Sandringham Football Club

The first steps towards establishing a semi-professional football team from the Sandringham area were made in 1927, with the Black Rock Football Club (Black Rock Amateurs), the Hampton Football Club, the Sandringham Amateur Football Club and the Sandringham District Football Club discussing the viability of amalgamating to form a team in the VFA.{{cite web |title=Wants to Join Senior Ranks |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/274893727 |publisher=The Sun News-Pictorial |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=20 |date=12 February 1927}} The proposal failed after a meeting of club representatives on 17 February 1927 despite Sandringham Amateurs "unreservedly" favouring the concept, wih Black Rock unable to field a team, Hampton opposing the merger on the grounds of losing local identity and Sandringham District wanting at least three clubs involved.{{cite web |title=SANDRINGHAM CLUB |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204187533 |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=7 |date=21 February 1927}} All four clubs competed in the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (MAFA) for the 1927 season.{{cite web |title=Old Scotch Minor Premiers. |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/206166631 |publisher=The Age |access-date=15 December 2024 |page=5 |date=29 August 1927}} On 15 August 1927, four other clubs merged to form the Sandringham Football Club.{{cite web |title=Would Join Association |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/275242742 |publisher=The Sun News-Pictorial |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=19 |date=16 August 1927}}

On 17 February 1928, Sandringham, Sandringham District and the Sandringham United Football Club amalgamated to form a new Sandringham Football Club.{{cite web |title=Sandringham Amalgamates To Play In 2 Associations |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/275426393 |publisher=The Sun News-Pictorial |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=16 |date=18 February 1928}}{{cite web |title=Sandringham Football |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/275337812 |publisher=The Sun News-Pictorial |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=21 |date=17 December 1927}} This was, however, effectively a continuation of the Sandringham Amateurs.{{cite web |title=SANDRINGHAM AMATEUR CLUB |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204212704 |publisher=The Age |access-date=19 December 2024 |page=15 |date=5 March 1929}}{{cite web |title=Sandringham Amateurs Football Club (Vic) |url=https://www.footypedia.info/00000454.htm |publisher=Footypedia |access-date=19 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218122527/https://www.footypedia.info/00000454.htm |archive-date=18 December 2024}} The club entered two teams in the MAFA and one team in the Federal Football Association (FFA) junior competition for the 1928 season.{{cite web |title=FOSTERING THE GAME |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204172131 |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=5 |date=27 January 1928}}{{cite web |title=FEDERAL ASSOCIATION |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/202309640 |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=23 |date=17 March 1928}} The second Sandringham team in the MAFA (known as Sandringham B) withdrew from C Section in August 1928 after having a record score kicked against them.{{cite web |title=METROPOLITAN AMATEURS |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205476783 |publisher=The Age |access-date=16 December 2024 |page=17 |date=4 August 1924}}{{cite web |title=Old Melburnians Penalised |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205483473 |publisher=The Age |access-date=16 December 2024 |page=14 |date=7 August 1928}}

Sandringham was told by the VFA in November 1928 that it would be admitted into the competition if it obtained permission to build a fence around Beach Road Oval; the lack of a fence had prevented the club from entering for the 1928 VFA season.{{cite web |title=FENCE MUST BE OBTAINED |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/275423310 |publisher=The Sun News-Pictorial |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=9 |date=20 November 1928}}{{cite web |title=Sandringham May Be In Association |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/275703469 |publisher=The Sun News-Pictorial |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=3 |date=2 January 1929}} In January 1929, the Sandringham Council supported a bid from an (apparently new) senior Sandringham Football Club to enter the VFA.{{cite web |title=Council Supports Movement |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4000021 |publisher=The Argus |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=21 |date=26 January 1929}}{{cite web |title=Sandringham Anticipations |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204230255 |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=18 |date=26 January 1929}}{{cite web |title=Sandringham Applies To Be Association Club |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/275700362 |publisher=The Sun News-Pictorial |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=31 |date=30 January 1929}} The bid was successful, and Sandringham was accepted into the Association on 4 February 1929.{{cite web |title=Sandringham Club Admitted |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204237522 |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=15 |date=5 February 1929}}{{cite web |title=SANDRINGHAM CLUB FORMED |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204238381 |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=6 |date=25 February 1929}}{{cite web |title=Request by Football Clubs |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3988732 |publisher=The Argus |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=21 |date=16 March 1929}}

