Parkside Spurs is a

women's Australian rules football Women's Australian rules football (in areas where it is popular, known simply as women's football or women's footy or women's AFL), is the female-only form of Australian rules football, generally with some modification to the laws of the game. ...

club that competes in the

Western Region Football League The Western Football Netball League (WFNL) is a semi-professional Australian rules football and netball league, based in the western suburbs of Melbourne. History The league was formed in 1931 as the Footscray District Football League (FDFL). ...

and AFL Masters Victoria competition. Based in Footscray, they play home games at Henry Turner Oval.

History

The club were founded in 1993 by

Debbie Lee Deborah Lee (born 1974) is a former Australian rules football player and coach. She has campaigned for recognition of women's Australian rules football in Australia, giving up a Women's National Basketball League, WNBL career to focus on devel ...

as the Sunshine YCW Spurs. In 2000, the club moved to St Albans and rebranded as the St Albans Spurs. It was at St Albans that the Spurs won their first premiership, captained by Lee, who also claimed the Lisa Hardeman Medal for best on ground. The club obtained a sponsorship from

Victoria University Victoria University may refer to: * Victoria University (Australia), a public research university in Melbourne, Australia * Victoria University, Toronto, a constituent college of the federal University of Toronto in Canada * Victoria University of ...

in 2008 and the club marketed itself as the VU St Albans Spurs. Soon after, the club won its second premiership in 2011. In 2015, the club was rebranded and relocated to Footscray, obtaining a sponsorship from the Maribyrnong City Council to be subsequently renamed the VU Western Spurs. The club had strong ties to the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...

during this period; the club shared its

VFL Women's VFL Women's (VFLW) is the major state-level women's Australian rules football league in Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The league initially comprised the six premier division clubs and the top four division 1 clubs from the now-defunct Victori ...

license with the Bulldogs in 2018 and used their name and colours.

Jordan Roughead Jordan Roughead (born 3 November 1990) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club and the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). Roughead is the 2024 backline coach of the Collingwood ...

, a former Western Bulldogs ruckman, was also an assistant coach of the club from 2015 until the end of the 2018 season.

Colours

The Parkside Spurs have one guernsey, which is predominately sky blue with dark blue trimmings and features a 'PS' monogram in white. At home the Spurs wear dark blue shorts and dark blue socks. When playing away from home the Spurs don all-white shorts with a blue stripe running down each side and dark blue socks.

AFLW representatives

The VU Western Spurs have had 8 players drafted to the

AFLW AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football competition for women's Australian rules football, female players. The 2017 AFL Women's season, first season of the l ...

competition whilst registered as a Spurs player. In the 2016 AFLW Draft,

Alyssa Mifsud Alyssa Mifsud (born 22 December 1994) is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the AFL Women's competition. She was drafted by Melbourne with their fifth selection and fortieth overall in the 2016 AFL Wome ...

Shelley Scott Shelley Scott (born 16 March 1988) is an Australian rules footballer playing for Geelong in the AFL Women's competition. She was drafted by Melbourne with their sixth selection and forty-first overall in the 2016 AFL Women's draft. She made her ...

Ainslie Kemp Ainslie Kemp (born 18 March 1997) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Hawthorn Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition. Kemp previously played with the Melbourne Football Club. AFLW career Kemp was drafted by Melbou ...

and Sarah Lampard were all drafted to

Melbourne FC The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

Bree White Bree White (born 18 December 1981) is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Early life and state football White grew up in Ballarat and in her junior days acted as a boundary ump ...

was drafted by

Collingwood FC The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. ...

and

Ashleigh Guest Ashleigh Guest (born 10 April 1990) is a retired Australian rules footballer who played for Greater Western Sydney, Melbourne, and the Western Bulldogs in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Guest was drafted by the Greater Western Sydney Giants with their ...

was drafted to

Greater Western Sydney Giants The Greater Western Sydney Giants (officially the Greater Western Sydney Football Club and colloquially known as the GWS Giants or simply GWS or Giants) are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney Olympic Park which repres ...

. In the 2017

Rookie Draft,

Naomi Ferres Naomi Ferres (born 26 October 1997) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Ferres was drafted by the Western Bulldogs with the club's first selection and the third pick overall in the 2017 ...

was chosen by the

at pick number 3. Ferres went on to win the

2018 AFL Women's Grand Final The 2018 AFL Women's Grand Final was an Australian rules football match held on 24 March 2018 to determine the premiers of the 2018 AFL Women's season, the league's second season. It was contested by the and and was won by the Western Bulldogs ...

and took a crucial mark in the defensive 50 on the siren to deny 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 ...

a chance to tie the game. The 2018

Draft saw Jessie Davies also be drafted by the

at pick 46. During the 2019

Draft, Elisabeth Georgostathis was drafted by the

at pick 9. In the preseason of the 2020

season , Vivien Saad was signed by the

North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos or colloquially the Roos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AF ...

. The Sydney Swans AFLW side was introduced ahead of the 2022/2023 season and with this came new opportunities for footballers across the country. A premiership Spur, Aimee Whelan was one of the inaugural signings for the club after a breakthrough season in the VFLW

Club honours and achievements

2004 - VWFL Seniors Premiers vs. Melbourne University 2009 - Best Conducted Club for the Western Region 2011 - VWFL Seniors Premiers vs.

Darebin Falcons The Darebin Women's Sports Club, nicknamed the Falcons, is a sports club based in the northern suburbs of Melbourne that is primarily notable for its women's Australian rules football, Australian rules football team which competes in the highest- ...

2012 - Victoria University Sports Awards: Sporting Club of the Year 2012 - VWFL Reserves Premiers 2017 -

Northern Football League (Australia) The Northern Football Netball League (NFNL), formerly known as the Diamond Valley Football League (DVFL) and later the Northern Football League (NFL), is an Australian rules football and netball competition based in the Diamond Creek, Victori ...

Division 2 Premiers vs West Preston Lakeside 2019 -

Division 1 Premiers vs Diamond Creek 2019 -

Division 2 Premiers vs Heidelberg

Coaching staff

Football Department

References

{{VWFL Victorian Women's Football League clubs 1993 establishments in Australia Australian rules football clubs established in 1993 Australian rules football clubs in Melbourne Sport in the City of Maribyrnong