Albert Park Football & Netball Club
Est. 1954
By Anna Pavlou
Sixty-four years ago, life in Melbourne, Australia was different. Most
men worked and most women stayed home and raised children or looked after the
house. The office or factory was a place for mostly men to gather, to not only
work and make a sustainable income to raise and support themselves and a
family, but to also find common interests and create bonds through shared love
of art, history, culture and sport.
In 1954, with a population of about 1.5 million, much of Melbourne was
concentrated in what today is known as the inner suburbs. Richmond,
Collingwood, Carlton, Fitzroy, Essendon, South Melbourne, North Melbourne, St
Kilda, Footscray, Hawthorn were all battling for suburb supremacy and bragging
rights.
1954 was the year of planning; the year that Melbourne looked ahead to
the prospect of growing the city to put its name on the map with strong
international migration especially from Southern Europe. Melbourne was
changing. In the world of football, Footscray Football Club won its first ever
premiership in the Victorian Football League. Rising Fast won the Melbourne Cup
that year, a right vision of what Melbourne was in the midst of doing. The city
was getting ready to host the Olympic Games.
The Australian and New Zealand Bankers (ANZ) team came into play in 1954
also saw the birth of a new football team that defined the times of Melbourne
in the 1950s.
With a strong growth of workplace football teams, the ANZ Bank formed
its first ever team that was made up exclusively from players who worked in the
bank. This team and some other working teams that played in the Victorian
Amateur Football Association (VAFA) and other competitions.
But without the facilities that many football clubs take for granted
today, such as hot water and able trainers, the founding members of the ANZ
Bank Football Club may have believed that this dream, of creating a successful
Workplace Football team, would be short lived.
Oh, how wrong they would be.
Early Saturday mornings were much the same for the Bankers at ANZ Bank
Head Office 394 Collins Street Branch, who were found working away on the day
that is usually known to be a typical day off for many. But, all of that was
about to change and Saturday afternoon football would become the new way in
which they would connect and develop interest in each other. Many were returned
soldiers and shared common understanding of war experiences..
The inaugural ANZ Bank Football Club President and fellow banker was Jim
Dunn. He led the way bringing the ANZ employees together to create a competitive
football side that would join the VAFA in 1954 in the newly established ‘E’
Grade.
This new Grade was created to cater for the large influx of new sides,
many of which were Workplace or Trade teams, including National Bank and
Insurance Social Clubs Association, who would both survive alongside ANZ until
the mid 1980s.
The VAFA recorded 2726 registered players in 1954, a 333 man increase
from the 1953 season and the largest the Amateur League had ever seen, with 22
of those additions belonging to the ANZ ‘Zedders’ team.
The Zedders established their home fortress at Olney Oval at Yarra Bend
Fairfield, but trained at Wright Street Oval Albert Park, where better
facilities (such as running water) were available. They selected ANZ Bank
employee Val Kennedy as captain. Andy Brannan was then appointed coach, picked
for the job due to his strong football past, playing 68 games for both Richmond
and Hawthorn Football Clubs between 1942-1946.
They often worked Saturday mornings. Many did not own cars, so turned to
train rides, long walks and buses to get to trainings and games. While it was a
tough journey for many, endless memories and bonds were forged on the trip to
the humble grounds.
The first time they fronted wearing the navy blue with the ANZ Bank logo
proudly on display, the inaugural ANZ Bank side came out 20 goal winners. This
jubilation would be short lived however, as they would go on to win only two
more games of the sixteen-round season, finishing ninth out of ten teams. But
it was a start.
ANZ FOOTBALL CLUB VAFA – 1954
Back Row: Harold Bray, Rob Stone, John Carruthers, John
Francis, Colin Spencer, Maurie Willmott (Secretary), Doug Strain, Norm Dibbin.
Middle: Alan McKay, Jim Dunn (President), Val Kennedy (Captain),
Norm Halliday, Andy Brannan (Coach), Frank Lyons.
Front Row: Trevor Livingstone, Bill Gardiner, Jerry Price, Jack
Ellis, Brian Christensen.
Absent: Graham Croxford , Geoff. Ridgway, Jim Marchbank, M Linard.
