A sports club or sporting club , sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association , is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports .
83-695: The Darebin Women's Sports Club , nicknamed the Falcons , is a sports club based in the northern suburbs of Melbourne that is primarily notable for its Australian rules football team which competes in the highest-level Victorian state league – the VFL Women's (VFLW). It is the only VFLW club that is not affiliated with a side from the national AFL Women's (AFLW) competition or the Australian Football League (AFL). Founded in 1990,
166-573: A zone defence system in 2010, in an attempt to counteract younger teams' pace. It proved effective – the club continued its winning streak, defeating Diamond Creek again in the grand final at Northcote Park, 9.9 (63) to 4.7 (31). Aasta O'Connor was the Lisa Hardeman Medallist. Late in 2010, having coached the club to five consecutive premierships, Peta Searle moved on to coaching the Western Jets . Anna McIllroy, previously
249-630: A 16-point lead into half-time, which would have been greater if not for inaccurate kicking. Darebin went on to win their fourth consecutive premiership by 44 points, breaking the VWFL record previously held by the Parkville Scorpions , which won premierships in 1987, 1988 and 1989. Sarah Hammond , who had competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in handball , won the Lisa Hardeman Medal as a Darebin midfielder. The Falcons implemented
332-486: A 35-point loss to University in the semi-final. However, the Falcons still managed to progress to the grand final, setting up a rematch of the previous year's decider at Whitten Oval . Darebin started as underdogs due to a string of losses to University during the season, but won 13.7 (85) to 5.7 (37) after a tight first-half contest gave way to a streak of nine straight goals from Darebin, ensuring their first premiership in
415-465: A comfortable 33-point lead and continued to dominate in the second half, finishing 79-point winners (16.6 (102) to 3.5 (23)). Karen Paxman , the Lisa Hardeman Medallist, muted Darebin captain Pearce's impact. McIllroy stepped down as coach in 2012 due to her work commitments and was replaced by Richard Dal Pos, who previously coached the youth team. Darebin progressed to the finals, defeating St Albans in
498-415: A decade. Despite the 48-point difference on the scoreboard, the match was still reported as a close and exciting game, characterised by skilled and contested play, pack marks and attacking forays effected by the teams' centre half-forwards. Kathy Zacharopoulos, a Darebin midfielder, won the Lisa Hardeman Medal as best on ground , while Alisha Habib, Julia Boyle and Moana Hope kicked multiple goals apiece for
581-542: A draft budget. In the 2015 season, Darebin's two-season unbeaten run was stopped by University in round 2, but the Falcons went on to win the rest of their games for the home-and-away segment and won through to the grand final, against Diamond Creek once again. Several Darebin players were affected by injury – O'Connor was unavailable after hurting her knee, while Brennan played with a stress fracture in her foot. Shannon Egan stepped in to O'Connor's ruck role and Vescio played at centre half-forward to cover Brennan's change to
664-409: A fast start, kicking 7.0 (42) to take a 13-point lead into half-time. However, in the third quarter the Falcons answered with four consecutive goals while keeping their opponents scoreless, and went on to win 10.10 (70) to 8.0 (48). Hope kicked three goals for the Falcons while Roi Boutsikakis, a Darebin back, was named best on ground. In 2008, the Falcons continued their unbeaten streak and returned to
747-422: A fourth-quarter comeback from University was not enough for victory. Darebin won through to the grand final again in 2017, losing to Diamond Creek by 25 points in the semi-final but recovering to defeat St Kilda by five points in the preliminary final, 4.4 (28) to 3.5 (23). The Falcons faced Diamond Creek at Docklands Stadium (then known as Etihad Stadium) in the decider. Darebin kept their opponents goalless in
830-429: A larger multisports club are examples of this (namely, Portuguese SADs ( Sociedade Anónima Desportiva ) such as Sport Lisboa e Benfica and Sporting Clube de Portugal , or Spanish SADs ( Sociedad Anónima Deportiva ) Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. and Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. , as well as Italian clubs like Società Sportiva Lazio S.p.A. ). Some sports teams are owned and financed by a single non-sports company , for example
913-469: A low-scoring 2-point loss to Williamstown . Skelly was buoyant about his side's chances pre-season, explaining that the new league format – which restricted AFLW players from taking part until the second half of the year – would give the Falcons "a chance to be really competitive". Despite this optimism, Darebin would ultimately record just one win (over North Melbourne in round 6) and one draw (in their return match against Williamstown) from its 14 matches in
