The Old Melburnians Football Club, also known as Old Melburnians,At a meeting held at Melbourne Grammar School on 22 April 1895, called to inaugurate an organization for former students that would amalgamate and oversee the activities of various sporting activities, such as the athletics, cricket, gymnastics clubs that were already established for "old boys" as well as any others that might be created in the future (e.g., football). After strong debate, with a number of suggested names, including "Old Church of England Grammar School Boys' Association", being rejected, the meeting (composed of "old boys" from all eras, including the 1860s) decided upon the name "Old Melburnians" for the "old boys" umbrella organization (see: Old Boy, "College Sports: Weekly Jottings", The Australasian, (Saturday, 27 April 1895), p.19. is an Australian rules football club composed of Melbourne Grammar School alumni, based in Elsternwick, Victoria.

The team is, along with Old Caulfield Grammarians, the (equal) second oldest consecutively competing team in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) (the oldest being Collegians).Football: Metropolitan Amateur Association, The Argus, (Friday, 26 March 1920), p.11.

Metropolitan Junior Football Association (1892–1911) The Metropolitan Junior Football Association (MJFA) was founded in 1892.Metropolitan Juniors Football Association, The Independent, (Saturday, 7 May 1892), p.3. The foundation clubs were: Alberton; Brighton; Collegians; Footscray District; St Jude’s; St Mary’s; Toorak-Grosvenor; YMCA.History of the VAFA Old Melburnians was admitted to the MJFA competition in 1896; the team withdrew from the competition at the end of the 1896 season.Football, The Argus, Friday, 10 April 1896), p.3; College Sports, The Australasian, (Saturday, 3 August 1895), p.19.Football, The Prahran Chronicle, (Saturday, 25 April 1896), p.3.Football, The Age, (Thursday, 30 April 1896), p.7.Sports & Games, The Prahran Chronicle, (Saturday, 29 August 1896), p.3.

Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (1911–1915) In 1912 the MJFA became the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association. In late 1915, the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association announced that it had suspended its competition, and would not resume the competition until the war had ended.Old Boy, "District Football: The League's Preparations", The Argus, (Wednesday, 8 December 1915), p.13.

Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (1920–1932) Apart from its core function of delivering a competition for amateur footballers, the MAFA's teams had also provided an (unofficial) second-level competition for the VFL prior to the MAFA's decision to suspend its competition for the duration of the war.Riley, M., "Class and Warfare: The MAFA and the VFL Seconds", Boyles Football Photos, 4 April 2014.

The VFL Second XVIII competition began in 1919;The Sporting World: A Look Ahead, The Age, (Wednesday, 12 March 1919), p.11; Smith, W.H. & Ogilvey, A., "The Football Season (Letter to the Editor)", The Age, (Thursday, 13 March 1919), p.6. the MAFA competition was not resumed, post-war, until 1920 — when, on Monday, 22 March 1920, a meeting of the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association decided to resume the inter-club competition that had been suspended for the duration of World War I. It announced that the re-formed competition would be between: Four "pre-war" clubs: Collegians Football Club, South Yarra Amateur Football Club, Elsternwick Football Club, and Melbourne University Football Club (later University Blacks), and Four "new clubs": Old Melburnians,Old Boys' Teams, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 13 March 1920), p.21. Old Caulfield Grammarians, Melbourne Swimming Club Football Club, and the Teachers’ College Football Club.

1920 In its first MAFA match, Old Melburnians defeated South Yarra, 10.15 (75) to 4.7 (31).Metropolitan Amateur Association, The Argus, (Monday, 17 May 1920), p.5.

1929 In the second last round of the 1929 season Old Melburnians played State Savings Bank at the Brighton Cricket Ground. At the conclusion of the game, one goal umpire had State Savings Bank winning by a point, while the other had the teams drawn. The time-keepers also thought that the match was a draw; and, as an interim measure, the match was declared a draw, and each team was awarded two points for the match.Metropolitan Amateurs, The Age, (Monday, 19 August 1929), p.6, p.7; Metropolitan Amateurs, The Argus, (Monday, 19 August 1929), p.16.

