North Melbourne Football Club history

In 1877 Hotham (North Melbourne) and 7 other clubs decided to form the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in order to compete in football matches on a regular basis.

By 1882, the two clubs had joined together and were set up on the Hotham Cricket Ground, which at that time was the name of the present-day Recreation Reserve.

In 1888 the club once again became the North Melbourne Football Club after Hotham municipality changed its name to North Melbourne in order to cash in on the reputation Melbourne had gained throughout the world.

In 1896 a breakaway group saw the establishment of the Victorian Football League (VFL) from which North Melbourne was excluded mainly through the opposition of the Collingwood Football Club which had not forgiven North for a controversial game in which they had met.

1907 saw North attempt, for the first time, to enter the Victorian Football League.

In a clever move North quickly amalgamated with the displaced Essendon Association team and was once again competing in the VFA the following season having failed to complete the 1921 season.

Between the years 1974 and 1978 North participated in every Grand Final. It was not until 1975 that they finally won their first League Premiership, the culmination of a plan hatched under the presidency of Allen Aylett 4 years before.

They followed this up in 1977 with another Premiership.

by Lorna Hannan, the Hotham History Project, March 2010. (story first published in the North & West Melbourne News)