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#1732801375811996-578: A member of Victoria 's elite competition in the early 20th century, the Victorian Football League (VFL, now AFL ), between 1908 and 1914, departing after its strict policy of amateurism left it uncompetitive in an increasingly professional league. It is one of only three clubs to leave the competition in its entire history. It is one of 13 clubs to have competed in both the VFA and the breakaway VFL competition prior to its expansion into
1079-581: A national competition. The women's team also competed at the highest level of women's competition, the Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL) and VFL Women's (VFLW) in 2016 prior to the formation of the national AFLW competition. Although there are no records of its exact formation, University's first recorded match took place in the same month that the Castlemaine Football Club was formed, making it possible that University
1162-521: A player on one sports team within a sports and entertainment company to automatically play for another team in the same company. On the other hand, American varsity teams are generally organized into a structure forming a true multi-sport club belonging to an educational institution, but varsity collegiate athletics are almost never referred to as clubs; "club sports" in American colleges and universities refer to sports that are not directly sponsored by
1245-511: A record six premierships in a row between 1938 and 1949 (the 1940–1945 seasons not being played due to World War II). However, in the later part of the century the Blues established themselves as the premier University side, and are currently the longest serving club to play in the top division of the VAFA. The Blacks have won a total of 14 A-section flags (their most recent in 2014 & the most in
1328-536: A result of these pressures, three fellow foundation VFLW clubs left the competition after the 2017 season. The alternatives to departure were affiliating with an AFL club, which Darebin members wanted to avoid in the hope of maintaining their name and independence, or finding external funding. In 2018, a $ 300,000 grant from Darebin City Council allowed the club to continue in the VFLW and reach the new requirements over
1411-537: A season. Among the new players for 2018 was Hannah Mouncey , a transgender woman who the AFL had barred from participating in the AFLW for 2017. The Falcons finished fifth in 2018, missing the grand final for the first time since 2004. By 2019, Darebin's only AFLW-listed players were Arnell, Elise O'Dea , Lauren Pearce , and Jamie Stanton , and the side finished 11th. Michael Ericson was the team's coach for 2019, but only led
1494-403: A semi-final by six points in extra time . The Falcons faced Diamond Creek in the grand final, again held at Coburg City Oval, where they started as favourites having only lost one match for the season. The sides were difficult to separate in the first half; Diamond Creek held Darebin to a single goal in 36 minutes but inaccurate kicking and another goal conceded to O'Connor close to half-time meant
1577-901: A single sport or to several ( multi-sport clubs ). The term "athletics club" is sometimes used for a general sports club, rather than one dedicated to athletics proper. Friedrich Ludwig Jahn 's Turners movement, first realized at Volkspark Hasenheide in Berlin in 1811, was the origin of the modern sports clubs . Larger sports clubs are characterized by having professional and amateur departments in various sports such as bike polo , football , basketball , futsal , cricket , volleyball , handball , rink hockey , bowling , water polo , rugby , track and field athletics , boxing , baseball , cycling , tennis , rowing , gymnastics , and others, including less traditional sports such as airsoft , billiards , e-sports , orienteering , paintball , or roller derby . The teams and athletes belonging to
1660-719: A single sport. There are some exceptions, especially when multiple such teams are under one ownership structure, in which case the club may be referred to as a "sports and entertainment" company; see, for example, the One Buffalo sports club, which fields an NFL team (the Buffalo Bills ), two hockey teams ( Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Americans ), professional lacrosse ( Buffalo Bandits and Rochester Knighthawks ), and general athletics and fitness (Impact Sports and Performance). Even in such circumstances, collective bargaining agreements and contract laws generally do not allow
