Whittlesea Football Club
| Whittlesea Football Club | |
|---|---|
| Names | |
| Full name | Whittlesea Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | The Eagles |
| 2016 season | |
| Leading goalkicker | Andrew Fairchild (38) |
| Best and fairest | Jai Robinson |
| Club details | |
| Founded | 1896 |
| Colours | Navy and Gold |
| Competition | Northern Football League |
| Chairman | Boof Dyson |
| Coach | James Atkins |
| Captain(s) | Andrew Fairchild |
| Ground(s) | Whittlesea Showgrounds |
| Other information | |
| Official website | whittleseafc.com.au |
Whittlesea Football Club is a local Australian rules football club in Whittlesea, Victoria, on the outer suburbs of Melbourne playing in the Northern Football League.
From the club's inception until the 1970s, Whittlesea wore navy guernseys with gold band and trim. Now it wears dark blue with an eagle and wing on the front similar to the West Coast Eagles AFL side.
Club History
The Whittlesea Football and Netball Club, founded in 1896, is one of the oldest suburban football clubs within Australia. Firmly entrenched in the Northern Football League (formerly the Diamond Valley Football League) since 1987, having previously played in the now defunct Bourke-Evelyn Football League, Panton Hill and District Football League and for a period of time, the Riddell District Football League where the club maintained a short lived existence as the Northern Eagles Football Club.
Despite our storied existence, the Club has remained one of and for the community. A community that has encountered its own struggles and difficulties throughout history, the most recent of which being the February 2009 bushfires that swept through Whittlesea and its surroundings. Yet through it all, the Whittlesea Football and Netball Club has survived, developed, nurtured and now thrives.
In 2010, the Club won the Division Two Senior Premiership and as of 2011 was promoted to Division One football for the first time in our 100 year plus history. We now field four netball teams in the Northern Football League (NFL) and actively promote the involvement of female participants throughout all Club positions. This has only expanded our operational base where we already field some 14 junior teams and AUSKICK programs, where the dreams of over 300 aspiring athletes are nurtured, developed and embraced. We are proud of our position within the community, but just as proud of the reputation we have forged as one of the more professional, respected and welcoming clubs in the Northern Football League.
Fielding three senior teams, we will continue to strive for success and set a strong pathways program for our affiliated Junior programs. After being relegated at the end of the 2014 season, Whittlesea won the Division 2 senior premiership in 2015, elevating the club back into Division 1 for the third time in six years. This time we intend to stay there. With our recruiting campaign for 2016 already underway, we have a number of new players eager to join ‘The Eagles’ as we look to firmly entrench ourselves within the framework of Division One Football. We aim to embrace our strong aspiration of playing finals football in 2016 and build a Club for the next 100 years.
With more than 300 members, the Whittlesea Football and Netball Club prides itself on its achievements both on and off field, in particular its ability to provide a friendly family oriented environment which invites and facilitates all willing participants and supporters from the local and broader communities.[1]
Timeline of different leagues
1904 – Whittlesea was a founding club of the Whittlesea DFA.
1906 – Whittlesea played in the Bourke-Evelyn FL
1933 – Whittlesea played in the Panton Hill & DFL
1934 – Whittlesea played in the Diamond Valley FL
1940 – Whittlesea played in the Panton Hill & DFL
1946 – Whittlesea played in the Diamond Valley FL
1947 – Whittlesea played in the Panton Hill FL
1987 – Whittlesea played in the Riddell DFL
Whittlesea changed name to Northern Eagles FC.
1992 – Whittlesea played in the Diamond Valley FL (now Northern Football League), and changed the name back to the Whittlesea Football Club
Premierships 16
- 1907 – Bourke-Evelyn FL
- 1923 – Bourke-Evelyn FL
- 1924 – Bourke-Evelyn FL
- 1925 – Bourke-Evelyn FL
- 1932 – Panton Hill & District Football Association
- 1954 – Panton Hill & District Football Association
- 1957 – Panton Hill & District Football Association
- 1958 – Panton Hill & District Football Association
- 1959 – Panton Hill & District Football Association
- 1960 – Panton Hill & District Football Association
- 1973 – Panton Hill FL
- 1974 – Panton Hill FL
- 1988 – Riddell DFL Division Two as Northern Eagles
- 2010 – Northern Football League Division Two - 2010 Northern Football League Division Two Grand Final played at Preston City Oval 11 September Whittlesea 9.17.71 defeated Lower Plenty 9.3.57
- 2013 – Northern Football League Division Two - 2013 Northern Football League Division Two Grand Final played at Preston City Oval 14 September Whittlesea 17.14.116 defeated Fitzroy Stars 14.13.97
- 2015 - Northern Football League Division Two - 2015 Northern Football League Division Two Grand Final played at Preston City Oval 12 September Whittlesea 14.13.97 defeated Lalor 14.10.94