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Australian Rules Football has a long history of Charity Matches where the players have dressed up in fancy dress and played football. These games were not played by elite footballers but by a wide range of everyday people. While researching old football matches these dress up games regularly appear, to the point where they deserves some attention.

Local hospitals frequently received the football fundraising and women as well as men got a go. These games might not be ‘elite’ but they provide a fascinating insight into history. Firstly the outfit trends over time changed as the world around changed. Secondly, what caused the end of this phenomena? Was it Television, or changes in attitudes?

In 1896, after a proposal by VFA Secretary T.S. Marshall, a group of teams broke away and formed the VFL. Why did they do this? why were some teams in and some teams out?

Winning the AFL Premiership is the height of Australian football, but what is it’s origin story. This article explains how in the early years of football in Victoria, the premiership evolved from a newspaper acclimation in an ad-hoc season of football in the early 1870s, into a points system run by the Victorian Football Association and finally into the winner of the Grand Final of a national competition that it is today.

Turmoil, argument, teams folding and teams appearing,even new competing competitions. The final years of the gold mining boom in Bendigo were interesting times for football in the town.

John Haygarth was an exciting Geelong footballer in the fifties. This article is the story of his football life, including his controversial departure from Geelong in 1959. The article includes an interview with John and photographs from his personal collection.

Football fans never really saw the best of St Kilda’s Bill Stephenson as his career was cut short by cruel injuries. Like the legendary John Coleman, injury struck Bill in his prime and denied VFL followers the chance to see more of this talented champion from the Sale Football Club. This is the story of Bill Stephenson’s eventful football career with the Sale and St Kilda clubs.

Winning the AFL Premiership is the height of Australian football, but what is it’s origin story. This article explains how in the early years of football in Victoria, the premiership evolved from a newspaper acclimation in an ad-hoc season of football in the early 1870s, into a points system run by the Victorian Football Association and finally into the winner of the Grand Final of a national competition that it is today.

Eaglehawk Football Club was formed in 1880 and since then more than forty local players have graduated to VFL/AFL ranks including such well-known names as Rod Ashman, Alf Baud, Charlie Clymo, Des English, Ted Esposito, Bill Evely, Jarryn Geary, Ted Jinks, Damian Lock, Doug Palmer and Peter Pianto. This story, for Boyles Football Photos, is about Geelong’s dynamic rover of the 1950’s- Peter Pianto.

This article contains interesting photos from the collection of Leo Maynes. Maynes played with Brunswick (VFA) 1931-34, Fitzroy 1935-37, Essendon 1938-41, and in the wartime inter-services competition in 1942. The collection includes team photos, and photos and memorabilia from two football club end-of-season trips.

Dan Minogue begins today his own story of his distinguished career. And a human, gripping story this great football personality has to tell! It is brimming with all the incident, thrills, humor and pathos which he has encountered during a quarter of a century as crack player and successful captain and coach. Turning back Time, Dan takes readers behind the scenes with him; into club rooms and on to playing fields as he lives again his hours of triumph —and disappointment.

Famous South Australian Umpire Johnny Quinn's reminiscences appeared in the News (Adelaide) in 1940. Quinn was famous for his smile and his gestures. He also took part in redrafting the rules of the game.

Originally appeared in The Argus 2-May-1908. Observer (Donald McDonald) the great Australian Journalist looks back at the best players in his 30 years writing on football.

Re-told by an eye-witness, this, the second of a series of stories of stirring football dramas enacted on League grounds, describes how, in 1924, Footscray, Association premiers, paralysed Essendon, League premiers, in a memorable contest for the championship of Victoria.

In this the eighth of a series of football dramas is described the Association’s greatest coup of 1908, by which, in American Fleet Week, they secured the Melbourne Cricket Ground on a public holiday for their final match, and attracted a crowd of 40,000 and a £1000 “gate” – both records that still stand.

This is the sixth or a series of great football dramas, retold by an eye-witness. It describes Geelong's tumultuous welcome home to the League Premiers of 1925 —a welcome fit for Royalty!