The Club was an Australian reality television

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 show about an Australian rules football

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...

 sport

Sport

A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...

ing side, the Hammerheads, which was screened on the Seven Network

Seven Network

The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...

 in 2002 for one series. It was seen as a way for Seven to stay involved in football after losing the broadcast rights to the 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...

 after the 2001 season.

The show featured a handpicked team of amateur footballers coached by former VFL/AFL legend David Rhys-Jones

David Rhys-Jones

David Rhys-Jones is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club and the Sydney Swans in the VFL/AFL. The highlight of his 182 game career was winning the Norm Smith Medal as best on ground in Carlton's 1987 Grand Final victory...

 which played against various Victorian football sides from the Western Region Football League

Western Region Football League

The Western Region Football League is an Australian rules football semi-professional league, based in the western suburbs of Melbourne, for both seniors and juniors.-History:The league was formed in 1931, as the Footscray District Football League...

 second division, following the trials and tribulations of its players.

Unlike normal clubs, the home audience were able to influence who was selected in the team each week by voting to keep their favourite players in the side. Viewers also got to vote on many of the club's other key aspects including its name, coach, captain and song.

The show was considered trailblazing and generated a cult following, with several crowds at games featuring the Hammerheads pushing 5,000 spectators and many claiming the Hammerheads as their second favourite sporting team. After finishing the regular season in third position, the Hammerheads went on to win the Grand Final

Grand Final

Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...

 and claim the flag in their first – and only – season.

Despite the show's success, it did not return to television.

Controversy

The show also achieved its share of controversy and publicity. The Hammerheads attempted to have a woman, Debbie Lee, play on their team in competition games but were ultimately stopped by the league. There were also criticisms of personal attacks by coach Rhys-Jones on players.