Fremantle Football Club (1881–1899)
Encyclopedia
The Fremantle Football Club was an Australian rules football
club based in Fremantle
, Western Australia
, that played in the Western Australian Football Association
(WAFA) from 1886 to 1899. The club was known as the Unions Football Club from 1882–89.
in 1885, at the time being considered a "junior club".At the time, clubs were divided into "Senior" and "Junior". These distinctions had nothing to do with age, rather to do with ability and status amongst other clubs. As was the norm of the time, the club also occasionally played matches under the rugby union
rules.
two representatives in the competition. The club finished last in their first season, and in games early in the season, were allowed to field additional players to compensate for the team being considered a junior club. The original Fremantle Football Club disbanded at the end of the season, and many of its players transferred to Unions. The club also took Fremantle's colours of red and white, having previously worn black and white.
The club won their first premiership in 1887, which was followed by three more in 1888, 1889 and 1890. The club changed its name to "Fremantle Football Club" in April 1890to better represent the locality in which they were based. In 1891, the club were unbeaten up until round 6. In round 7, they lost against their only serious rivals for the premiership, Rovers
, after several contentious decision made by the umpire, a Mr. Croft, who formerly played for Rovers. Due to his previous decisions, Fremantle refused to play in any match umpired by him for the remainder of the season, which resulted in them forfeit
ing their last three fixtures, and thus losing the premiership to Rovers.
The club continued to dominate the competition for the rest of the decade, winning five consecutive premiership from 1892–96 and another in 1898. The club were forced to disbanded after the 1899 season due to large debts. Many of the club's players transferred to the new South Fremantle Football Club
, admitted to the WAFA the next year. The club had an overall win rate of 68.7% during its fourteen season in the competition.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
club based in Fremantle
Fremantle
Freemantle is a suburb of Southampton in England.Fremantle or Freemantle may also refer to:- Places :* Fremantle, the port city to the capital Perth, Western Australia...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, that played in the Western Australian Football Association
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
(WAFA) from 1886 to 1899. The club was known as the Unions Football Club from 1882–89.
Formation
Unions was formed in 1882 at the same time as the original Fremantle Football Club. The club were not invited to participate in the formation of the Western Australian Football AssociationWest Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
in 1885, at the time being considered a "junior club".At the time, clubs were divided into "Senior" and "Junior". These distinctions had nothing to do with age, rather to do with ability and status amongst other clubs. As was the norm of the time, the club also occasionally played matches under the rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
rules.
WAFA
In 1886, Unions was admitted to the WAFA, giving the city of FremantleFremantle
Freemantle is a suburb of Southampton in England.Fremantle or Freemantle may also refer to:- Places :* Fremantle, the port city to the capital Perth, Western Australia...
two representatives in the competition. The club finished last in their first season, and in games early in the season, were allowed to field additional players to compensate for the team being considered a junior club. The original Fremantle Football Club disbanded at the end of the season, and many of its players transferred to Unions. The club also took Fremantle's colours of red and white, having previously worn black and white.
The club won their first premiership in 1887, which was followed by three more in 1888, 1889 and 1890. The club changed its name to "Fremantle Football Club" in April 1890to better represent the locality in which they were based. In 1891, the club were unbeaten up until round 6. In round 7, they lost against their only serious rivals for the premiership, Rovers
Rovers Football Club
The Rovers Football Club was an Australian rules football club that competed in the Western Australian Football Association from 1885 to 1899. The club won the premiership in 1885 and 1891.-History:...
, after several contentious decision made by the umpire, a Mr. Croft, who formerly played for Rovers. Due to his previous decisions, Fremantle refused to play in any match umpired by him for the remainder of the season, which resulted in them forfeit
Walkover
In British English, a walkover or W.O. is the awarding of a victory to a contestant because there are no other contestants, or because the other contestants have been disqualified or have forfeited. The term can apply in sport, but can also apply to elections...
ing their last three fixtures, and thus losing the premiership to Rovers.
The club continued to dominate the competition for the rest of the decade, winning five consecutive premiership from 1892–96 and another in 1898. The club were forced to disbanded after the 1899 season due to large debts. Many of the club's players transferred to the new South Fremantle Football Club
South Fremantle Football Club
The South Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Bulldogs, is an Australian rules football club, based in Fremantle, Western Australia, playing in the West Australian Football League...
, admitted to the WAFA the next year. The club had an overall win rate of 68.7% during its fourteen season in the competition.
Leading goalkicker
- WAFA (4):
-
- 1893: Paddy Knox (10 goals)
- 1895: Albert ThurgoodAlbert ThurgoodAlbert John "The Great" Thurgood was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football Association , Victorian Football League and the Western Australian Football Association ....
(53) - 1896: Albert ThurgoodAlbert ThurgoodAlbert John "The Great" Thurgood was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football Association , Victorian Football League and the Western Australian Football Association ....
(57) - 1897: Albert ThurgoodAlbert ThurgoodAlbert John "The Great" Thurgood was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football Association , Victorian Football League and the Western Australian Football Association ....
(27)