Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club Explained

Color1:
  1. 061A33
Color2:
  1. ffffff
Color3:solid #de0316
Clubname:Old Brighton Grammarians
Fullname:Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club
Nicknames:Tonners
Formernicknames:Club XVIII: Bloods, Warriors
Season:2024
Home&Amp;Away:VAFA: 1st
VAFAW: 1st
Afterfinals:VAFA

2nd
VAFAW: 1st

Topgoalkicker:VAFA: Nicholas Pavlou (30)[1]
VAFAW: Lily Tait (43)[2]
Bestandfairest:VAFA: TBC
VAFAW: TBC
Founded:[3]
Colours: Red Navy blue
League:VAFA

Premier
VAFAW: Division 1

Coach:VAFA: Marcel Bruin
VAFAW: Andrew Grant
Captain:VAFA: Harry Hill[4]
Pattern B1:_red_v_top
Pattern Sh1:_redsides
Body1:061A33
Shorts1:061A33
Socks1:FF0000
Url:obgfc.com.au

The Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club, nicknamed the Tonners, is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton.[5] The club maintains a close relationship with Brighton Grammar School.[6]

Old Brighton has won five senior premierships since it was formed in 1957, although the club has never won a top division grand final in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), finishing runners-up in 2007 and 2024.[7]

As of 2024, Old Brighton's men's team competes in the Premier Division of the VAFA, while the women's team is in Division 1 of the VAFA Women's (VAFAW).

History

Origins

The Old Brightonians Football Club was formed in 1921 and entered the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (MAFA, later VAFA) the same year.[8] Owing to the difficulty of maintaining a strong team, the club failed to win a single game and withdrew prior to the start of the 1922 season.[9] [10]

In 1924, the club returned to the MAFA, but only lasted two years and withdrew prior to the start of the 1926 season.[10] Another return came in 1932, but the club disbanded in 1939 in the early stages of World War II and did not compete in the 1940 VAFA season.[10]

Present-day club

The present-day Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club was reformed in 1957 and entered the VAFA's E Section the same year.[10] The club was promoted to D Section after a loss to Preston in the 1959 E Section grand final, and eventually won its first premiership with a 62-point victory over Alphington in the 1977 D Section grand final.[11]

In 1980, Old Brighton introduced a team (nicknamed the "Warriors") into the VAFA Club XVIII social competition.[12] The side disbanded at the end of the 1987 season, but briefly returned for the 1995 season.[12] [13] In 1996, the Warriors merged with the Bloods Football Club (which was formed in 1987) and competed as the Old Brighton Bloods for several years.[14] [15]

The club entered its first women's team in the inaugural VAFA Women's season in 2017, finishing sixth on the Division 1 ladder.[16]

Old Brighton's first Premier Division/A Section grand final was in 2007, where they lost to Old Xaverians.[17] A second top division grand final came in 2024, but the club lost by 18 points to Old Scotch.[18]

As of 2019, the club's number-one ticket holders were then-Liberal MP Tim Wilson and former Bayside mayor Felicity Frederico.[19] [20]

Club song

The club song is sung to the tune of George M. Cohan's 1906 song "You're a Grand Old Flag", and is the same song that the Melbourne Football Club uses.[21]

It's a grand old flag, it's a high flying flag,

It's the emblem for me and for you,

It's the emblem of the team we love,

The team of the Red and the Blue.

Every heart beats true, for the Red and the Blue,

And we sing this song to you,

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

Keep your eye on the Red and the Blue.

Old Brighton's Club XVIII team, the Warriors, also had an unofficial song in 1987 which was sung to the tune of "Advance Australia Fair".[12]

Old Brighton's sons let us rejoice, for the footy season's back you see.

With cans in our hands and [censored], a flag's our destiny,

We'll sink more beers and kick more goals, a few may get a shag...

Old Brighton couldn't keep us there, we were too good they found,

So on one dark and stormy night they kicked us off our ground,

We'll kick more goals and drink more beers...

