The Fitzroy Reds was 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 ...

club based in the

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

suburb of Fitzroy. The club was formed in 1954 as the University Reds (or simply Uni Reds), competing in the

Victorian Amateur Football Association The Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) is the largest senior community Australian rules football competition in Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded in 1892, it consists of six senior divisions, ranging from Premier to Division 3 i ...

(VAFA). In December 2008, the Reds merged with the

Fitzroy Football Club The Fitzroy Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently competing in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). Formed in 1883 to represent the inner-Melbourne municipality of City of Fitzroy, Fitzroy, the club is base ...

, which is now officially known as "Fitzroy Football Club (incorporating the Fitzroy Reds)" and currently competes in the VAFA's Premier Division.

History

University Reds

University Reds was formed in 1954, joining the

University Blacks Melbourne University Football Club, often known simply as University, is an Australian rules football club based at the University of Melbourne. Founded in 1859, it is one of the oldest football clubs in the world. The club fields two teams, kno ...

and

University Blues Melbourne University Football Club, often known simply as University, is an Australian rules football club based at the University of Melbourne. Founded in 1859, it is one of the oldest football clubs in the world. The club fields two teams, kno ...

as the

Melbourne University Football Club Melbourne University Football Club, often known simply as University, is an Australian rules football club based at the University of Melbourne. Founded in 1859, it is one of the oldest football clubs in the world. The club fields two teams, kno ...

's third team in the VAFA for the 1955 season. The club, which was originally in E Section and known as "University (E)", provided opportunities for Blacks and Blues players who were not selected in either of those sides to get a regular match. In 1964, the VAFA mandated reserves teams for all clubs. This forced the Reds to go into recess at the end of the season, however they soon returned and joined the

Federal Football League The Federal Football League (FFL), also known simply as the Federal League, was an Australian rules football competition in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. The competition was in existence from 1909 to 1981 and was regarded a ...

(FFL) before returning to the VAFA in

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

after two seasons in the FFL. The Reds won their first seniors premiership in F Section in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

Split from Melbourne University

Following the 1997 season, under increasing pressure from the Melbourne University Sports Union to meet the required number of undergraduate and post graduate registrations to obtain funding, the club split from the university and were renamed to Fitzroy Reds, with

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

their first season competing under the new name. In

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, the Reds played a

curtain-raiser A curtain raiser is a performance or performer that opens a show or event for the main attraction; it is usually shorter than the main attraction, but not always. The term is derived from the act of raising the stage curtain. The fashion in th ...

match against West Brunswick at the

MCG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the el ...

before the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. Brisbane are the ...

met during the

AFL Heritage Round Heritage Round was an annual round of matches in the Australian Football League in which all the teams wore throwback guernseys from the past.The first Heritage Round was in 2003 and the last was in 2007. Throwback uniforms continue to be worn ...

Merger with Fitzroy

On 2 April 2008, Reds president Craig Little announced a plan to merge the club with the

. Fitzroy had left the AFL following the 1996 season, but had not entirely disbanded and had a sponsorship arrangement with the Reds. In December 2008, the Reds formally transferred all its assets to the Fitzroy Football Club. The Reds terminated its membership of the VAFA and was wound up as an incorporated company and football club. By special dispensation from the VAFA, the Fitzroy Football Club then replaced the Reds in Division 1 of the VAFA, beginning in the 2009 season, fielding a senior and reserves side, as well as two under-19s sides and a Club XVIII side.

Honours

Team of the Century (1955−2000)

Seasons

Source:

Seniors

Reserves

Thirds

Fourths

Under-19s

Club XVIII

Grand finals

References

External links

Official website
(archived 23 July 2008) {{FFL Former Victorian Amateur Football Association clubs

Reds Reds may refer to: General * Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism * ''Reds'' (film), a 1981 American film starring and directed by Warren Beatty * Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists duri ...

Australian rules football clubs established in 1954 1954 establishments in Australia Australian rules football clubs disestablished in 2008 2008 disestablishments in Australia Australian rules football clubs in Melbourne Sport in the City of Yarra Fitzroy, Victoria