1743-421: A sports club may compete in several different leagues, championships and tournaments wearing the same club colors and using the same club name, sharing also the same club fan base , supporters and facilities. Many professional sports clubs have an associate system where the affiliated supporters pay an annuity fee. In those cases, supporters become eligible to attend the club's home matches and exhibitions across
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#17328013758111826-403: A stay-at-home forward. Darebin kept Diamond Creek goalless in the first half, leading by 30 points going into half-time. The Falcons went on to kick seven more goals, winning 11.15 (81) to 2.6 (18) – a 63-point margin. Vescio was the Lisa Hardeman Medallist after kicking two goals, while Brennan managed to score three despite her injury. Post-season, Richard Dal Pos stepped down as coach. Ahead of
1909-539: A two-storey building for change rooms and social events, where the club were sole tenants. The site, located alongside the Merri Creek , was developed as part of an upgrade of sporting facilities for the 2006 Commonwealth Games , which were hosted in Melbourne. Darebin returned to the grand final in 2005 but lost to their opponents Melbourne University . Darebin again progressed to the finals in 2006, but suffered
1992-1441: Is also a multisports organisation, with badminton , cricket, association football and tennis facilities. In addition, like in several other countries, many universities and colleges develop a wide range of student sport activities including at a professional or semi-professional level. Fulham F.C. once ran a professional rugby league team and rowing club, which other football clubs have emulated since. Many football clubs originate from cricket teams. Today, most major cities have separate clubs for each sport (e.g. Manchester United Football Club and Lancashire County Cricket Club are based in Manchester ). Many clubs internationally describe themselves as football clubs ("FC", "Football Club" in British English and "Fußball-Club" in German; "CF", Clube de Futebol in Portuguese and Club de Fútbol in Spanish). Generally, British football clubs field only football teams. Their counterparts in several other countries tend to be full multi-sport clubs, even when called football clubs ( Futebol Clube do Porto ; Fußball-Club Bayern München ; Futbol Club Barcelona ). The equivalent abbreviation "SC" (for "Soccer Club")
2075-724: Is an Australian rules football club based at the University of Melbourne . Founded in 1859, it is one of the oldest football clubs in the world. The club fields two teams, known as the "Blacks" and "Blues", who both compete in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) in the William Buck Premier Division and the women's team (nicknamed the "Mugars") in the VAFA Women's . The club achieved prominence by being
2158-415: Is more common in the case of individual sports, such as the sport of athletics , where a distance runner may compete for a track and field team as well as a road running team, and also have further membership at a local sports club for training purposes. Some national sports bodies require an athlete to state a priority order of their club membership, outlining which club has the higher, or first, claim on
2241-673: Is occasionally used in North American English (for example, Nashville SC and Orlando City SC ), but a general reluctance to decolonize the sport terminology means that most North American teams, somewhat ambiguously, as "football" in North American English refers to North American gridiron-style football still use "F.C." in their name instead (e.g. FC Dallas or Toronto FC ). Melbourne University Football Club#Women's team Melbourne University Football Club , often known simply as University ,
2324-543: Is provided through its component teams, University Blues and University Blacks. The Blues and Blacks play in the Victorian Amateur Football Association , and have been a perennial power in the highest division of a high-standard amateur competition. Up until the 1950s, the Blacks were the leading University side as well as one of the dominant sides in the Amateur competition, winning 11 A-Section premierships by 1949, including
2407-493: Is the owner of the Cardiff Arms Park site. It is responsible for much of the premier amateur sporting activities in city with cricket ( Cardiff Cricket Club ), rugby union (it is the major shareholder of the semi-professional Cardiff Rugby Club ), field hockey ( Cardiff & Met Hockey Club ), tennis ( Lisvane (CAC) Tennis Club ) and bowls ( Cardiff Athletic Bowls Club ) sections. Catford Wanderers Sports Club
2490-611: Is the second- oldest club in Australia. University was founded in 1859 by students and graduates of the University of Melbourne . The first report of the university participating in a match was against a club named St Kilda (unrelated to the later VFL/AFL club) in June 1859. According to ‘Gymnastic’, writing in the sporting newspaper Bell's Life in Victoria , the ‘long pending match’ finally came off between two teams of 15. University