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: William Buck Premier Men's 2024 Statistics . PlayHQ . 27 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240927120038/https://www.playhq.com/afl/org/victorian-amateur-football-association-vafa/victorian-amateur-football-association-vafa-2024/william-buck-premier-mens/7da39c1a/statistics?sort=GOAL_COUNT:DESC . 27 September 2024.
  2. Web site: Division 1 Womens 2024 Statistics . PlayHQ . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240928124538/https://www.playhq.com/afl/org/victorian-amateur-football-association-vafa/2024/division-1-womens/3a89e1f4/statistics?sort=GOAL_COUNT:DESC . 28 September 2024.
  3. Web site: Vale: Doug Ridley . Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240317125928/https://www.obgfc.com.au/news/muc4pf9ior2nd0dcrjadhlx76aay5g . 17 March 2024 . 26 February 2024.
  4. Web site: May . Brayden . Amy . Paul . VAFA: Harry Hill's bid to play in grand final scuppered by concussion protocols . Herald Sun . 28 September 2024 . https://archive.today/20240920072047/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/localfooty/vafa/vafa-harry-hills-bid-to-play-in-grand-final-scuppered-by-concussion-protocols/news-story/efef887abce8a34d0d340d7bab4292d6?amp&nk=15f93d600d1688c54cf2af692733ea20-1726816863 . 20 September 2024 . 20 September 2024.
  5. Web site: Beitzel . Brad . Old Brighton ends 15-year blight . The Age . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240928122609/https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/old-brighton-ends-15year-blight-20130915-2tswf.html . 28 September 2024 . 16 September 2013.
  6. Web site: OLD BRIGHTON GRAMMARIANS FOOTBALL CLUB . Issuu . Brighton Grammar School . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240928095015/https://issuu.com/brightongrammar/docs/meliora_autumn_2023_c1/s/22779828 . 28 September 2024 . 18 April 2023.
  7. Web site: Brighton tops B-grade . The Age . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240606051240/https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/brighton-tops-b-grade-20030512-gdvotw.html . 6 June 2024 . 12 May 2003.
  8. Web site: Old Brighton Football Club . Victorian Amateur Football Association . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240928102030/https://www.vafa.com.au/clubs/old-brighton/ . 28 September 2024.
  9. Web site: METROPOLITAN AMATEUR ASSOCIATION . The Argus . 20 October 2024 . 5 . 8 August 1921.
  10. Web site: McLellan . Bob . OBGFC: A Tribute . Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240928094057/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/601a2eb4a2c38a5e15c44aa4/t/6021f077eb9d5f2e0afc1554/1612837211412/Pages+1-194+from+Old+Brighton+Football+History.pdf . 28 September 2024 . 1-194.
  11. Web site: The Amateur Footballer Week 22 1977 . Victorian Amateur Football Association . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240812232451/https://www.vafa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/File-AF-1977-No-22.pdf . 12 August 2024 . 17 September 1977.
  12. Web site: McLellan . Bob . OBGFC: A Tribute . Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240928103707/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/601a2eb4a2c38a5e15c44aa4/t/6021f46dca9585717629cf9f/1612838027803/Pages+298-500+from+Old+Brighton+Football+History.pdf . 28 September 2024 . 298-500.
  13. Web site: A Tribute: Roger ‘Doggy’ Brown . Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240317130830/https://www.obgfc.com.au/from-the-archives/a-tribute-roger-doggy-brown . 17 March 2024 . 11 October 2023.
  14. Web site: The Amateur Footballer, Week 21, 1997 . Issuu . VAFA Media . 11 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230228144558/https://issuu.com/vafa_hq/docs/vafa-vol97.no21 . 28 February 2023 . 6 September 1997.
  15. Web site: Old Brighton Bloods Football Club (Vic) . Footypedia . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240926183123/https://www.footypedia.info/00000803.htm . 26 September 2024.
  16. Web site: Women's Development Division 1 2017 . GameDay . VAFA Results Archive . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240928094449/https://websites.mygameday.app/comp_info.cgi?c=0-3232-0-454316-0&a=LADDER . 28 September 2024.
  17. Web site: Pignataro . Joe . There is no tomorrow for Collegians and Old Brighton . Victorian Amateur Football Association . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240928091946/https://www.vafa.com.au/news/2022/09/09/there-is-no-tomorrow-for-collegians-and-old-brighton/ . 28 September 2024 . 9 September 2022.
  18. Web site: Old Brighton Senior Mens v Old Scotch Senior Mens, 2024, GF . PlayHQ . 27 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240927110330/https://www.playhq.com/afl/org/victorian-amateur-football-association-vafa/victorian-amateur-football-association-vafa-2024/william-buck-premier-mens/game-centre/05b8eaae . 27 September 2024 . 27 September 2024.
  19. Web site: Tim Wilson MP - 46th Parliament . openpolitics.au . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240928125013/https://openpolitics.au/46/tim-wilson . 28 September 2024 . No 1 Ticket Holder Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club.
  20. Web site: Wilson . Tim . Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club . Parliament of Australia . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240928125349/https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansardr/6af833d3-e254-451a-b27d-479d78f019cc/&sid=0157 . 28 September 2024 . 24 October 2017 . I would like to congratulate Old Brighton on an outstanding season and thank them so much for giving me the honour, with my fellow No. 1 ticketholder, Felicity Frederico, of being able to stand as their No. 1 ticketholder and in this place..
  21. Web site: Club Song . Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club . 28 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240317125803/https://www.obgfc.com.au/about . 17 March 2024.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Old Brighton Grammarians Football Club".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.