Inglewood Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Inglewood, Victoria. The club is currently affiliated with the Loddon Valley Football League.
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The first mention of football being played in Inglewood is in 1873, when 'the first football match of the season' was played by the Inglewood Cricket and Football Club. The first games were scratch matches between club members. Real interest began to be shown around 1876, when Inglewood played against Korong in a 'grand' football match as part of an Inglewood Hospital fund raiser. Inglewood also played against Serpentine that year, as well as a team of Inglewood 'amateurs' labelling themselves 'the Bothumpians'.
In 1877 the club became a foundation member of the Victorian Football Association (VFA). The Melbourne Football Club visited Inglewood in 1877, playing a match against an Inglewood District team. A similar match was played against the Carlton Football Club in 1878.
In the 1880s and '90's, Inglewood continued playing against local teams, firstly in a competition called the North West Division, and then the Loddon Association, before becoming a foundation member of the Loddon Valley Football League in 1903, taking out the inaugural premiership.
The club then joined the newly formed Korong League in 1908. The club was dominant in the 1920s, playing in 8 grand finals for 5 premierships, under the leadership of Jack Brennan, a former premiership player with South Melbourne in the VFL. Following Brennan's departure the club sought another high profile coach, signing Edward 'Carji' Greeves in 1931. Greeves was a premiership player for Geelong and the first winner of the Brownlow Medal for the VFL's Fairest and Best Player.
During the depression in the 1930s Inglewood formed two teams, the 'Stars' and the 'Rovers', competing against Serpentine and Rheola in the Inglewood Football Association. By 1937, the club was back to one team in the Korong League, returning to the Loddon Valley Football League in 1938. The club was very strong between 1946 and 1958, taking out 6 premierships in that period.
The club's most recent premierships came in 1971 and 1986.
The club celebrated it's 125th anniversary in 2001 with premiership reunions and the naming of a Team of the Century.
After reaching the preliminary final in 2003, the club fell upon hard times, enduring a 51 game losing streak. The drought was finally broken in Round 3, 2007. The fact the club survives today is testament to the hard working committee and loyal playing group that backed the club during that difficult period.
1877 - Victorian Football Association
1877 to c.1890 - North West Division
c1890 to 1902 - Loddon Association
1903 to 1907 - Loddon Valley Football League
1908 to c.1930 - Korong League
c.1932 to c.1936 - Inglewood Football Association
1937 - Korong League
1938 to Present - Loddon Valley Football League
1877 - Blue Jersey, Red Cap, Blue Knicks, Blue and Red Striped Hose
1908 - Blue and White
1930's - 'Stars' - Blue, 'Rovers' - Yellow and Black
1950's to 1980's - Royal Blue with White 'V'
1980's to Present - Navy Blue with White 'IFC' monogram
1876 to 1882 - Inglewood Public Park (current Golf Course)
1883 to 1947 - Inglewood Recreation Reserve ('Old Rec', bounded by Heales St, Morrow St, Verdon St and Storm Ln)
1948 to Present - Inglewood Community Sports Centre (Grant St)
1893 - Loddon Association
1903 - Loddon Valley Football League
1908 - Korong League
1923 - Korong League
1924 - Korong League
1926 - Korong League
1928 - Korong League
1930 - Korong League
1946 - Loddon Valley Football League
1951 - Loddon Valley Football League
1953 - Loddon Valley Football League
1954 - Loddon Valley Football League
1956 - Loddon Valley Football League
1958 - Loddon Valley Football League
1971 - Loddon Valley Football League
1986 - Loddon Valley Football League
Ralph Medcalf
Windsor Rochester
Charlie Catto
Eddie Harrison
Malcolm Johns
Kelvin Dows
'Carji' Greeves
Norm Hancock
Alec Medcalf
George Vanston
David Cossar
Graham Roberts
Jim Summers
Lindsay Kelly
Ralph Conboy
Ian Drill
Harry Lamprell
Percy Martyn
Ted Bradley
Brian Dowling
Peter Larson
Orm Renshaw
Jim 'Noey' Watts
Darrell Billett
Tim Birthisel
Jack Brennan
Bill Lamprell
Ian Triplett
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