The Kangaroo Flat Football Netball Club 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

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...

suburb of Kangaroo Flat,

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

Bendigo Football Netball League The Bendigo Football Netball League (previously known as the Bendigo and District Football Association, Bendigo Football Association and Bendigo Football League) is an Australian rules football and netball competition based in the Bendigo regio ...

. The club spent much of the twentieth century in the Bendigo Football Association, and were premiers in 1923, 1926, 1948 and 1955. Their sole premiership win in the Bendigo Football League was in 1996.

History

In 1862 a football club was formed, originally known as "Kangaroo Football Club" based out of the Kangaroo Flat Cricket Ground and later renamed "Kangaroo Flat". Few records exist of the club in the 1860s and 1870s however public records of its activity exist in 1863, 1873, in 1882 as part of the Sandhurst Football Association and between 1884 and 1886. In 1885, the club fielded a juniors team which competed against Golden Square. In 1886 it reported a strong financial result and a successful senior season of 14 matches with 9 wins. The club resolved to join the junior football association and to advertise future annual meetings. However few public records exist of teams or matches from the Sandhurst Junior Football Association which formed in 1887 apart from the occasional representative match against other competitions. It is possible that it spent the next 3 years in this competition. On the 23rd April 1890, the club advertised a meeting at Gunn's Hotel which coincided with a meeting of the Bendigo District Football Association at the Courthouse hotel. It is possible that the club reformed its senior side with an intention to compete in said competition. If so that would make it one of the oldest football clubs. According to Horsfall (1993) the club was formed in 1890. It is suggested that the club colours, emerald green and white, were chosen as a result of the many Welshmen who played in the club in its early years, who wished to remember their own colours of

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. Following World War I, the club's uniform colours changed to a navy blue jumper with a white kangaroo. The colours reverted to green and white shortly after. The club's most successful era was the 1920s, being premiers in 1923 and, undefeated, in 1926. They also played in the grand finals of 1927 and 1929, losing by a narrow margin. Following

World War II 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 ...

, the club was reformed in 1946. In 1947, the club made the finals, and the following year, were undefeated premiers. They were also premiers in 1955, defeating

North Bendigo North Bendigo is a suburb of the city of Bendigo in central Victoria, Australia. North Bendigo is in the City of Greater Bendigo The City of Greater Bendigo is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central part of th ...

by thirty points. They joined the Golden City Football League (GCFL) in 1960 and won a premiership in their first season, with a seven-point grand final win over White Hills. The GCFL merged with the Bendigo Football League before the 1981 season to form the Bendigo-Golden City Football League, and Kangaroo Flat were admitted into the second division. Kangaroo Flat has the record of being the oldest established football club from the Golden City Football League to have been incorporated into the

Bendigo Football League The Bendigo Football Netball League (previously known as the Bendigo and District Football Association, Bendigo Football Association and Bendigo Football League) is an Australian rules football and netball competition based in the Bendigo regio ...

. The club was promoted to the first division in 1982, and the following year, the name of the competition was reverted to the Bendigo Football League. In 1985, the club reached the final five, but lost the elimination final to

Golden Square Golden Square, in Soho, the City of Westminster, London, is a mainly hardscaped garden square planted with a few mature trees and raised borders in Central London flanked by classical office buildings. Its four approach ways are north and so ...

. They also finished fourth in 1990 and fifth in 1992. Kangaroos Flat were BFL premiers for the first and only time in 1996 when they defeated

Kyneton Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of central Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. The town has three main streets: Mollison Street, Piper Street and High Street. Piper Street has ...

18.18.126 to 15.20.110. The club also made the grand final in 2000 but lost to Castlemaine by 12 points, despite having three more scoring shots. The club has been described as "the complete football team" and "arguably the best to have played" in the Bendigo Football Association. Their home ground is Dower Park.

Other teams

Juniors

In 1976, the Kangaroo Flat Junior Football Club under 12s won the premiership of 1976.

Reserves

Both the Kangaroo Flat reserves team and the second reserves team won the premiership on 1979. From 1981 to 1983, the regular reserves them won the premiership three times.

Premierships

(1): 1996

Notable players

Phil Carman Phillip Carman (born 4 September 1950 in Edenhope, Victoria) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented Norwood in the SANFL and , , and in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1970s and 1980s. A flamboyant player wh ...

( Collingwood Best and Fairest winner who was playing coach of Kangaroo Flat in 1985) * Nathan Chapman (

Brisbane Bears The Brisbane Bears were a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, now known as the Brisbane Lions. Granted a Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL), licence in 1986, ...

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 ...

and Hawthorn player who was recruited from Kangaroo Flat) * Brett Gloury * Graeme Robertson ( Carlton and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

player who was recruited from Kangaroo Flat) * Ty Zantuck (

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club, in the Australian Football League *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington United Kin ...

and Richmond defender who played with Kangaroo Flat in 2007) *Peter Hinch (

, Carlton and

Geelong West Geelong West is a commercial and residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. When Geelong was founded, the area was known as Kildare but its name was changed to Geelong West in 1875. The main street is Pakington Street. At the 2016 c ...

VFA player who coached Kangaroo Flat's reserves team in their triple premiership victory from 1981. Also former player in the Kangaroo Flat junior team) * Richard Foster a Kanagroo Flat junior who played with Carlton U/19's from 1984 to 1985, and their Reserves team from 1985 to 1987. He was a member of Carlton's 1987 Reserves premiership team. He transferred to Port Adelaide in the SANFL where he played he 145 games and kicked 32 goals. He was a member of Port Adelaide premierships in 1988, 1990, 1992 and 1995.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Sports clubs and teams established in 1862 Australian rules football clubs established in 1862 Bendigo Football Netball League clubs 1862 establishments in Australia Netball teams in Victoria (state)