St Kilda Football Club
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| Full name | St Kilda Football Club |
| Nickname | The Saints |
| Strip | red, white and black vertical panels on guernsey, black shorts, red, white and black hooped socks |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| League | Australian Football League |
| Ground | Telstra Dome |
| Club song | When The Saints Go Marching In |
| President/Chair | Rod Butterss |
| Coach | Grant Thomas |
| Captain | Luke Ball |
The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League.
With its only premiership in 1966 (beating Collingwood by one point) and a league record 26 wooden spoons (awarded to the team finishing last), St Kilda have been the perennial strugglers of the competition. In the absence of team success, its fans have idolised many Brownlow medal winning star players.
Club History
The team came close to success in 1997, losing the AFL Grand Final to the Adelaide Crows after leading by 13 points at half-time. It sacked then coach Stan Alves after losing both finals in 1998.
After a period of rebuilding, in 2004 the Saints signalled promise for the future with a win in the pre-season competition, the Wizard Cup. Following this was an unprecedented ten game winning streak in the home-and-away season. Unfortunately injury and inexperience meant that the Saints only finished third at the end of the season, and were eliminated in an epic Preliminary Final by eventual premier Port Adelaide Power, going down by just one goal.
The Saints went in to 2005 with high expectations and arguably the best list in the competition. They looked set to fulfill them when they defeated Adelaide in the Qualifying Finals at AAMI Stadium but then were thrashed by Sydney in a home Preliminary Final.
Full-forward Fraser Gehrig won the Coleman Medal for the most goals (103) kicked in the 2004 season and again in the 2005 season (74 goals).
The Saints' motto is 'Fortius Quo Fidelius', a Latin phrase meaning 'Strength Through Loyalty'.
Since the inaugural Australian Football International Cup in 2002, St Kilda FC have sponsored the Japanese national Australian rules football team. Also known as the Samurai, the team members wear the St Kilda colours when representing their nation.
During the First World War the club felt so embarrassed at accidentally having team colours which matched the flag of Imperial Germany that its players pinned Union Flags to their jumpers. Before the next season began in 1915, the club decided to change their colours from red, black and white to red, black and yellow, the colours of Australia's ally Belgium. However the war forced the Club into recess. After three years in recess St Kilda resumed in 1918, but did not return to the original colours until after 1920.
Looking forward, St. Kilda has one of the most promising lists in the AFL and is a strong contender for future success in the coming years. Its chances of adding to its one and only premiership, in 1966 look good, but 2006 looms as the last chance for the Saints to give a fitting send-off to one of its best ever players, Robert Harvey, who will be entering his 19th season, as well as other veterans Andrew Thompson, Max Hudghton, Justin Peckett, Fraser Gehrig (who has signed a contract taking him through til the end of 2007) and Stephen Powell.
Supporter Base
In 2006, the club broke its membership record.
| Year | Members | Finishing position² |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 2nd | |
| 1998 | 23,204 | 6th |
| 1999 | 20,793 | 10th |
| 2000 | 17,855 | 16th (last) |
| 2001 | 22,248 | 15th |
| 2002 | 17,696 | 15th |
| 2003 | 23,626 | 11th |
| 2004 | 30,533 | 3rd |
| 2005 | 32,043 | 3rd |
| 2006 | 32,327¹ |
² following finals matches.
Club Records
| Win-Loss Record: | Played: 2074 | Won: 775, Lost: 1278, Drawn: 21 (to end 2005) |
| Highest Score: | 204 points (31.18) | v. Melbourne FC, Round 6 6 May 1978 |
| Lowest Score: | 1 point | v. Geelong FC, Sect. Rd 3 9 September 1899 |
| Greatest Winning Margin: | 139 points | v. Brisbane Lions, Round 22 27 August 2005 |
| Biggest Loss: | 178 points | v. Collingwood FC, Round 4 28 April 1979 |
| Longest Winning Streak: | 10 games | Round 1 27 March 2004 to Round 10 30 May 2004 |
| Longest Losing Streak: | 48 games | Round 1 8 May 1897 to Round 14 12 August 1899 |
| Most Games Played: | 324 | Robert Harvey 1988-2006 |
| Most Goals Kicked: | 898 | Tony Lockett 1983-1994 |
| Most Best & Fairests: | 4 | Bill Cubbins 1921, 1923, 1928, 1929 Robert Harvey 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998 |
Premiership
- 1966 - St Kilda 10.14 (74) def. Collingwood 10.13 (73) - (by 1pt)
Runners Up
- 1913 - St Kilda 5.13 (43) def. by Fitzroy 7.14 (56) - (by 13pts)
- 1965 - St Kilda 9.16 (70) def. by Essendon 14.21 (105) - (by 35pts)
- 1971 - St Kilda 11.9 (75) def. by Hawthorn 12.10 (82) - (by 7pts)
- 1997 - St Kilda 13.16 (94) def. by Adelaide 19.11 (125) - (by 31pts)
