Melbourne University Football Club
Encyclopedia : M : ME : MEL : Melbourne University Football Club
| Full name | Melbourne University Football Club |
| Nickname | The Students/ The Proffesors |
| Strip | Black with a blue vee |
| Founded | 1859 |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| League | Victorian Football League, Victorian Amataur Football Association |
| Ground | Melbourne Cricket Ground, East Melbourne Cricket Ground, |
| Club song | |
| President/Chair | |
| Coach | |
| Captain | |
The club achieved prominence by being part of the game's most elite competition in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Victorian Football League (the forerunner of the AFL).
The club is the fourth-oldest club in any code of football in Australia.
History
University was founded in 1859 by students and graduates of the University of Melbourne. That same year it played in the inaugural Challenge Cup, against teams from Albert Park, Carlton, Melbourne, Royal Park and South Yarra.During the 1870s, the club played in the Second Twenties competition, one level lower than the main competition, the South Yarra Challenge Cup.
On October 4, 1907 the eight founding clubs of the VFL voted unanimously to include the University Club in the league as its ninth team. Richmond Football Club became the tenth team two weeks later. The club's home ground was the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which it shared with the Melbourne Football Club.
The club was known as The Students or The Professors. The players wore a black guernsey with a blue "V" and blue collars and cuffs, 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. It is unique among VFL/AFL clubs in never having any professional (paid) players.
The club was not particularly successful: it never finished higher than sixth in the 10 team competition, and never played in a finals series. It finished last in the competition from 1911 to 1914, losing its last 51 games in a row. In total, it lost 97 of its 126 games between the 1908 and 1914 seasons.
World War I - club disbands
When World War I broke out, many young men enlisted to fight, leaving the club with far too few players. It withdrew from the League before the beginning of the 1915 season, and disbanded. There was no hope of re-forming it after the War as it suffered the highest rate of casualties of the league.Return to football
Melbourne University students and alumni maintained their involvement in football with a number of clubs in amateur competitions, one of which is the Melbourne University Blues. The Blues play in the Victorian Amateur Football Association, and have been a perennial power in the highest division of a high-standard amateur competition. They were the premiers in 2004 and have consistently been a spawning ground for young players who go on to the AFL. Unlike American universities, however, support from the University itself is restricted to the provision of a ground and a subsidy for affiliation fees. The University's football team is not watched or supported to any great extent in the wider university community.Melbourne University Blacks Football Club
The other Melbourne University Football Club that continues to be involved in amateur football is the University Blacks. The University Blacks were traditionally the more successful Melbourne University football club, however, during the 1990's they endured a lean period and tumbled down the divisions of the local VAFA league. During this period, the club's moral was held together by an all conquering reserve team that stormed to seven premierships in a decade. The Uni Blacks finances were similarly propped up by bar takings from the same players. However, recent years have seen an improvement in the University Blacks fortunes and after winning back to back premierships, they are now resident in B Grade.
Mergers - the Forbidden Option
The Blues and Blacks have often discussed mergers in some shape or form over the decades. Due to passionate support for the independence of both clubs, these merger plans never came to fruition. The recent success of both clubs has shown university football to be in rude health, with many players continuing the fine traditions of these clubs.
University Football Culture
The university football sides draw most of their players from the residential colleges surrounding the University Oval. With many players being students, such proximity is useful for those without cars for transport. This recruitment base has also meant many of the players have a country background, something that may contribute to the down to earth nature of the university clubs. For many years, the payments offered by country clubs lured the best players back to their home towns to play, however, as country football in Victoria struggled during the late '90's, more of these players elected to play with the university sides rather than travel for paltry sums.
The mix of youth, football, beer and academia makes for a unique culture at a football club. Andrew Gray, captain of University Blacks during the early nineties, was once leading his suburban opponent at Preston on a merry dance. Frustrated, the Preston player snapped that Gray was a "Uni student hippy poofter". It's unlikely that this insult has been used elsewhere in Australian Rules matches. Given that graduates often continue to play after their studying days are over, it is not uncommon to have lawyers, doctors, Phd postgraduates and nineteen year old Arts students playing on the same team. This leads to an unusual circumstance at a football club in Australia where it is simple to get tax advice after training but almost impossible to find a plumber at the club.
See also
External links
- [Complete University Player Records]
- [Victorian Amateur Football Association]
- [University Blues Home Page]
- [University Blacks Home Page]
- [Full Points Footy History of the University Football Club]
- [University Jumpers on Footyjumpers.com]
References
- Kevin Taylor, The Sydney Swans. Allen & Unwin, 1987.
| Clubs in the Australian Football League |
| Adelaide Crows | Brisbane Lions | Carlton | Collingwood | Essendon | Fremantle | Geelong | Hawthorn Kangaroos | Melbourne | Port Adelaide | Richmond | St Kilda | Sydney Swans | West Coast Eagles | Western Bulldogs Former clubs: Brisbane Bears | Fitzroy | University |
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