SOURCE: http://www.anzroc.com.au/roc-notice-board/78-anz-es-a-a-football-club-history
The following year the ANZ Bank team acquired access to a Batman Avenue
Oval, next to the Artillery Depot. The men utilised the army depot for team
meetings when the change rooms had no working lights. This was a common
occurrence, but didn’t seem to faze the team, who were just happy to be playing
the game.
While the build to succeed as a long-term workplace team off-field was
in full swing, many players from ‘The Originals’ had retired, making it
extremely difficult to field a full team weekly. Again, they scraped in with 2
wins from 18 games.
In 1956, the founding committee stepped down, believing there would be
no future as a football team and brought their focus back to working at the
Bank only. It was devastating for the players and club men who had put their
heart and soul into their team, in order to share and boost the workplace
connections beyond the desks at Collins street.
This prospect of a folding club didn’t sit comfortably with the
remaining players, who had all created a strong bond through a turbulent first
two seasons of footy.
After three meetings pre-season, Keith Metcalf was elected president in
a last-gasp effort to keep the club afloat. He, along with secretary of the ANZ
Bank Staff Social Club, Jack Hodges, moved the “Zedders” to train at the
outside grounds of Princes Park, bordering Carlton Football Club training in
the VFL. Training alongside the best in the VFL competition, acted as a
catalyst for many of those young men to keep plating.
It was a defining moment and the right move to focus on club survival
and eventual expansion.
Frank Lyons, inaugural 1954 team member and fellow banker, was elevated
to captain-coach in 1956. His enthusiasm and genuine care for his team’s future
through that tough ’56 season, kept them alive to see another day.
“Because the bank was changing in the workplace environment, recruitment
was getting hard as players weren’t as interested from the bank,” said club
life member Bill Jackson, who was an eager spectator of the ANZ boys in their
inaugural years until he pulled on the jumper himself in the 1960s.
As the saying goes ‘the only way is up’ and after hitting rock bottom in
previous seasons, threatening to fold after only one year and losing many of
‘The Originals’ of 1954 through loss of interest, the ANZ side finally began to
see their hard work turning into on-field success.
By 1958, the club was refreshed and much more stable. It had rejuvenated
itself and was full of a mixture of eager young men mostly from within the
bank, but now had been joined by a small group of “outsiders” who were not bank
staff.
This expanded the club and made for a great social environment. They
were finally branching out and the efforts off field were starting to show on
field.
The side banded together to win 10 out of 18 matches and set themselves
up for their first finals appearance in the ANZ Bank Football Club history.
Despite finishing third on the ladder, the hard-fighting team won
through to the Grand Final and in doing so won promotion to VAFA D Section.
They unfortunately lost the Grand Final to St Kilda CBC Old Collegians
10.13 73 to 12.14 86, but it was a major improvement and a reason why the club
continued the grow and gain interest into the 1960s and beyond.
“Just making the finals was a big hype, it sparked us all up,” said
Jackson.
ANZ GRAND FINAL SIDE 1958:
Back |
Ridgeway |
C. Spencer |
Rooney |
Half Back |
Peake |
Henderson |
Christensen |
Centre |
Flint |
Lewis |
Addison |
Half Forward |
McLachlan |
Black |
Sharpe |
Forward |
Goldsmith |
R Spencer |
Treleaven |
Rucks |
Morton |
O’Brien |
Bendall |
Reserves |
Lyon |
Holt |
|
Unavailable |
J. Bloom |
SOURCE: http://www.anzroc.com.au/roc-notice-board/78-anz-es-a-a-football-club-history
Life member Jim Woodman entered the ANZ FC scene in the 1960s. Woodman
was a forefront recruiter who brought many able and keen players to the club,
who were working in the ANZ City Branches. His aim as part of the club was to
ensure that the relationship and connection from the workplace was brought onto
the football field and carried through the club.
The growth continued off-field with multiple ANZ bank executives
attending home games and sharing in the spirit of the game, which encouraged
the players to pull on the boots weekly. They played the game, to identify with
their workplace, their workmates and to make their company proud, along with
bragging rights they would receive over their competing businesses.