Given the importance of the match's points allocation (two for a draw, four for a win) in determining which teams were eligible to compete for the 1929 season's premiership, the MAFA authorities met on 22 August 1938, considered the matter at considerable length, and ordered that the match be replayed on 31 August;Metropolitan Amateurs: Replay Ordered, The Argus, (Saturday, 24 August 1929), p.29. which, of course, meant that the A Section semi-finals were postponed for a week. At the MAFA meeting on the following Monday it was determined that the match would take place, once again, at Brighton.Amateur Replay Ordered, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Tuesday, 27 August 1929), p.3.

The replay match was played in a fierce wind, and Old Meburnians were soundly defeated by State Savings Bank, 18.19 (127) to 9.17 (71).

Old Melburnians (who defeated State Savings Bank in the semi-finals) played against University B (who had defeated Old Scotch in the semi-finals) in the 1929 A Section Grand Final. Although, perhaps, the far better team on the day, due to its atrociously inaccurate kicking, with 31 scoring shots to 19, Old Melburnians lost the match by 8 points: 5.26 (56) to 9.10 (64).Metropolitan Amateurs, The Age, (Monday, 16 September 1929), p.6; Metropolitan Amateurs, The Argus, (Monday, 16 September 1929), p.16.

1930 Old Melburnians won its first MAFA premiership in 1930, defeating Elsternwick 23.16 (154) to 7.9 (51) in the A Section Grand Final.Metropolitan Amateurs, The Age, (Monday, 8 September 1930), p.6; Metropolitan Amateurs, The Argus, (Monday, 8 September 1930), p.13.

Victorian Amateur Football Association (1933– ) In 1933, the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association changed its name to the Victorian Amateur Football Association. The VAFA competition was suspended after the first home-and-away round of the 1940 season,Amateurs Conclude, The Age, (Monday, 24 June 1940), p.6. due to World War II, and resumed in 1946.

1938 Having been relegated from A Section to B Section at the start of the 1938 season,Big Season Ahead For Amateurs, The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 13 April 1938), p.8. Old Melburnians won its first VAFA premiership in 1938, defeating Coburg 13.10 (88) to 12.10 (82) in the B Section Grand Final.University Succeeds, The Argus, (Monday, 12 September 1938), p.14.

1946 When the VAFA competition resumed in 1946, Old Melburnian's were placed in B Section.The team had been in B Section when the competition was suspended in 1940: Easton, W., "Record Number of Amateur Teams, The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 17 April 1940), p.11. The team lost the 1946 B Section Grand Final to Melbourne High School Old Boys (MHSOB) 18.13 (121) to 12.14 (86).Blacks Defeat Old Scotch in Amateur Final, The Argus, (Monday, 16 September 1946), p.11.

1978 In 1978, Ian Cordner was the captain of the Old Melburnian's B Section premier team, the B Section's leading goalkicker, and the B Section's best and fairest player.Ian Cordner — Big V Legend, vafa.com, 2018.

MAFA/VAFA Senior Premierships A Section

1930: Old Melburnians 23.16 (154) defeated Elsternwick 7.9 (51).Metropolitan Amateurs, The Age, (Saturday, 6 September 1930), p.18.https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4188424/478945 Metropolitan Amateurs: Old Melburnians Win, The Argus, (Monday, 8 September 1930), p.13; [Metropolitan Amateurs: Old Melburnians' Premiers, THe Age, (Monday, 8 September 1930), p6.] 1953: Old Melburnians 12.16 (88) defeated University Blues 6.8 (44).University Blues were the 1952 premiers. The scores were Old Melburnians 2.9 (21) vs. University Blues 2.5 (17) at half-time (Old Melburnians Amateur Premiers, The Age, (Monday, 21 September 1953), p.14). 1954: Old Melburnians 9.19 (73) defeated University Blues 9.14 (68).Old Melburnians Ready for Final, The Age, (Thursday, 9 September 1954), p.9; Blues Retain Winners for Fierce Final, The Argus, (Saturday, 11 September 1954), p.43.Old Melburnians Take 2nd Title, The Argus, Monday, 13 September 1954), p.17; Amateurs: Premiership to Old Melb., The Age, (Monday, 13 September 1954), p.14. 1955: Old Melburnians 11.18 (84) defeated Ormond 6.12 (48).Amateur leaders seek the hat-trick, The Argus, (Friday, 16 September 1955), p.16; OM's win third pennant, The Argus, (Monday, 19 September 1955), p.19. 1994: Old Melburnians 11.13 (79) defeated Collegians 7.19 (61).

