The Camperdown Football Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Magpies'', is an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

and

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

club based in the town of Camperdown,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. The club teams currently compete in the

Hampden Football Netball League The Hampden Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball league based in South-Western Victoria (Australia), Victoria, with clubs located in towns along or near the Princes Highway from Camperdown, Victoria, Camperdown t ...

, which Camperdown is founding member, having joined in 1930.

History

The first Camperdown club was formed in 1877 but it disbanded within a few years with accumulated debts. A second attempt in 1883 is the club that continues today. The late 1880s and 1890s the club usually participated in a four team competition that a wealthy patron would donate a shield as a prize. Usually it was four clubs, Camperdown, Cobden, Mortlake and Terang. This arrangement continued until 1901. In August 1901, local soldier Trooper Lawrence was killed in action during the

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

. There is a memorial to the west of the town's clocktower. The Moran trophy consisted of four teams, in order of finish, Camperdown (undefeated), Cobden, Mortlake and Terang. Now because of poor receipts, the delegates wanted a grand Final to cover the outstanding costs incurred that season. Camperdown who were undefeated voted against the proposal but were overruled by the other three clubs who were all in the red. A Grand Final was organised between Camperdown and Mortlake, because Cobden had already wound up for the year. News came through that Trooper Lawrence had been killed in South Africa and the town of Camperdown wanted to have a memorial service for a favourite son on the same day as the grand final. Camperdown asked for a postponement of the match but Mortlake refused. A team from Mortlake turned up on the day and claimed a forfeit. As Mortlake already had the trophy because they won it the previous year and kept it for good. Acrimony because of Mortlake's actions, Camperdown refused to play Mortlake for five years. Camperdown decided to look east and they joined a Colac-based competition. In 1909 the Corangamite Football Association was formally founded with matches between the four towns. Camperdown was the strongest team winning the pennant in 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1914. After

WWI World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...

success continued with flags in 1921 and 1923. When the Warrnambool DFA decided to merge with the Corangamite FA to form the Western District FL in 1924, this created an eight team competition. South Warrnambool merged with Warrnambool City to form the

Warrnambool Football Club The Warrnambool Football Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Blues'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the Warrnambool, city of the same name. Warrnambool teams compete in the Hampden Football Netball League, where the footbal ...

. A dispute over finals allocation caused Camperdown to withdraw and join a Colac-based competition. The club won the Grand Final in 1926 and lost the flag the following year. After two season Camperdown returned to the Western District FL playing in the Eastern Zone. For a while the league played zone football, a fixture for eastern clubs and one for the western clubs, with finals between the tops clubs at the end of the year. The admission of Hamilton caused additional traveling costs and problems with extra time away from home. The ''Hampden Football League'' was formed in 1930, when the three eastern clubs broke away from the Western District FL. Terang and Camperdown did not want to continue to travel to Hamilton because their players were farmers who could not spend all day away from the farm to play football, as they had cows to milk. Mortlake agreed with Camperdown and Terang and resigned from the WDFL. Cobden was left with a predicament, and requested admittance to the new league. In 1933, South Warrnambool and

Warrnambool Warrnambool (; Eastern Maar, Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the Census in Australia#2021, 2021 census, Warrnambool had a populati ...

joined the league, as takings at the gate had been greater when playing Camperdown or Terang that against any team in the WDFL. Camperdown won their first flag in 1938, during that season Cecil Bateman kicked a league record of 21 goals in a game against Cobden. It is a record that still stands to this day. After

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Camperdown was one of the stronger teams in the competition but only once, in 1951, was it successful in claiming the flag. In 1965 Camperdown managed to lure premiership player Stewart Lord as captain coach, under his leadership the team improved to win the 1968 and 1970 Grand Finals. Camperdown has the ability to make the Grand Final but have only won in 6 of 19 occasions The Magpies' most recent premierships, won back to back, in 1999 and 2000 were under the coaching of local football star,

Ken Hinkley Ken Hinkley (born 30 September 1966) is the senior coach of the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and a former player with the Geelong Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club. Hinkley currently holds the VFL/ ...

Football Premierships

;Seniors * Corangamite FA ** 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1921, 1923 * Corangamite FL ** 1926 *

Hampden Football League The Hampden Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball league based in South-Western Victoria, with clubs located in towns along or near the Princes Highway from Camperdown to Portland. The league is a major country ...

** 1938, 1951, 1968, 1970, 1999, 2000

Football League - Best & Fairest winners

;Seniors *

- Maskell Medallists **1968 - David Lane **1974 - Graeme Fitzgerald **1982 & 1983 -

Alan Woodman Alan Thomas Woodman (7 June 1955 – 8 May 2014) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Woodman was a defender from Bannockburn who played mostly as a centre half-back and in the back ...

**1988 - Brian Hinkley **1992 - Brad Nicholls **1994 - Nick Hider **1999 - Mark Bourke **2006 - Ben Harris

VFL/AFL players

The following footballers played with Campderdown FC prior to making their senior VFL / AFL debut. * 1872 - Albert Pompey Austin - * 1900 -

John Parish John Parish (born 11 April 1959) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. Parish is best known for his work with singer-songwriter PJ Harvey. He has also worked with such artists as Eels, Aldous Harding, Tracy Chapm ...

- * 1932 - Harold Maskell - * 1937 - Alf Clay - * 1947 -

Len White Leonard Roy White (23 March 1930 – 17 June 1994) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre forward. He is most notable for his time at Newcastle United, where he is the club's all-time third highest goalscorer. Biography ...

- * 1952 - Norm Sharp - * 1953 - Bruce Murray - * 1956 - Bryan King - St. Kilda * 1963 -

Brian Carroll Brian Carroll (born July 20, 1981) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defensive midfielder, notably appearing for D.C. United Columbus Crew and Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer. He is the only player in ML ...

- * 1963 - Barry Rippon - * 1963 -

Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American journalist and television news anchor. He was a correspondent for ''NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchorman, anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in ...

- * 1965 - Peter Wood - * 1966 - Garrey Wynd - * 1974 - Wayne Linton - * 1980 - Ross Thornton - * 1987 -

- , * 1988 -

Paul Broderick Paul Broderick (born 3 January 1970) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League, VFL/AFL between 1988 and 1993 for the Fitzroy Football Club and then from 1994 until 2001 for the Richmond Football Club. ...

- , * 1995 - Nick Hider - * 1996 - Scott Lucas - * 2008 -

Easton Wood Easton Phillip Wood (born 4 September 1989) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He grew up in Camperdown, Victoria, Camperdown, Victoria (Australia), Victoria whi ...

- * 2020 - David Lake -

Gold Coast Suns The Gold Coast Suns, officially the Gold Coast Football Club, are a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club is based on Queensland's Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast in the ...

The following footballers came to Camperdown FNC with prior senior VFL / AFL experience. *1920 - Jim Caldwell - South Melbourne *1933 - Lloyd Hagger - Geelong *1937 - Danny Warr - St. Kilda *1947 - Jack Hacker - South Melbourne *1954 - Don Grossman - South Melbourne *1954 - Ritchie Green - Carlton *1965 - Stewart Lord - Geelong *1982 -

- Geelong

Bibliography

* ''Evergreen Hampden'' by Fred R. Bond, 1979, * ''History of football in the Western District'' by John Stoward,

References

External links

Twitter page

SportsTG site
{{Hampden Football Netball League Hampden Football Netball League clubs 1877 establishments in Australia Sports clubs and teams established in 1877 Australian rules football clubs established in 1877 Camperdown, Victoria Netball teams in Victoria (state)