Wooden Spoons
26 Wooden Spoons (Last Place).
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901
1902
1904
1909
1910
1920
1924
1943
1945
1947
1948
1952
1954
1955
1977
1979
1983
1984
1985
1986
1988
2000
Pre-Season Premierships
- 1958 - St. Kilda 16.13.109 def. Carlton 15.11.101 - (By 8pts)
- 1996 - St. Kilda 20.10.130 def. Carlton 10.12.72 - (By 58pts)
- 2004 - St. Kilda 15. 8. 98 def. Geelong 11.10.76 - (By 22pts)
Individual Awards
- Colin Watson, 1925
- Brian Gleeson, 1957
- Neil Roberts, 1958
- Verdun Howell, 1959 (Tie with Bob Skilton)
- Ian Stewart, 1965 (tie with Noel Teasdale) and 1966
- Ross Smith, 1967
- Tony Lockett, 1987 (Tie with John Platten)
- Robert Harvey, 1997 and 1998.
- Nicky Winmar (1996)
- Robert Harvey (2004)
Called the Leading Goalkicker Medal prior to 1955
- Charlie Baker (1902)
- Bill Mohr (1936)
- Bill Young (1956)
- Tony Lockett (1987, 1991)
- Fraser Gehrig (2004, 2005)
- Justin Koschitzke (2001)
- Nick Riewoldt (2002)
Current roster
As of December 13, 2005:
- Colin Watson, 1925
- Brian Gleeson, 1957
- Neil Roberts, 1958
- Verdun Howell, 1959 (Tie with Bob Skilton)
- Ian Stewart, 1965 (tie with Noel Teasdale) and 1966
- Ross Smith, 1967
- Tony Lockett, 1987 (Tie with John Platten)
- Robert Harvey, 1997 and 1998.
- Nicky Winmar (1996)
- Robert Harvey (2004)
Called the Leading Goalkicker Medal prior to 1955
- Charlie Baker (1902)
- Bill Mohr (1936)
- Bill Young (1956)
- Tony Lockett (1987, 1991)
- Fraser Gehrig (2004, 2005)
- Justin Koschitzke (2001)
- Nick Riewoldt (2002)
Current roster
As of December 13, 2005:
Called the Leading Goalkicker Medal prior to 1955
- Charlie Baker (1902)
- Bill Mohr (1936)
- Bill Young (1956)
- Tony Lockett (1987, 1991)
- Fraser Gehrig (2004, 2005)
- Justin Koschitzke (2001)
- Nick Riewoldt (2002)
Current roster
As of December 13, 2005:
- Justin Koschitzke (2001)
- Nick Riewoldt (2002)
Current roster
As of December 13, 2005:
|
Players of note
Team of the Century
| St Kilda Team of the Century | |||
| B: | Barry Lawrence | Verdun Howell | Kevin Neale |
| HB: | Trevor Barker | Neil Roberts | Daryl Griffiths |
| C: | Nicky Winmar | Ian Stewart | Lance W. Oswald |
| HF: | Stewart Loewe | Darrel Baldock (Captain) | Bill Mohr |
| F: | David J. McNamara | Tony Lockett | Nathan Burke |
| Foll: | Carl Ditterich | Robert Harvey | Ross Smith |
| Int: | Barry Breen | Allan Morrow | Robert W. Murray |
| Jim A. Ross | |||
| Coach: | Allan Jeans | ||