“We had all come from similar backgrounds. Not wealthy families, just
bankers. Football became a very important part of our lives,” said life member
Neville ‘Birdie’ Pearson, who joined the club as a 15-year-old at the beginning
of the 1960s.
In 1962, The growing interest from the bankers at ANZ headquarters to
join the footy team acted as a catalyst for the club to enter a Reserves ANZ
side to account for the overflow of numbers for just one team. Birdie would be
a vital part of this side.
The initiative to field a second team was a positive one, especially
looking to the future of the club, however with banks opening until 11am on
Saturdays and reserve team games scheduled for midday, getting 16 players
together became a struggle early on.
“The bankers worked on Saturday mornings and it would be difficult at
times to get out of work. You’d be working really hard to get the doors closed,
get on the train and be off to the footy match,” Pearson said.
1963 saw the decision to move from the Middle Park home ground to
Flinders Park, Batman Avenue. The facilities, according to Albert Park Football
Club historians “were central and were a convenient location that served the
club until 1978 when there were plans to redevelop this quarter of Melbourne.”
The Batman Avenue training facilities were transformed into what is
today known as Rod Laver Arena, while the ANZ FC were forced back to Oval 10 at
Albert Park, a place they had taken tenancy of just four years prior in 1959
and would stay for many decades to come. It would become a safe haven for many
and a special place to call home.
The love affair with the ANZ Football Club can be attributed to ‘The
Originals’ of 1954, who spearheaded the club into becoming a competitive and
welcoming force. One of these stalwarts, a true driver of club expansion, was
player and life member Brian ‘Chrisso’ Christensen.
The late ‘Chrisso’, who was a member of ‘The Originals’, played his 150th game during the 1963
season and led the club proudly, as well as working hard as a Senior Executive
of the ANZ CBD Branch.
“He showed great interest in the club and loved it,” Pearson said.
The passion for the club, led by Chrisso, would spread into off-field
camaraderie through the rest of the club.
Many of the younger staff from ANZ and other banks were living at the
Boarding Home in Hawksburn, which proved to be a handy recruiting bank for the
side.
The Boarding Home in Hawksburn and a share house in Allambee Avenue,
Camberwell became the place to be post-match. Allambee Ave was the home of
around 12 ANZ Bank players and supporters, who brought a real sense of
community spirit from the bank and their home, to the club.
“It was a great group of about 12 footy club blokes who also worked at
the bank. They were a wonderful bunch. Every Saturday we’d party after the game
there. It became an important part of the footy club and connections,” Pearson
said.
But it wasn’t all enjoyable. On the field, it was a tough few years for
the Senior team, who struggled in 1966, finishing last and being relegated down
to E Section, where they were placed when they first entered the VAFA 12 years
before.
But enter Neville Elvish, who was appointed Reserves coach in 1967. His
“commando style training and prohibition rules,” according to ANZ historians,
were beneficial in creating the fittest sides the club had ever seen.
Elvish rejuvenated the club and made it a tough atmosphere which brought
new people in. Everyone wants success and his demeanour was pushing for that.
This fitness and commitment finally paid off in 1969, when the ANZ Bank
Football Club played off in the Reserves E Grade Grand Final to come home
victors 10.6.66 to 6.12.48 over Brunswick, winning the club’s first ever
premiership.
“It was absolutely electric. We were the underdogs and it was an
unexpected win. Everybody got very excited and it showed in the workplace with
a few players stumbling in after a few too many beers!” said Jackson.
While the success was flourishing for the Zedders in 1969, on the other
side of the same competition was the struggling ES&A Bank Football Club, a
club with similar roots, background and history who was in a threatening
position to fold.
ES&A Bank FC was established in the VAFA in 1932 and played their
first few seasons at Brighton Cricket Ground, recruiting their bank staff from
all over their Melbourne branches, particularly from the CBD branches.
SOURCE: http://www.anzroc.com.au/roc-notice-board/78-anz-es-a-a-football-club-history
The side began their football journey in VAFA D Section and over only
four years in the competition, they managed to be successful during the home
and away season, being promoted into A Grade by 1935, but their playing days
were cut short with World War II looming, forcing the side to disband until
after 1945.
