Last time we looked at clubs formed in the Kew area during the 19th Century. How does Kew’s establishment date compare with some of the old VFA and VFL clubs?
The oldest club is Melbourne FC, established in 1858 after the first game between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School. This first game between the two schools is still played to this date (2026) and both schools have Old Boy teams participating in the VAFA competition. Both Old Scotch and Old Melburnians had a strong rivalry with Kew from the 1950’s to 1990’s.
After this first game the gentlemen of Melbourne Cricket Club challenged the gentlemen of South Yarra and thus this latter club was also formed at this time. Brighton, Geelong and University followed one year later with Carlton and Williamstown (1864) and North Melbourne (1869) following soon after. During the early 1870’s Essendon, Footscray, Port Melbourne, South Melbourne and St Kilda were all formed. It can be seen that the Kew club was formed (albeit in the 3rd and 4th Ranks) before a large number of senior clubs in the inner suburbs. Clubs like Fitzroy, Northcote, Richmond, Brunswick were formed after Kew with some starting off as a Junior team (U23) before advancing to senior status in a few short years.
Collingwood was a relative late starter in 1892 but Hawthorn was really dragging the boots when formed in 1902 to play in the Metropolitan Football Association (now VAFA). The club was formed from the Waterloo club and the Hawthorn Trades club, both of which had no local ground, and the new Hawthorn club had secured a playing field on Grace Park, but no team.
There were also early regional teams formed mainly in the larger junction towns of Ballarat (1860), Sandhurst (1861) and Castlemaine (1869).
So, it can be seen that Kew, although a farming area of orchards and sheep agistments, was a very early starter in the football stakes. Indeed, a Kew Juniors (or second 20) was also playing by 1879 alongside the Kew Mayfield team which represented Holy Trinity Church of England. This old blue stone church still stands in the middle of Kew shopping centre on the corner of High and Pakington Streets.