2573-453: The 2021 VFLW season . The club soon appointed former Falcon player and four-time premiership winner Kate Tyndall to the role of senior coach for 2022 and beyond. Darebin's 2022 season would get off to an improved start under Tyndall, when the Falcons recovered from a scoreless first quarter and 32-point deficit against Williamstown to prevail by 3 points in what was described as "a famous win to rival any of [Darebin's] great performances of
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2656-607: The AFL Women's National Championships in South Australia – O'Connor, Shevaun Hogan, Daisy Pearce , Anna Schwager, Samantha Smith and Natalie Wood . However, the Spurs overcame Darebin again in round 15, by 22 points. In the semi-final, Darebin recovered to defeat their new rivals by three goals, but faced them again in the grand final at Coburg City Oval . St Albans kicked eight of the first ten goals to enter half-time with
2739-461: The Hampson–Hardeman Cup . Ten Darebin players were recruited, the most of any club: An eleventh Darebin player, Nicole Callinan , was named as an emergency. The Falcons were undefeated in the 2013 home-and-away season and again faced Diamond Creek in the grand final. Darebin were considered favourites, having defeated their opponents by 144 points during the regular season and 68 points in
2822-622: The St Kilda Sharks in the semi-final, the club faced the Spurs in the grand final and recovered from a 36-point half-time deficit to win their first premiership by 13 points. In 1997, the club expanded to field a soccer team in the second division of the Victorian Women's Soccer Association (now Football Victoria ), claiming to be the first Australian women's sports club to field Australian rules football and soccer teams. Despite
2905-610: The United States major institutions like The New York Athletic Club and Los Angeles Athletic Club serve as athletic clubs that participate in multiple sports. Examples also abound of sports clubs that are in effect one sports team. Each team from the NFL (American football), CFL (Canadian football), NBA (basketball), MLB (baseball), NHL (ice hockey) or MLS (association football) North American sports leagues , can be called sports clubs, but in practice, they focus solely on
2988-452: The 10th and final pick in a subsequent mini-draft in July. In June, Darebin received council funding for lighting upgrades at their home grounds – AH Capp and WH Robinson reserves. The club and the council had collaborated to apply for an $ 80,000 grant, on the understanding the Falcons would contribute $ 10,000 and the council $ 330,000; however, the arrangement had been overlooked by the council in
3071-479: The 1921 MAFA Grand Final, with the Blacks winning what to date is the only grand final the two teams have contested in the MAFA or VAFA . Melbourne University students and alumni continue to maintain their involvement in football through the Blues and Blacks. The Melbourne University Football Club is unique in that it only plays as "Melbourne University" in inter-university matches, and its regular weekly competition
3154-577: The Black's 36 and one draw. The Blacks and the Blues added to their head-to-head history in 2015 after the Blues won promotion after only one year in B section in 2014. Unfortunately the Blacks dropped to B in 2018. Both teams have consistently been a spawning ground for young players who go on to the AFL . To date, 240 MUFC players have played in the VFL/AFL competition. From 1955 until 1996, an additional team
3237-768: The Falcons announced a new senior coach for the 2024 VFLW season, with Lache Walker to take the reins after previously being assistant coach at North Melbourne. Correct to the end of the 2019 season. In 2015, a four-member club panel selected a Silver Jubilee team, made up of the best Darebin coach and players from their twenty-five years of football. Sports club Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and may play other similar clubs on occasion, watched mostly by family and friends, to large commercial organisations with professional players which have teams that regularly compete against those of other clubs and sometimes attract very large crowds of paying spectators . Clubs may be dedicated to
3320-420: The Falcons. The match was attended by roughly 1000 people. Darebin dominated the 2007 season, finishing unbeaten atop the ladder and conceding a mere 387 points in their 14 wins. The club defeated University by 10 points in the semi-final, but for the third consecutive year, the rivals faced off in the grand final. At Preston City Oval (then known as NAB Oval), in front of a 1000-strong crowd, University enjoyed
3403-663: The Hampson–Hardeman Cup exhibition match was held in May 2014. 24 players were drafted; twelve by Melbourne, twelve by the Western Bulldogs. The rest of the squads were made up of players from the 2013 teams. Two Darebin players were drafted, both to the Western Bulldogs: Darcy Vescio (no. 3) and Stephanie Simpson (no. 18). Jessica Dal Pos was the only Darebin player from the 2013 teams that