Despite the admission, the club still faced a challenge prior to its first game.{{cite web |title=Sandringham Football Club Officials |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/275713323 |publisher=The Sun News-Pictorial |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=32 |date=1 March 1929}} Sandringham applied for the use of Beach Road Oval for its reserves team (Second Eighteen) on Saturdays, but Sandringham Amateurs − returning to the MAFA for the 1929 season − also applied for its use, having played at the ground for 20 years.{{cite web |title=RIVAL FOOTBALL CLUBS WANT OVAL |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/244302977 |publisher=The Herald |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=2 |date=15 March 1929}}{{cite web |title=Rival Deputations Plead With Council |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/275713580 |publisher=The Sun News-Pictorial |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=10 |date=16 March 1929}} Sandringham Amateurs requested for use on alternate Saturdays and during the week for training purposes, while Sandringham said its VFA bid would have to be abandoned if it did not have access to the ground.{{cite web |title=AN UNEXPECTED HITCH |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204213942 |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=27 |date=16 March 1929}}{{cite web |title=SANDRINGHAM'S ASSOCIATION CLUB |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204217231 |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=5 |date=18 March 1929}} Ultimately, Sandringham Council choose to allow the Amateurs to continue using the ground.{{cite web |title=Amateurs Versus Professionals |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/244296612 |publisher=The Herald |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=19 |date=21 March 1929}}{{cite web |title=SANDRINGHAM FOOTBALL OVAL |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/244307212 |publisher=The Herald |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=2 |date=22 March 1929}} Sandringham's VFA reserves team instead played its home games at Tulip Street Reserve.{{cite web |title=No Ground for Second 18 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204220921 |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=17 |date=30 March 1929}}{{cite web |title=Sandringham's Position to be Reviewed |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204208815 |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 December 2024 |page=6 |date=9 April 1929}} The club wore the colours of gold, black and blue, taken from Sandringham Amateurs, Black Rock and Hampton.{{cite web |title=Zebras History 1920-1940 |url=https://websites.mygameday.app/club_info.cgi?client=0-118-10447-0-0&sID=55908&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=4877930 |website=GameDay |publisher=Sandringham Football Club |access-date=17 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217122702/https://websites.mygameday.app/club_info.cgi?client=0-118-10447-0-0&sID=55908&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=4877930 |archive-date=17 December 2024 |date=29 April 2005}}

In the club's first 10 years of existence, they achieved a season finish of no better than 5th place, which came in the 1933 season.

Sandringham recorded its inaugural premiership in the 1946 season, coming from behind late in the final quarter to record a 7-point win over Camberwell in front of 30,000 spectators.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22382506|title=Sandringham's first VFA premiership (archived at Trove.nla.gov.au)|work=Argus Newspaper|date=7 October 1946|access-date=31 July 2014}} Though the club struggled throughout the 1950s, it has since gone on to record 10 premierships in total, being one of the most consistent teams in the VFL, their most successful period coming in the 2000s, with 4 premierships in 10 years cementing the club as one of the premier teams in the league.{{cite web|url=http://australianfootball.com/clubs/bio/Sandringham/212|title=Club Bio - Sandringham|work=Australianfootball.com.au|access-date=31 July 2014}}

The Zebras' home ground is and almost always has been the Beach Oval, which was renamed the Trevor Barker Beach Oval in the 1990s after the death of Trevor Barker, who had coached Sandringham to the 1992 and 1994 premierships. Only in 1966 did the club change home grounds, spending a year at the Junction Oval in St Kilda before moving back to Beach Oval ahead of the 1967 season.{{cite news|newspaper=The Sporting Globe|publication-place=Melbourne, VIC|page=6|author=Jim Blake|date=27 April 1966|title=Coburg show hot form}} From the 2018 season, the club will play three of its home games each year at Moorabbin Oval, and will wear St Kilda's black, red and white guernsey in these games.

