Ballarat Football Club


The Ballarat Football Netball Club is an Australian rules football and netball club. The football squad currently competes in the Ballarat Football League in the Ballarat region of Victoria, Australia.
The Ballarat Football Netball Club was established on 20 May 1860, making it the 3rd oldest continually operating football club in Australia, behind Melbourne FC, and Geelong FC.
Its first President and Captain was Lieutenant Colonel Alexander M. Greenfield. It's senior best and fairest award is named after Alexander Greenfield.
Ballarat played their home matches at City Oval in Ballarat for 88 years, then moved to their current location at Alfredton Recreation Reserve in 1994. Ballarat's senior guernsey is white with Red 'V'.
Ballarat was a provincial member of the Victorian Football Association from 1878 until 1896, taking part in the Association's administration and competing regularly against Melbourne-based VFA clubs. The club was also a founding member of the Ballarat Football Association in 1893.
Ballarat Football Netball Club's junior program has produced recent AFL players Drew Petrie, twins Nathan & Mitch Brown, brothers Brad & Matt Crouch and AFLW player Sophie Van De Heuvel.

Club identity

Guernsey

The senior jumper is white with a red V. The club senior team wore red & white vertical stripes between season 2010 and 2018, however reverted back to the traditional red V from season 2019.
From season 2019 the junior 'Swans' division of the club have worn the red and white vertical stripes, and the junior 'Storm' division have worn red and white horizontal hoops. Both junior jumpers have historical significance as being designs worn by Ballarat FC during the 1800s.

Song

The club song is known as "Cheer, Cheer The Red and The White" and is to the tune of the Victory March, the fight song of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana, USA. The words are:

Mascot

The club's mascot is the angry swan.

Home ground

Since the 1994 season, Ballarat have played all their home games at the Alfredton Recreation Reserve, in Alfredton, Victoria, Australia. The venue has been home to Ballarat's home games since the club's relocation from City Oval in 1993. In the years 1906-1993, Ballarat played its home matches at the City Oval, in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Whilst there, they were co-tenants with the Redan Football Club. The move to Alfredton by the club was a strategic one based on the growing population of the suburb, and the opportunity to join its junior division, who had been playing at Alfredton since 1984.

Premierships

Club records

Most Senior Games: Paul Nicholls 248
Most Senior Goals: Max Wheeler 359
Most Goals in a Game: Max Wheeler 17
Most Goals in a Senior Season: D. Duff 113
Most Greenfield Trophies : Don Discher x 6 Ashley Baker x 6
Most Years as Coach: Len Templar 15 years
Most Years as Captain: Harry Kaighan 8 years
Most Years as Club President: Matt Glover 21 years
Most Years as Club Secretary: J. Shannon 18 Years
Most Years as Club Treasurer: E. R. Bodycomb 26 years