Aberfeldie Football Club
Encyclopedia
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| Full name | Aberfeldie Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Abers |
| Strip | Pale blue with dark blue flash on front |
| Founded | 1944 |
| League | Essendon District Football League Essendon District Football League The Essendon District Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne, which was established in 1930.The EDFL consists of 24 senior clubs, 10 clubs in A Grade and 14 clubs in B Grade... since 1948 |
| Ground | Clifton Park, Aberfeldie |
| Senior Premierships | 8 |
| Senior Premiership Years | 1953, 1959, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1995 (see below for official tallys) |
| Website | http://www.abers.com.au |
Aberfeldie Football Club is an Australian rules football club located 9 km north-west of Melbourne in the suburb of Aberfeldie which entered the Essendon District Football League
Essendon District Football League
The Essendon District Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne, which was established in 1930.The EDFL consists of 24 senior clubs, 10 clubs in A Grade and 14 clubs in B Grade...
in 1948.
Originally known as ‘The Gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s’, the team wore a navy blue guernsey with an ACC monogram in reference to the Aberfeldie Community Centre. The first team to represent the club was an Under 17's in 1948, winning the Club’s first premiership in 1951.
The Senior club was established in 1950 winning the 1953 B-Grade premiership. The 1960s produced only one premiership, the Under 17's in 1966. After finishing second last in A-Grade in 1973 the club won the premiership in 1974. Several Grand Final appearances followed without success before being relegated to B-Grade in 1979. With Runners up in 1980 and 1981, the club won the B-Grade premiership in 1982 and promotion to A-Grade for 1983. Subsequently relegated back to B-Grade the club won the 1995 B-Grade premiership losing only one match for the season.
Now also commonly known by the nickname 'Abers', the club's original playing strip was retired in 1999 and the following year (2000) a new striking design was implemented. This current strip features the official club colours Sky Blue with a Navy Blue flash (or zig zag) on the front panel. Over the next few seasons, the junior section replicated the new strip for each under age group until all teams were identical.
Aberfeldie fields 15 under age junior teams and in Season 2010 all of those teams entered the finals series and ultimately, four of those teams won premierships including U10-Div.1, U12-Div.1, U12-Div.8 and U16-Div.1
The club's Under 18's which comes under the jurisdiction of Senior Football, won five consecutive premierships 2000–2004 which is an EDFL record for a single team and again in 2008. This bodes well for the future with many players graduating from the ranks of the Under 18s to full senior level.
On October 5, 2010 the club officially announced that John McMillan had been appointed as the new Senior Coach for Season 2011, succeeding Dean Rioli
Dean Rioli
Dean Rioli is an indigenous former Australian rules football player who spent his whole professional career with the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
who had retired at the end of the 2010 season. McMillan's contract is for two seasons, with an option for a third. He has a wealth of experience in local football, having participated in his own career as both a player and coach.
Senior Premierships (8)
Premiers:- A-Grade 1974. , A-Reserves 1975, 1977 & 2009.
- B-Grade 1953, 1959, 1982, 1995. , B-Reserves 1981.
- Under 18’s 1951, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 & 2008.
Season 2011
The club entered it's 63rd year in the EDFL competition with some high profile recruits, including former AFL players Courtney JohnsCourtney Johns
Courtney Johns is an Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League. Wearing the number 21 Guernsey, he plays full-forward and occasional back, seen as a power forward due to his strong build, height, ability to take a strong mark and inflict damage.-Early career and...
, Hayden Skipworth
Hayden Skipworth
Hayden Skipworth was an Australian rules footballer with the Essendon Football Club of the Australian Football League. After playing 44 games over six years for the Adelaide Crows he was delisted in 2006...
and Damien Peverill
Damien Peverill
Damien Peverill is an Australian rules footballer who played 144 senior games with Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League between 2001 and 2008...
. Complementing this, AFL great Jason Akermanis
Jason Akermanis
Jason Dean Akermanis is an Australian rules football player. He is a Brownlow Medallist and triple premiership player who played for the Brisbane Bears, Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs...
is training with the club whilst playing for Tasmanian team Glenorchy.