The oval has a single grandstand (the Neil Bencraft Grandstand), a south end named after Nick Sautner (the Sautner Goal), and an administration centre (the John Mennie Administration Centre){{cite web|url=http://www.sandringhamfc.com.au/news.aspx?id=32|title=Round 13 Preview and Teams – Sandringham V Casey|date=21 June 2012|access-date=23 March 2014|publisher=Sandringham Football Club}} – a social club and a capacity of 10,000. A record crowd of 18,000 attended the venue's first Sunday VFA premiership game, held between Sandringham and Port Melbourne Football Club in April 1964.{{cite news|newspaper=The Sun News-Pictorial|publication-place=Melbourne, VIC|page=44|author=Scot Palmer|date=20 April 1964|title=VFA got off to a great start}} A Rec Footy competition is also played at the ground.

The Zebras have an alignment agreement with Australian Football League (AFL) club St Kilda which has been in place since 2009. Previously, Sandringham had an alignment with Melbourne.[https://web.archive.org/web/20110524165931/http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsid=60873 Saints, Demons in VFL affiliate swap (AFL.com.au)] Sandringham and Melbourne were the first two clubs to form an alignment. This was announced in 1999 and began in the 2000 season. The alignment had an immediate effect with Sandringham winning the premiership in 2000, and a further three premierships (2004, 2005 and 2006) were won during the affiliation.[http://demonwiki.org/tiki-index.php?page=VFL+Grand+Final+2000 2000 VFL Grand Final - details]

St Kilda announced in December 2013 that the alignment would be continued until the end of the 2015 VFL season, with a plan for both clubs would go their separate ways in 2016.{{cite web |last1=Gallagher |first1=Breanna |title=Saints and Sandy re-align |url=https://www.saints.com.au/news/731314/saints-and-sandy-re-align |publisher=St Kilda Football Club |access-date=17 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217123705/https://www.saints.com.au/news/731314/saints-and-sandy-re-align |archive-date=17 December 2024 |date=5 December 2013}}{{cite web |last1=Phelan |first1=Jennifer |title=Saints to field standalone VFL team from 2016 |url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/451211/saints-to-field-standalone-vfl-team-from-2016 |publisher=AFL.com.au |access-date=17 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217131606/https://www.afl.com.au/news/451211/saints-to-field-standalone-vfl-team-from-2016 |archive-date=17 December 2024 |date=5 December 2013}} This led to Sandringham establishing a partnership with Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) club Hampton Rovers.{{cite web |title=Rovers form alignment with Sandringham Zebras |url=https://www.hamptonrovers.com.au/2014/07/22/rovers-form-alignment-with-sandringham-zebras/ |publisher=Hampton Rovers Football Club |access-date=17 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217124124/https://www.hamptonrovers.com.au/2014/07/22/rovers-form-alignment-with-sandringham-zebras/ |archive-date=17 December 2024 |date=22 July 2014}} The affiliation with St Kilda was temporarily extended for the 2016 VFL season.{{cite web |last1=Diamond |first1=Brent |title=VFL 2016: Your guide to the year ahead |url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/vfl-2016-your-guide-to-the-year-ahead-20160401-gnw1fa.html |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328010013/https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/vfl-2016-your-guide-to-the-year-ahead-20160401-gnw1fa.html |archive-date=28 March 2024 |date=2 April 2016}}{{cite web |last1=Diamond |first1=Brent |title=Sandringham keen to keep VFL development league team |url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/sandringham-keen-to-keep-vfl-development-league-team-20160723-gqcbgn.html |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201140309/https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/sandringham-keen-to-keep-vfl-development-league-team-20160723-gqcbgn.html |archive-date=1 December 2023 |date=23 July 2016}} However, after renegotiations throughout 2016, a new rolling affiliation deal with no fixed term was signed, to begin in 2017.{{cite web |last1=Wilson |first1=Caroline |title=St Kilda and Sandringham to join forces in VFL |url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/st-kilda-and-sandringham-to-join-forces-in-vfl-20160824-gr0gh6.html |publisher=The Age |access-date=17 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409120139/https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/st-kilda-and-sandringham-to-join-forces-in-vfl-20160824-gr0gh6.html |archive-date=9 April 2023 |date=24 August 2016}} The new deal changed the nature of the affiliation, expanding St Kilda's involvement in Sandringham's operation − including removing a stipulation from the previous agreement that no more than 14 St Kilda-listed players could play in Sandringham's senior team in any given match and Sandringham playing three games per year in St Kilda colours (beginning in 2018) at Moorabbin Oval, St Kilda's former home ground.{{cite web |title=Saints and Sandy forge long-term future together |url=https://www.saints.com.au/news/316605/saints-and-sandy-forge-long-term-future-together |publisher=St Kilda Football Club |access-date=17 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217125150/https://www.saints.com.au/news/316605/saints-and-sandy-forge-long-term-future-together |archive-date=17 December 2024 |date=26 August 2016}}{{cite web |last1=McGowan |first1=Marc |title=Zebras ponder end to VFL alignment with St Kilda |url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/82015/zebras-ponder-end-to-vfl-alignment-with-st-kilda |publisher=AFL.com.au |access-date=17 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815164408/https://www.afl.com.au/news/82015/zebras-ponder-end-to-vfl-alignment-with-st-kilda |archive-date=15 August 2023 |date=25 July 2017}}

