Prahran Football Club Explained

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Clubname:Prahran Football Club
Fullname:Prahran Football Club Inc
Formernames:Prahran Assumption Football Club
Nicknames:Two Blues
Clubsong:"Here come Prahran boys" (Notre Dame March)
Founded:1886, re-formed
League:Victorian Amateur Football Association
Coach:Craige Milward
Ground:Toorak Park
Capacity:15,000
Premierships:VAFA (3) VFA Div 1 (5) VFA Div 2 (2)
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The Prahran Football Club, nicknamed the Two Blues, is an Australian rules football club based at Toorak Park in Armadale, Victoria.

The club will compete in the Premier C division of the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) in 2025 after winning the 2024 Division 1 premiership.[3] [4]

History

VFA

Prahran Football Club was formed at a meeting at Prahran Court House on 20 March 1886. The club was admitted to the Victorian Football Association in 1886 playing its home games at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground. In 1887, it moved to nearby Wesley College Ground.[5] [6] After the 1887 season, the VFA reduced the number of clubs and Prahran amalgamated with the neighbouring St Kilda Football Club, which was based less than a mile away.[7]

Prahran was reformed as a club on 15 March 1899, and rejoined the VFA that season, this time playing at Toorak Park, approximately two miles from St Kilda.[8] [9] [10] It played in the VFA between 1899 and 1994, with the exception of 1959 when it competed in the Metropolitan Football League (MFL) because the Prahran City Council would not lease Toorak Park to Prahran's reserves team, leaving the club expelled from the Association's requirements for failing to meet its minimum home ground requirements.

At the end of 1994, when administration of the VFA was turned over to the Victorian State Football League, Prahran left the Association as part of the VSFL's efforts to reduce the size of the VFA and align it with the TAC Cup.

Although Prahran's identity was carried on within the TAC Cup from 1995, when the Central Dragons club moved to Toorak Park and were renamed the Prahran Dragons (a name it carried until the end of 1999), there was no affiliation with Prahran Football Club.[11]

VAFA

The club continued to exist in an administrative capacity after its departure from the VFA, and continued to operate the Prahran Tabaret – a gambling bar it owns and operates in Chapel Street, Prahran – despite having no on-field presence. Following the 1998 VAFA season, the club merged with Southbank Football Club and joined the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) under the stewardship of Herald Sun racing writer Tim Habel. It also re-established its junior arm, and, after commencing with just two junior teams, the club now has eight junior teams and has formed a joint under-19s team with Caulfield Football Club.

In 2010, a joint venture with Assumption College was approved, and in 2011 the club changed its name to Prahran/Assumption Football Club.

The club won 2 premierships in 2011 and 2017 as Prahran Assumption, before reverting to the "Prahran" moniker in 2023. Prahran returns to Premier C Section in 2025 after a dominant season in 2024 culminated in another premiership.

Honours

Premierships

DivisionLevelWinsYears won
Victorian Amateur Football AssociationSeniors (Division 1)12024
Seniors (Division 2)12017
Seniors (Division 3)12011
Victorian Football Association Seniors (Division 1)51937, 1951, 1970, 1973, 1978
Seniors (Division 2)21966, 1987
VFA/VFL ReservesDivision 121946, 1991
Division 211965
VFA/VFL ThirdsDivision 121970, 1972
Division 211964
Metropolitan Football LeagueSeniors11959[12]

VFA best and fairest awards

Club champions/best and fairest

Team of the Century

Selected in 2003 by - Jack Morgans, Ray Harvey, Charlie Roach and Ray Ryan.[16]

VFL/AFL players

The following well known footballers played with Prahran FC prior to making their senior VFL/AFL debut. View the complete list at the bottom of this page under "Prahran Football Club Players".

The following footballers played with Prahran FC after playing senior VFL / AFL football, with the year indicating their first season with Prahran.

Thomas Anthony McLaughlin. Born Belfast, travelled to Australia to complete his professional Football career playing for Prahran 1963-1965

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Amateur Footballer Week 1 2023 . Victorian Amateur Football Association . 7 October 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230422021615/https://www.vafa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VAFA-Record-Round-1_23_R1.pdf . 22 April 2023 . 15 April 2023.
  2. Web site: TWO TIMES TWO BLUES . Victorian Amateur Football Association . 7 October 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240718060831/https://www.vafa.com.au/news/2010/11/16/two-times-two-blues/ . 18 July 2024 . 16 November 2010.
  3. Web site: Two Blues VAFA Division 1 premiers 2024 . Prahran Football Club . 19 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240919113324/https://prahranfootballclub.com.au/blogs/news/two-blues-vafa-division-1-premiers . 19 September 2024 . 15 September 2024.
  4. Web site: Cole . Liam . Prahran prevail in hail to lift the cup . Victorian Amateur Football Association . 19 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240919112121/https://www.vafa.com.au/news/2024/09/17/prahran-prevail-in-hail-to-lift-the-cup/ . 19 September 2024 . 17 September 2024.
  5. News: The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. 30 April 1886. The Football Season. 6.
  6. Web site: Albert Cricket Ground, Victoria, Australia. Vin Maskell. 11 March 2012. 23 March 2014.
  7. News: The Telegraph, St Kilda, Prahran and South Yarra Guardian. 7. 7 April 1888. Football. Rover.
  8. Book: Fiddian . Marc . The Blue Boys: A History of the Prahran Football Club . 21 April 1986 . Prahran Football Club . 0958989907.
  9. Web site: Prahran Football Club . Prahran Football Club.
  10. News: A senior club at Prahran. The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. 16 March 1899. 7.
  11. News: Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. Plan a 'victory' for VFA identity. Adrian Dunn. 13 October 1994. 73. Afternoon.
  12. News: The Sun News-Pictorial. Prahran gets Toorak Oval. 52. 6 October 1959. Melbourne, VIC.
  13. Web site: 1928 - Best & Fairest Player . The Argus . 6 March 2021 . 6 . 27 August 1927.
  14. Web site: 1931 - W. Koop to Receive Recorder Cup . Sporting Globe . 5 March 2021 . 4 . 7 November 1931.
  15. Web site: 1935 - VFA Best & Fairest . The Age . 6 March 2021 . 6 . 9 September 1935.
  16. Web site: Prahran FC - Team of the Century . Boyles Football Photos . Prahran FC . 6 March 2021 . 2003.