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3486-705: The Melbourne University Football Club. The club was named Melbourne University Women's Football Club and was nicknamed the MUGARS, an acronym for Melbourne University Girls Australian Rules Squad. In 2016, the MUWFC became a part of the MUFC and is equally represented alongside the Blacks and Blues sides on the MUFC board. The MUWFC field three senior sides and three junior sides across three different leagues. Historically having senior teams in both
3569-512: The VAFA). The Blues have won a total of 4 A-section flags (with their most recent being in 2019). Throughout their history, the Blues and Blacks have often played together in A section of the MAFA/VAFA, and with the Blacks return to A section in 2008 after a prolonged absence, the teams met again for the first time in 25 years. In head-to-head matches, the Blues lead the win tally with 43 wins to
3652-680: The Victorian Women's Football League and WRFL/EDFL Youth Girls Competition, in 2016, upon formation of the inaugural statewide competition aligned with the Victorian Football League , MUWFC entered a senior side, with a second and third team competing in the Premier Division and Division 3 of the Victorian Women's Football League respectively. The WRFL/EDFL Youth Girls Competition also expanded from under-13s side and under-18s side to also include and under-15s side. In 2002, MUWFC won their first premiership against St Albans in Division 1. This
3735-599: The Western Spurs) and the best four sides from a lower division ( Cranbourne , Geelong Magpies , Knox and Seaford ). In July, marquee players for the AFLW were named, including four Darebin players: Brennan (who would play for the Western Bulldogs ), Hickey and Pearce (both Melbourne ), and Vescio ( Carlton ). The beginning of the AFLW proved troublesome for many VFLW teams; its commencement made elite-level women's football more professional – increasing
3818-638: The athlete's services. In many regions of the world like Europe , North Africa , West Asia , the Indian subcontinent or Central and South America , sports clubs with several sports departments (multisports clubs) or branches, including highly competitive professional teams, are very popular and have developed into some of the most powerful and representative sports institutions in those places. In general, student sports can be described as composed by multisports clubs, each one representing its educational institution and competing in several sport disciplines. In
3901-524: The club currently has the largest number of girls and women playing soccer in Victoria. As of October 2018, an estimated 550 players represent the club across the sports. The club originated in 1990 after the Fairfield Falcons , a VWFL team, lost almost all their players to retirement or rival clubs and was about to dissolve after three seasons in the competition. A group of women from Northcote , inexperienced but wanting to play football, revived
3984-644: The club for one season; Mitch Skelly was appointed for 2020. The 2020 VFLW season was scheduled to begin in May, but was initially postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic before eventually being cancelled the following month. A planned four-team 'super series', in which Darebin players had the chance to compete to audition for a place on an AFLW list, was then announced and also subsequently cancelled in August. Competitive VFLW football finally returned in February 2021, with Darebin's opening round match ending in
4067-401: The club originally competed in the Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL). Darebin dominated the 2000s, appearing in every grand final from 2005 to 2015 and winning eight premierships. The inception of the AFLW in 2017 brought changes and difficulties; the club won two premierships in the newly established VFL Women's but had to rely on a council grant to raise the necessary funds to play in
4150-725: The club spent periods in recess or playing in other competitions, including the Metropolitan Junior Football Association and the Colleges Football Association, and from 1905 to 1907 as a dominant member of the Metropolitan Football Association, also winning the national Intervarsity championship in 1906 and 1907. On 4 October 1907, the eight founding clubs of the VFL voted to include University in
4233-412: The club under the same name, training for a year at Fairfield Park with around 30 players. In 1991, the Falcons rejoined the VWFL and began playing at McDonell Park, which Northcote Council (now City of Darebin ) had made a women's sporting field. After steady on- and off-field improvements, the Falcons finished atop the ladder in 1996 after a streak of wins in the second part of the season. After defeating