Once the war had ended, staff at the ES&A Melbourne Office (338
Collins Street) and Royal Bank Branch (293 Collins Street) conducted meetings
to bring together interested workers who wanted to reform the football team,
after a directive was issued from the bank’s administration.
It took the bank more than seven years to pull together a side with a
reliable committee and by 1952, ES&A Bank found themselves in D Grade of
the VAFA.
It didn’t take ES&A long to find their form again, mirroring the
success they had had before war. By 1953, they had been promoted into C Grade
after losing the Grand Final that same year.
ES&A, like ANZ Bank Football Club, looked to expand outside of the
workplace and eagerly recruited a multitude of readily available players from
the country, who didn’t necessarily work as bank staff on weekends. One of
those key recruits was ex Melbourne Football Club premiership player, Bill
Deans, who took on the role as coach in 1956. He brought in a number of younger
players.
Deans rejuvenated the side and took them all the way to the 1957 Grand
Final and earned them promotion to B Grade. The side only lost by 19 points and
it dampened spirits, with many of the players leaving the club, believing they
had done enough for the team and began to concentrate on their workplace roles.
The higher standard of B Grade meant the side struggled in the newer and
tougher competition, up against sides who blooded recruits from schools and
other sports. The pure lack of numbers tested ES&A and the strain was
beginning to become evident between work and play. Without being paid to
compete in amateur footy, bankers needed to take more interest in making an
income at work instead, leaving footy behind.
In the 1960s in Melbourne, families generally lived off one wage,
usually earned by the working man. For majority of ES&A staff, their income
was the only thing supporting their loved ones, so turning their back on
playing amateur football was no real issue, if it meant picking up extra
Saturday hours, or leaving to play in semi-professional leagues for money, to
keep their family financially stable.
Due to player loss, committee change and the inability to inspire bank
employees to come on board, the team dropped several divisions and by 1965,
found themselves in E Section.
The positive for the club came from their Reserves side, who in 1965,
coached by past player Don Hoffman, won the E Section Reserves Premiership,
which was a big boost for the club.
The premiership was proudly celebrated in the ES&A workplace, many
of the players entering to workplace a little later the following Monday and a
little worse for wear.
But this success of the ES&A Football Club would only last another
few short years, progressively losing players, committee and supporters and
struggling to inspire the bank workers to be involved with the team.
After a treacherous 1969 season ES&A FC was a club on its knees.
In a timely and fortunate co-incidence in 1970, ES&A Bank merged
with ANZ Bank to officially become Australia and New Zealand Banking Group
Limited (ANZ). ES&A changed their 570 Australian Branches to come under the
ANZ name.
The football club followed in their workplace’s footsteps and decided to
merge with the ANZ Bank Football Club to allow their players and workers to
continue to keep connected with their workmates. The merging of their company
was not going to be the death of their football club.
Life Member and former ES&A Banker Jim Kelly played a key role in
keeping the ES&A Bank Football Club history alive when they merged with
ANZ. Kelly would become a vital committee member in the early days, who helped
unite both sides into one. His commitment to the club led to success in the
early 1970s.
“There was a little bit of feeling [during the merger]. ANZ were the
higher side of the ladder and ES&A were middle of the table. It was a
feeling that it was a take-over rather than a merger,” said Jackson.
Kelly was appointed reserves coach in 1974. He brought together a
coherent and competitive side which went on to become premiers. It was the
second Reserves Premiership in the club’s history, winning 11.11.77 to 9.14.68
over Old Geelong.
The win represented much more than just a premiership cup, as it truly
sealed what was a tough workplace and football club merger for the working,
playing and supporting groups.
“They were very capably led by coach Jim Kelly and it was a great
success for the boys who had bonded together. And they basked in the glory of
this win,” Jackson said.
This 1974 success brought great joy through the merging period and the
ANZ and ES&A clubs with the victory that brought everybody together.
Between 1977 and 1983 the senior side would only play finals once.
This success didn’t eventuate on field in the 1980s either, much to the
disappointment of the committed club members and players. But the success was
felt pre-and-post-match with strong and loyal supporters and a viable
committee.