B Section

1938: Old Melburnians 13.10 (88) defeated Coburg 12.10 (82).Bank in Final, The Argus, (Monday, 5 September 1938), p.14; Bank Wins Semi-Final, The Age, (Monday, 5 September 1938), p.16.Hostile Crowd at Semi-Final, The Age, (Monday, 12 September 1938), p.16; University Succeeds, The Argus, (Monday, 12 September 1938), p.14. 1959: Old Melburnians 11.8 (74) defeated Commonwealth Bank 8.9 (57). 1978: Old Melburnians 18.16 (124) defeated Old Paradians 11.10 (76). 1982: Old Melburnians 18.7 (115) defeated Ivanhoe 15.12 (102). 1993: Old Melburnians 18.17 (125) defeated Therry C.C.O.B. 10.10 (70). 2002: Old Melburnians 14,9 (93) defeated Old Haileyburians 12.9 (81). 2009: Old Melburnians 18.21 (129) defeated Old Trinity 12.11 (83).

C Section 1976: Old Melburnians 12.22 (94) defeated Old Haileyburians 8.15 (63). 1988: Old Melburnians 11.10 (76) defeated Brighton Grammarians 10.10 (70).

VAFA awards Best and fairest in Section A number of footballers from Old Melburnians have been voted the best and fairest player in their Section.

1939: E.J. Atkins — A Section. 1960: B.N. Kerr — A Section. 1978: R. Ian Cordner — B Section. 1996: Peter D. O'Brien — A Section. 2014: Thomas Paule — B Section.

Leading goalkicker in Section A number of footballers from Old Melburnians have been the leading goalkicker in their Section.

1938: J.C. Cooper — B Section (100 goals). 1954: J. Duncan Anderson — A Section (75 goals). 1964: I.A. Murray — A Section (44 goals). 1976: P.J. Robertson — C Section (71 goals). 1978: R. Ian Cordner — B Section (50 goals). 1982: R.R. Cameron — B Section (74 goals). 1986: J.A. Mitchell — B Section (48 goals).

Big V Carnival Best Player Medal 1985: Rohan Brown.Big V Legends and Champions, vafa.com.au, 2018.

AAFC Awards A number of footballers from Old Melburnians have awarded the Grosvenor Medal for the fairest and best player during an Australian Amateur Football Council carnival.

1948: Ken Rollason.Refused £14 Week to Play in W.A., The (Launceston) Examiner, (Thursday, 19 August 1948), p.14. 1950: Peter Cox.Moon's Just Star-Dust, The (Perth) Daily News, (Friday, 21 July 1950), p.3. 1953: Bryce Thomas.Report on Amateur Carnival, The (Launceston) Examiner, (Monday, 10 August 1953), p.12. 1982: Rohan Brown. 1985: Rohan Brown. 1994: Ian McMullin.

Old Melburnians Football Club players who have also played VFL/AFL football

Jack Atkins Dick Atkinson Rohan Brown Murray Clapham Peter Cooper David Cordner Harcourt Dowsley Audley Gillespie-Jones Stuart Griffiths Ken McKaige Peter McLean Ian McMullin Jeremy Nichols Ken Rollason Ron Rutherford Andrew Thompson John Tilbrook Francis Vine Andrew Witts Barney Wood Mike Woods (Australian footballer)

Footnotes

External links The Old Melburnians Football Club website. Old Melburnians, australianfootball.com.