfortunately we won three and missed out on the seniors. David
Hando played in the Under 14’s Premiership of 1978 and was in the Senior Grand
Final team of 2003.
Over the
years there have been 14 players recruited from the St. Arnaud Football Club to
play with VCFL and AFL clubs. From Paddy Rowan (Percy Rowe), (Collingwood) in
1911 to 1915, Len Crone (Carlton) and Charlie Rowe (Footscray) in the 1920’s,
Graham and Barry Knight (Footscray), Kevin Meade (North Melbourne) and Bernie
Crow (Geelong) in the 1950’s, Ian Aston (Footscray), Maurie Wood (North
Melbourne), and Wilf Dickeson (Richmond) in the 1960’s, Jim Jess (Richmond) in
the 1970’s to 1980’s, and Barry Young JR (Richmond, Essendon, Hawthorn), Shane
Hamilton (Geelong, Brisbane) and Simon Verbeek (Carlton) in the 1990’s.
Other great
club achievements from past players include Daniel Needs six Senior Best and Fairest awards, Tim Hewitt’s six Reserve Best and
Fairest awards, Chris Hall
with one Under 14 and four Senior Best and Fairest awards, Bernie Casey and
Greg McNally with five Reserves Best and Fairest awards, and Frank Alexander
and Ian Fithall with four Senior Best and Fairest awards. Both David Hando and
Tony Hoye have won a Best and Fairest award in Under 14, Under 16, Reserves and
Senior grades. Our greatest goal kickers have been John Goode with four Senior,
three Under 16 and one Reserves award, Frank Alexander with five Senior awards,
and Kevin Goode winning the goal kicking in the Reserves on four occasions and
the in the Under 16’s once.
Our games
record holder is Kevin Ward with 402 games for the club (220 Senior and 182
Reserves), followed by Tim Hewitt with 324 club games (23 Senior and 301
Reserves). Barry Michael played 278 club games (268 Senior and 10 Reserves),
Brett Douglas 273 club games (68 Senior and 205 Reserves), and Robert Hufer
played 273 club games (215 Senior and 58 Reserves). The most Senior games
played is held by Barry Michael and Reserves is held by Tim Hewitt.
The Football Club has
provided a focus for people to come together in a common bond of social and
sporting activity, which has provided its own folklore and legends. With
continued support the cub has a long and prosperous future to look forward to
and many more memories and achievements to write in history.
