Heidelberg Football Club

Heidelberg Football Club
Names
Full name Heidelberg Football Club
Nickname(s) The Tigers, Bergers
2014 season
Leading goalkicker Jordan Treloar (31)
Club details
Founded 1876
Colours      Yellow and      Black
Competition Northern Football League
Chairman Greg Sheahan
Coach Craig Hunter
Captain(s) Jason Kennedy
Ground(s) Warringal Park
Other information
Official website heidelbergfc.com.au

Heidelberg Football Club is an Australian rules football club in Heidelberg, Victoria, currently competing in the Northern Football League.

History

Established in 1876, Heidelberg Football Club is one of the oldest Australian rules football clubs in the country. The club initially competed in the Melbourne Football League against other suburban clubs such as Northcote, Waverley, South Melbourne and Sandridge. Heidelberg's original guernsey was blue and white until adopting the current strip of yellow and black during the 1880s.

Heidelberg has competed in many different football leagues during its history. Commencing in the Melbourne Football League, the club was a founding member of Bourke-Evelyn Football League in 1890. Between 1900 and 1902, Heidelberg competed in the VFA before transferring to the Northern Suburban Football League. The club was a founding member of Heidelberg District Football League in 1909 before transferring to the fledgling Diamond Valley Football League in 1923.

Heidelberg Football Club c.1897

Heidelberg's dominance of the DVFL led to the club moving temporarily to VFL Sub-Districts League in 1925 whilst still successfully fielding a second team in the DVFL (known as Heidelberg Juniors at the time). The club returned exclusively to the DVFL in 1930 and has remained in this league since with considerable success. The junior club now resides in the YJFL.

The Club has won a total 27 senior premierships including a record 19 in the Northern Football League, the first being in 1890, and the most recent in 2009.

The original home ground was at Heidelberg Park, but after a recess during the World War 2, the club moved across Beverley Road to the current address at Warringal Park.

At the end of the 1980 season the bottom four clubs were to be relegated to a newly formed Second Division in 1981 so Heidelberg having finished 13th (third last) was relegated. After three seasons in Division Two the club earned promotion with a breakthrough Grand Final victory over Northcote Park in 1983. After two respectable years in 1984/85 the club then went on to achieve Division one success in 1986 and then again in 1990.

Heidelberg became the inaugural Northern Football League Premier and Champion in 2007, going through the season undefeated. Heidelberg were the last Diamond Valley Football League Premier in 2006 after a formal audit by Football Victoria forced the league to change its name, this was initially caused by concerns expressed by the club while attempting to transfer to the Eastern FL. In 2009 Heidelberg completed a four peat of Premierships defeating Bundoora in the Grand Final, (equaling the League record of 4 in a row) and making it five wins from the past six Grand Finals.

The Tigers finished runners-up in both 2010 & 2011 to West Preston Lakeside and Bundoora respectively.

Heidelberg holds the record for the longest winning sequence in DVFL/NFL history with 48 wins in a row (round 3 2008 to round 10 2010)

Premierships

Northern Football League (Formerly Diamond Valley Football League)

Division 1

1923, 1928, 1929, 1937, 1938, 1948, 1950, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1964, 1986, 1990, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009.

1950, 1951, 1953, 1956, 1960, 1963, 1967, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2013

1980

Division 2

1983

1981

Bourke-Evelyn Football League

1890

Northern Suburban Football League

1905, 1908

Heidelberg District Football League

1910, 1911, 1912, 1919, 1920

Notable players

External links