East Caulfield Football Club
{{Infobox Australian football club
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| clubname = East Caulfield Football Club
| image = 180px
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| fullname = East Caulfield Football Club
| formernames = Caufield Football Club {{small|(1890s−1970)}}
Caufield-Malvern Football Club {{small|(1915)}}
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| founded = 1890s
| dissolved = Late {{Start date and age|1976}}
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| ground = Caulfield Park{{cite web |title=History of Sport in Caulfield Park |url=http://www.caulfieldpark.com/sports-clubs.html |publisher=Friends of Caulfield Park |access-date=17 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617041541/http://www.caulfieldpark.com/sports-clubs.html |archive-date=17 June 2024}}
East Caulfield Reserve
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The East Caulfield Football Club, known as the Caulfield Football Club for most of its history, was an Australian rules football club based around the Melbourne suburbs of Caulfield and Caulfield East. It was considered one of the strongest clubs in the Federal Football League (FFL).{{cite web |title=Caulfield Club withdraws |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205568790 |website=Trove |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 June 2024 |date=29 July 1937}}
The Sporting Globe wrote in 1933 that there were hopes the club would join the Victorian Football League (VFL) "in the near future", but this never eventuated (although the club almost joined in the VFL's reserves competition in 1919).{{cite web |title=1933 - Caulfield Shines |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/181745398 |publisher=Sporting Globe |access-date=31 May 2021 |pages=6 |date=21 October 1933}}
East Caulfield wore a dark maroon jumper with a navy blue collar, having originally worn a black jumper with a yellow sash (similar to {{AFL Ric}} and {{SANFL Gle}}).{{cite web |title=FEDERAL FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION |url=https://sfnl.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/federal_history-converted.pdf |publisher=Southern Football Netball League |access-date=17 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225183440/https://sfnl.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/federal_history-converted.pdf |archive-date=25 February 2024 |pages=10}}
History
=Formation and pre-Federal years=
Caulfield was founded in the 1890s and joined the Metropolitan Junior Football Association (MJFA) in 1894.{{cite web |title=A BRIEF HISTORY |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419134741/https://www.vafa.com.au/fileadmin/user_upload/History/a_brief_history.pdf |publisher=Victorian Amateur Football Association |access-date=9 June 2024 |date=9 April 2009}} In 1915, the club combined with Malvern and became known as Caulfield-Malvern.{{cite web |title=METROPOLITAN AMATEUR ASSOCIATION |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/121127784 |publisher=Weekly Times |access-date=16 October 2024 |page=19 |date=12 June 1915}}{{cite web |title=Previous VAFA Clubs |url=https://www.vafa.com.au/history/former-clubs/ |publisher=Victorian Amateur Football Association |access-date=8 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240606014345/https://www.vafa.com.au/history/vafa-clubs-1892-2015/previous-vafa-clubs/ |archive-date=6 June 2024}} The MAFA cancelled its next four seasons as a result of World War I.{{cite web |last1=Boy |first1=Old |title=THE LEAGUE'S PREPARATIONS |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1584166 |publisher=The Argus |access-date=16 October 2024 |page=13 |date=8 December 1915}}{{cite web |title=METROPOLITAN AMATEUR ASSOCIATION |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1685938 |publisher=The Argus |access-date=16 October 2024 |page=11 |date=26 March 1920}}
The club (once again known simply as Caulfield) resumed in 1919 and affiliated with senior VFL club {{AFL Mel}}, joining the Victorian Junior Football League (VJFL), the VFL's new reserves competition, for its inaugural season in 1919.{{cite web |title=NEW JUNIOR ORGANISATION |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/155227061 |publisher=The Age |access-date=19 October 2024 |page=13 |date=18 January 1919}} However, it withdrew from the VJFL shortly before the season began, and a second {{AFL Uni}} team was quickly arranged to take its place.{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|publication-place=Melbourne|title=Football|date=15 May 1919|page=10}} Caulfield then attempted to rejoin the MAFA (which resumed its competition in 1920 MAFA season), but their application was refused as the club's reputation was seen as "intolerable" prior to the war.