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#17328013758114316-462: The club's lead was only 17 points going into the break. The Falcons kicked the next three goals and took the lead, but Diamond Creek regained momentum and held on for a five-point victory – 5.9 (39) to 5.4 (34). It was the club's first victory over Darebin in their decade-long history. In May 2013, the inaugural AFL women's draft was held. 50 players were selected to make up Melbourne and Western Bulldogs sides, which played an exhibition game for
4399-503: The clubs aimed at keeping the best University players together in the same club to keep the University intervarsity team strong. Overall, 112 players played at least one game for University in the Victorian Football League between 1908 and 1914; and, of that 112, at least 20 died in active service in either World War I or World War II (see List of Victorian Football League players who died on active service ). Bert Hurrey played
4482-596: The colleges but by student organizations (see National Club Football Association and American Collegiate Hockey Association for two leagues consisting entirely of college "club" teams in American football and ice hockey , respectively). In the United Kingdom , almost all major sports organisations are dedicated to a single sport, the exception to this is Cardiff Athletic Club based in Cardiff , Wales, which
4565-447: The entire season, and have the right to practice almost every kind of sport at the club's facilities. Registered associate member fees, attendance receipts, sponsoring contracts, team merchandising , TV rights, and athlete/player transfer fees , are usually the primary sources of sports club financing. In addition, there are sports clubs, or its teams, which are publicly listed - several professional European football clubs belonging to
4648-527: The expected standards of clubs' staff, programs and venues. These new standards, in turn, increased the funding required to operate a VFLW club. For example, after the Australian Football League (AFL) introduced smaller footballs for women's leagues, Darebin had to crowdfund $ 8800 for 100 new balls. As a volunteer-operated club, it was also difficult for Darebin to compete with teams such as Geelong and Box Hill that were endowed with improved facilities and financial support by their wealthy AFL counterparts. As
4731-523: The field of competitive club sports, an athlete will typically be registered to only one club for a given discipline and will compete for that club exclusively for the duration of a competition or season. Exceptions to this include player trades and transfers, athlete loan agreements and unattached trialists. Where an athlete competes in multiple disciplines, or where club membership has social or training aspects such as local athletic clubs, then athletes may register with multiple clubs. Multiple membership
4814-710: The first ever trophy for Australian rules football, instituted as part of the Calendonian Society's Games. During the 1870s, the club played in the Second Twenties competition, the level below the main competition of the South Yarra Challenge Cup, except for in 1875 when it fielded a combined team with St. Kilda. From 1885 to 1888, University played in the VFA , which at the time was both the major governing body and top level of senior Australian rules football. From 1888 to 1904,
4897-621: The first half, and amassed a 20-point lead close to three-quarter-time. The margin dropped to eight points in the final quarter, but the Falcons held on for a close victory, 5.5 (35) to 4.4 (28). Darebin midfielder Karen Paxman won the Lisa Hardeman Medal. Post-season, Lange expected some AFLW-listed players to leave Darebin for their clubs' VFLW affiliates. For 2018, the Falcons retained the majority of their squad, but Carlton-listed players Vescio and Lauren Arnell played for their club's VFL affiliates and other AFLW-listed players were expected to play fewer games. Pearce, Darebin's captain, rested for
4980-551: The following years, the club introduced cricket (2001), football reserves (2002) and eight-ball pool (2004) sides, and affiliated itself with a Gaelic football team. The cricket side, competing in the Victorian Women's Cricket Association western competition, won the B-division competition in the 2003/04 season and advanced to A-division. In July 2005, the club moved to AH Capp Reserve; a purpose-built venue including football, soccer and cricket grounds, training facilities and
5063-400: The grand final at Trevor Barker Oval , again playing University. With 2000 in attendance, Darebin won by a comfortable margin of 68 points, 15.10 (100) to 4.8 (32). Hope was the Lisa Hardeman Medallist after kicking six goals for the Falcons. Darebin faced a new opponent in the 2009 grand final – Diamond Creek – at Box Hill City Oval . Advantaged by the direction of the wind, the Falcons took