In October 2023, St Kilda announced that, beginning at the 2025 AFL rookie draft, it would use one of its rookie list places to draft a Sandringham player.{{cite web |title=St Kilda and Sandringham strengthen affiliation, commit to rookie selection |url=https://www.saints.com.au/news/1457123/st-kilda-and-sandringham-strengthen-affiliation-commit-to-rookie-selection |publisher=St Kilda Football Club |access-date=23 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241123113218/https://www.saints.com.au/news/1457123/st-kilda-and-sandringham-strengthen-affiliation-commit-to-rookie-selection |archive-date=23 November 2024 |date=26 October 2023}} However, at the 2025 rookie draft, which was held in November 2024, this did not occur.{{cite web |last1=Keating |first1=Mitch |title=St Kilda backflip on Zebras draft commitment |url=https://www.zerohanger.com/st-kilda-backflip-on-zebras-draft-commitment-157070/ |publisher=ZeroHanger |access-date=23 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241123113347/https://www.zerohanger.com/st-kilda-backflip-on-zebras-draft-commitment-157070/ |archive-date=23 November 2024 |date=23 November 2024}}

JJ Liston Trophy Winners (8)

1929 – Edward Bourke

1947 – Stan Tomlins

1962 – Keith Burns

1985 – Neil McLeod

1992 – Joe Rugolo

1997 – Justin Crough

2003 – David Robbins

2005 – Paul Johnson

• Ian Cooper – St. Kilda. Best on ground in 1966 VFL grand final premiership.
• Bob Murray - St. Kilda
• Rex Hunt - Richmond, Geelong, St Kilda (1968-1978)
• Nick Sautner
• Chad Liddell
• Stan Tomlins
• Len Toyne
• Dallas O'Brien – 1983 Stawell Gift winner
• Michael Conlan
• Jeff Sarau - St. Kilda
• James Magner
• Jack Gunston
• Max Stokes
• Des Kennedy

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{official website}}

{{VFL}}

Category:Victorian Football League clubs

Category:Australian rules football clubs established in 1929

Category:Australian rules football clubs in Melbourne

Category:1929 establishments in Australia

Category:Italian-Australian backed sports clubs of Victoria (state)

Category:Australian Football League reserves affiliations

Category:Sport in the City of Bayside