Success was sought measured in the spirit shown by the Zedders, led by
Secretary Tom Brain and his wife Linda. Bill ‘Jet’ Jackson and his wife, Bev,
who pulled together to create a positive off-field atmosphere. All were
inducted into life membership.
“Going back to the early days, a problem was that we had an all player
committee. The off-field things had to be done by somebody. Our good ladies
came in and filled those roles, like the canteen,” said Jackson.
“We relied heavily on those girls to guide us to the correct activities
and events. Their organisation was important for the club as a whole.”
After many years in the wilderness, the 1991 season was the most
successful in the clubs’ history, finishing on top with 17 wins. Unfortunately,
they went down in the Grand Final to Elsternwick and would struggle in the
years to come.
By the late 1990s it had become challenging to continue to recruit
players from ANZ Bank as workplaces and lifestyles were rapidly changing,
together with a diminishing interest shown from the ANZ Bank Staff Social Club.
The club had reached a fork in the road. This forced them to search for
alternate recruiting paths. Do they cut ties with bank and align closer to the
local community?
In 1999, the executive decision was made to formerly change the club’s
name from ‘ANZ Bank Football Club’ to ‘Albert Park Football Club’. This
rejuvenated the club and enticed fresh faces from the local Albert Park
community to get involved.
“[The name change] was good, it was the only way we could survive. The
club would have folded then and there if it hadn’t have been for the guys who
decided it was a great opportunity to bring Albert Park into the picture,” said
‘Birdie’ Pearson.
But for some long term past players and supporters, this name change was
un welcome and some feared the club would lose touch with its historic past.
Even the nickname change from the ‘Zedders’ to the newly christened
‘Falcons’ sat uneasily.
This was a tumultuous transformation, as the club morphed from a
workplace football club into a suburban club.
“We felt if we brought in a local name, we may pull in some local
footballers and we did. As the bank changed its workforce, less and less came
from the bank and more from the area, so we changed our name,” Jackson, who was
a vital part of the name-change decision noted.
Since this endeavour, Albert Park FC has been a mainstay in the lower
divisions of the VAFA competition, with each year’s list filled with locals,
students and mates of mates.
But the appreciation of the workplace origins of the club is evident
with today’s playing group.
Current President Tyson Cattle recognises how important the history of
the workplace-based club is on the current players, committee and supporter
groups.
“The atmosphere [around the club] has been unreal. To have the current
playing group engaged with past players, that’s guys showing a willingness to
learn and hear about the history of the club,” Cattle said.
This year, the Albert Park Falcons Football Club managed only one win in
their 2018 VAFA Division 3 campaign and will compete in Division 4 in 2019.
While they may not be the most successful, it can’t be denied that their
club has a rich history spawning from an eager and involved Melbourne
workplace, one that has proven to unite the current players to respect the
sacrifices made in the past.
“It hasn’t changed. It’s still a fantastic club, you just have to go in
after the game and watch the boys have a laugh,” said Pearson.
Today, the working world and the football world in Melbourne has
changed. Most ANZ Banks close on the weekend and most football clubs are
separate from the workplace they once formed in. The population of Melbourne is
almost 5 million. The advent of ‘agile’ and ‘flexible’ working lifestyles has
seen an increase in employees working from home, or on a part times basis,
leading to disconnection in the work environment. The football landscape has
similarly changed. The VAFA now supports over 70 amateur clubs and has in
excess of 12,000 registered players, including 63 women’s teams.
Saturdays in Melbourne have also changed. Gone are the days where the
football club was the centre of your social life, with seven-day trading in an
‘instant’ society where constant entertainment and fulfilment is available at
your fingertips and the need for face-to-face social interaction has
significantly reduced.
While Albert Park Football Club don’t have a Senior premiership to show
for the decades of blood, sweat and tears, they have many inspiring men and
women who came before them, leaving a respectable legacy as hard workers both
on and off the field. These are the giants who paved the now-Falcon’s path to
greatness in Melbourne’s football landscape.
And as current President Tyson Cattle said, “You can’t move forward as a
club without recognising where you’ve come from.”