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#17328013758115146-592: The increasingly professional competition and struggled against better-resourced opponents. Guardian Australia notes Darebin's "long... reputation for developing star talent and setting the bar for the women's game", having produced AFLW players such as Katie Brennan , Daisy Pearce and Darcy Vescio . The club also fields football teams in the Northern Football Netball League , youth and masters sides, as well as soccer, cricket and eight-ball teams. Now with twenty-nine soccer teams,
5229-763: The ladder without a win. The following is a list of coaches to have coached the club in the VFL. In the summer of 1919, after the War, Melbourne University began to rebuild its football involvement. Deciding not to reapply for a position in the VFL, they were instead requested by the VFL to supply two teams to the newly formed VFL reserves competition, or the Victorian Junior Football League. These two teams were initially called University A and University B , but soon became known as "University Blues" and "University Blacks" , respectively (although
5312-805: The league as its ninth team, with the Richmond Football Club becoming the tenth team two weeks later. The club's home ground was originally the East Melbourne Cricket Ground , where it was a tenant of the Essendon Football Club; after a lengthy dispute with Essendon over rent, the club relocated in 1911 to the Melbourne Cricket Ground which it also shared, this time with the Melbourne Football Club . The club
5395-456: The most games for the club, with 101, and was the only University player to play at least 100 games in the VFA or VFL, while Roy Park was the club's leading goalscorer, kicking 111 goals between 1912 and 1914: Park also won the VFL's Leading Goalkicker Award in 1913 with 53 goals for the home-and-away season, a remarkable effort considering the team itself scored only 115 goals and finished last on
5478-506: The names did not become official until 1930). The Blues contested the 1919 and 1920 VJFL Grand Finals, losing to Collingwood on both occasions; the Blacks, who joined the 1919 VJFL season only at short notice when Melbourne was unable to organise its own junior team, moved to the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association in 1920, and the following season, were joined by the Blues. Both contested
5561-407: The next years. On the field, the Falcons' new coach was Jane Lange, who also represented the side as a player in 2016. Darebin won the inaugural VFLW premiership, defeating University in front of roughly 4000 people at Coburg. For the second consecutive year, Vescio was best on ground, kicking a goal at the end of the third quarter to extend a Darebin lead to five goals. The comfortable margin ensured
5644-461: The other clubs. It became clear that the club could not remain competitive or viable in the VFL if it wished to remain amateur, and the fact that its players were focussed primarily on their studies (particularly during mid-year examinations) was another logistical issue for the club. As a consequence, the club withdrew from the VFL at the end of 1914. Many of its players transferred to the Melbourne Football Club , under an informal agreement between
5727-405: The planned introduction of a national women's league in 2017 – the AFL Women's (AFLW) – AFL Victoria instituted the VFL Women's in 2016, a women's state league aligned with the existing men's Victorian Football League , to replace the VWFL. The competition included all six VWFL teams in the premier division (Darebin, Diamond Creek , Eastern Devils , Melbourne University, St Kilda Sharks and
5810-408: The pre-AFLW era". The remainder of the season could best be described as a year of two halves; after losing their next two matches, the Falcons hit form to record four consecutive victories and sit in fourth place on the ladder after seven rounds. Yet in the weeks to come, Darebin struggled against its more favoured opponents and ultimately failed to win another game for the rest of the season, finishing
5893-427: The semi-final. After a close first half, O'Connor kicked two goals in two minutes for Darebin at the start of the third quarter; after eight minutes the Falcons' lead was 17 points. Darebin increased their advantage to 28 points at three-quarter-time and continued to score heavily in the final quarter, finishing 49-point victors. The Lisa Hardeman Medallist was Darebin's Melissa Hickey . A second AFL women's draft for
5976-734: The several sports teams owned by Red Bull GmbH and collectively known as Red Bulls . Other examples of this are the several sports teams owned by Bayer AG and Philips corporations through the Bayer 04 Leverkusen and PSV Eindhoven respectively, that originally were works teams , the teams owned by the Samsung Group ( Samsung Sports ), and the teams owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). They may compete in several different sports and leagues, being headquartered in some cases across several countries. In