Caulfield competed in various leagues until eventually joining the VFL Sub-Districts in 1926.{{cite web |last1=McCulloch |first1=Ross |title=FEDERAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE |url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/39149697/federal-football-league |publisher=Yumpu |access-date=17 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617015932/https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/39149697/federal-football-league |archive-date=17 June 2024}}
=Federal League=
In 1932, Caulfield joined the Federal District Football League (FDFL, later FFL). The club had a successful start in the competition, finishing second on the ladder in 1933 before being eliminated in the finals series, with former {{AFL Mel}} player Harry Bruce captaining the side while Frank Nolan kicked 116 goals for the season. At the time, they were the only club in the FDFL without an enclosed home ground.
During the 1937 season, the club announced on 29 July that it would withdraw for the remainder of the season due to financial difficulties.{{cite web |title=Caulfield Meeting Tonight |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11083503 |publisher=The Argus |access-date=17 June 2024 |date=29 July 1937}} This was despite the club stating it was in a "very sound" financial position only four months earlier in March 1937.{{cite web |title=Caulfield Club |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205605697 |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 June 2024 |date=4 March 1937}}
Following a loss to Highett on 2 June 1951, a man believed to be associated with Caulfield struck a goal umpire. On 15 June 1951, Caulfield's senior and junior teams were temporarily suspended by the FDFL after club officials failed to produce the man to the league tribunal, claiming they could not locate him.{{cite web |title=Federal League Tribunal Bans Caulfield Teams |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/23057587 |publisher=The Argus |access-date=17 June 2024 |date=16 June 1951}}
At the conclusion of the 1970 season, Caulfield changed its name to East Caulfield to avoid confusion with the Caulfield Football Club, which had been founded in 1965 and competed in the Victorian Football Association (VFA).{{cite web |last1=McGuckin |first1=Stuart |title=Before the White Hart |url=https://www.mailtimes.com.au/story/5332126/legends-of-yesterday-before-the-white-hart/ |publisher=The Wimmera Mail-Times |access-date=17 June 2024 |date=10 April 2018}}
East Caulfield disbanded at the end of the 1976 season.{{cite web |title=Cheltenham Football Club hosts reunion of Federal league |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/south-east/sport/cheltenham-football-club-hosts-reunion-of-federal-league/news-story/6fd299a152000ea143619447b558654e |website=Herald Sun |publisher=Moorabbin Glen Eira Leader |access-date=15 October 2024 |date=27 May 2014}}
Notable players
A number of Caulfield/East Caulfield players later joined clubs in the VFL, now known as the Australian Football League (AFL), as well as the Victorian Football Association (VFA).{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164463367 |title=FOOTBALL—Cont. |newspaper=Record (Emerald Hill) |location=Vic. |date=17 March 1934 |accessdate=13 January 2015 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}
- Frank Nolan − {{AFL Haw}} and Oakleigh
- Viv Randall − {{AFL Haw}} and Camberwell
- Roy McEachen − {{AFL SM}}
- Neil Crompton − former {{AFL Mel}} player who captain-coached Caulfield in 1970{{cite web |title=Neil Crompton |url=http://demonwiki.org/Neil+Crompton |publisher=Demonwiki |access-date=21 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201002744/http://demonwiki.org/Neil+Crompton |archive-date=1 December 2023 |quote=Crompton captain-coached Werribee in the VFA from 1967 to 1969, then Federal League club East Caulfield.}}
Other clubs
Caulfield/East Caulfield is not to be confused with:
- Caulfield Football Club (1965−1988), which competed in the VFA
- Caulfield Football Club (1983−1984), which competed in the SESFL
- Caulfield Amateur Football Club (1946−1971)
- Caulfield City Football Club (1924−1959), formerly known as Caulfield
- Caulfield District Football Club (1939−1955)
- East Caulfield Football Club (1935−1951), which competed in the ESFL and VAFA
References
{{reflist}}
{{FFL}}
{{VAFA}}
{{AFL reserves}}
Category:Former Victorian Amateur Football Association clubs