The Leopold Football Club was an Australian rules football club that competed in junior competitions in Melbourne from the late 1890s until 1924. The club was affiliated with Victorian Football League senior club South Melbourne.[1][2]
| Leopold | |
|---|---|
| Names | |
| Full name | Leopold Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | Redlegs |
| Club details | |
| Founded | 1898 |
| Dissolved | 1924 |
| Competition | Metro Junior Football Association (1898–1918) Victorian Junior Football League (1919–1924) |
| Premierships | MJFA (5) |
Despite its name, the club was not based in the Geelong suburb of Leopold. The name possibly came from Leopold Street in South Yarra.
History edit
Leopold first appeared in historical records in 1898, competing in the Metropolitan Junior Football Association. The club won its first MJFA premiership in 1900, going back-to-back with another victory in 1901.[1] At some point around 1904, Leopold had a relationship with the Melbourne Football Club.[3]
The club won two premierships in a row again in 1910 and 1911.[1] Around 1912, it began to be affiliated with the South Melbourne Football Club, which competed in the Victorian Football League. As South Melbourne was a seniors side, Leopold operated as its juniors team.[4]
A fifth premiership was won in 1915, before the impacts of World War I in Australia affected football competitions.
The VFL introduced a reserves competition in 1919, known as the Victorian Junior Football League (VJFL), and Leopold contested as South Melbourne's affiliate until the end of the 1924 season.
In 1925, the competition was renamed as the VFL seconds, and the South Melbourne Second Eighteen (later known as the South Melbourne reserves) replaced Leopold in the competition.[5][6]
Notable players edit
- Bill Hennington (formerly South Melbourne)
- Angus McDonald (formerly St Kilda)
References edit
- ^ a b c "Club History". Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2013-12-17.
- ^ "Coburg Two Years In League Seconds". Trove. Sporting Globe.
- ^ "FOOTBALL NOTES". Trove. The Australasian.
- ^ Football: Metropolitan Amateur Association, The Argus, (Saturday, 8 May 1915), p.17.
- ^ "Leopold". The Age. Melbourne, VIC. 18 March 1925. p. 18.
- ^ "V.F.L. SECONDS". Trove. The Age.