6059-471: The side's mix of novices and experienced players, the team won a final in its first season. By 2000, the Falcons added a second team, competing in the fourth division, and the second-division team had won a premiership. The club changed its name from the Fairfield Falcons to Darebin Women's Sports Club , reflecting the new variety of sports available and its change in location since its origins. In
6142-495: The team's co-captain, began coaching the side. When the 2011 season began, Darebin's unbeaten run was finally broken by the St Albans Spurs in round 4, which defeated the Falcons by 48 points. The streak had stretched from the 2006 semi-final, totalling sixty-five games without a loss. Darebin recovered to win seven of their first eight matches, averaging a 106-point winning margin. A number of Falcons played for Victoria at
6225-444: The ten-team competition, and never played in the finals. It finished last in the competition from 1911 to 1914, and lost its last 51 games in a row. In total, it played 126 games for 27 wins, 2 draws and 97 losses between 1908 and 1914. The club is unique among VFL/AFL clubs in never having any professional players, and this was a major factor in its decline in competitiveness after 1911, when player payments were becoming common amongst
6308-418: The upcoming 2023 VFLW season . This was reflected on-field as the Falcons suffered through possibly their least successful season in history; the team finished with its first VFLW wooden spoon, losing every match for the season by an average of 47 points. Darebin won just five of 56 individual quarters across the year, and managed to kick more than three goals in a game on only one occasion. After season's end,
6391-401: The year in eighth place. Season seven of the AFLW began less than two months after the conclusion of the 2022 VFLW season, and for the first time featured all 18 AFL clubs. This would impact Darebin more than any other VFLW club as they could no longer access any AFLW-listed players, and by virtue of being the only independent team in the league, had the smallest talent pool to select from for
6474-525: Was captained by a player called Phillips, and St Kilda emerged the winners. The winning team under the rules at the time was the first team to score two out of three goals. The 15 man team in 1859 consisted of: Messrs. Browning, Bromby, Curlewis, Craig, Davis, Greene, Hart, Jacomb, Molesworth, Patterson, Philips, Purcell, Nunn, Oldham, Stephen, Walker. Shortly afterwards, it played against teams from Albert Park , Carlton , Melbourne , Royal Park and South Yarra. In 1861, University defeated Melbourne to win
6557-543: Was fielded by the club called University Reds which competed in the lower sections of the VAFA with a firsts and reserves team. When the team was discontinued by the club, players and supporters of the team decided to keep the team operating as the Fitzroy Reds . The Reds merged with the Fitzroy Football Club in 2008. A women's side was formed In 1996 as a stand-alone side that did not fall under
6640-548: Was followed by double premierships in 2003 and 2005, to make up the club's five premierships. In 2005, an Under-18s Youth Girls team was formed. They started competing in the Essendon Districts Football League in 2012. From 2009, North Melbourne partnered with the club, allowing them to use Arden Street Oval for training and matches. Under this arrangement, Melbourne University served as North Melbourne's VFL Women's affiliate from 2016 until
6723-605: Was named best on ground while Katie Brennan scored four goals. The Falcons had two players out of 34 selected in the 2015 AFL women's draft in April for the Hampson–Hardeman Cup: Elise O'Dea (no. 8, Melbourne) and Lauren Arnell (no. 15, Western Bulldogs). The clubs also chose to retain Brennan, Hickey, O'Connor, Pearce and Vescio from the previous year's squads. Additionally, Dal Pos was selected by Melbourne with
6806-426: Was nicknamed The Students , The Professors and The Shop . The players wore a black guernsey with a blue chevron and blue collars and cuffs (the same design is still used to this day), black and blue socks, and an optional black and blue cap. Players had to have matriculated or hold a higher degree to be eligible to play in the team. The club was not particularly successful: it never finished higher than sixth in
6889-438: Was not retained for 2014. For the 2014 home-and-away season, the Falcons again went undefeated, facing Diamond Creek for the third consecutive year in the grand final at Coburg, which 1812 people attended. The margin at half-time was only eight points, but Darebin kicked away in the third quarter, keeping their opponents scoreless while scoring three goals themselves. The club finished 30-point winners, 10.15 (75) to 6.9 (45). Pearce
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