Earl Spalding
Encyclopedia
Earl Spalding is a former Australian rules football
er who played for Melbourne
and Carlton
in the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League
(VFL/AFL).
Spalding grew up in Perth, Western Australia
, where he attended Wesley College
. His father, George Spalding was a well-known West Australian National Football League
(WANFL) player with the Perth Football Club
.
After leaving school, Spalding played for 63 games for Perth between 1983 and 1986. He also played four games of cricket
for Western Australia
as a fast bowler, during the 1984/85 season, taking 12 wickets at an average of 25.66.
He started his VFL/AFL career with Melbourne and was there from 1987 to 1991, playing 109 games. The following season he signed with Carlton and played 22 games for the year. He won a premiership with Carlton in 1995, and in 1996 brought up his 200th game of league football. He played his last senior AFL game in 1997. He then returned to Western Australia, but switched to East Fremantle
, where he played 32 games over two seasons, retiring after the 1999 season having played 314 senior games of football in the WAFL and AFL.
Spalding's brother Scott
also played for Carlton.
Spalding is currently working with the Fremantle Football Club
as an assistant coach.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played for Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
and Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
in the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL/AFL).
Spalding grew up in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, where he attended Wesley College
Wesley College, Perth
Wesley College, informally known as Wesley, is an independent, day and boarding school for boys and girls , situated in South Perth, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia....
. His father, George Spalding was a well-known West Australian National Football League
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
(WANFL) player with the Perth Football Club
Perth Football Club
The Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The club plays its matches at Lathlain Park.-History:...
.
After leaving school, Spalding played for 63 games for Perth between 1983 and 1986. He also played four games of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
as a fast bowler, during the 1984/85 season, taking 12 wickets at an average of 25.66.
He started his VFL/AFL career with Melbourne and was there from 1987 to 1991, playing 109 games. The following season he signed with Carlton and played 22 games for the year. He won a premiership with Carlton in 1995, and in 1996 brought up his 200th game of league football. He played his last senior AFL game in 1997. He then returned to Western Australia, but switched to East Fremantle
East Fremantle Football Club
The East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The team's home ground is East Fremantle Oval...
, where he played 32 games over two seasons, retiring after the 1999 season having played 314 senior games of football in the WAFL and AFL.
Spalding's brother Scott
Scott Spalding
Scott Spalding is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in the Australian Football League . Originally from Perth in the West Australian Football League , Spalding returned to his former club after only one season with the Blues. He later moved to play with East Fremantle,...
also played for Carlton.
Spalding is currently working with the Fremantle Football Club
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
as an assistant coach.