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unusual facts about VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century



1918 VFL season

In Round 14, Len Phillips of Essendon played the last of his 13 senior VFL matches, having played his first VFL match for St Kilda in 1914.

1952 VFL season

In May 1952, as part of its promotion of the Burt Lancaster movie Ten Tall Men, the management of the Melbourne cinema The State Theatre on the corner of Flinders Street and Russell Street (now known as the Forum Theatre) measured the height of the ten tallest VFL players.

1960 VFL season

Despite pressure from the Victorian Premier, Henry Bolte, the VFL refused to play the four postponed matches on Anzac Day (which, by custom, would have contributed to patriotic funds), and scheduled the postponed matches for the following Saturday (30 April).

2014 VFL season

The Bulldogs entered its stand-alone reserves team in the VFL for the first time, playing under the club's traditional name of Footscray.

Andrew Manzie

Although Melbourne did not play finals again until 1925, Manzie's hard work paid off when Melbourne only their second ever VFL premiership in 1926.

Arthur Fox

:For the former VFL footballer, see Arthur Fox, Jr..

Australian rules football in China

Between 1973 and 1985, Les Fong was a prominent and acclaimed player in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL), which held equal status to the VFL during that period.

Bill Hinman

He then moved to Victoria to pursue his law studies and played with University in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Bob Skilton

He was also the player featured inside the cover of the booklets of stamps featuring the Swans released by Australia Post to commemorate the centenary of the VFL/AFL.

Brett Cook

Following his AFL career he played for Kyneton in the Bendigo Football League in 2005, in 2010 he played in the Riddell league, and in 2011 joined the Coburg Tigers in the VFL as an assistant coach.

Cazaly's Stadium

In 1957 the Cairns Australian Football League named the newly opened ground after legendary VFL player Roy Cazaly.

Christopher Skase

Skase owned five resorts as well as interests in the Seven Network television station and the Brisbane Bears VFL club.

David Cloke

In 1992, post his VFL/AFL career, he joined ACTAFL club Ainslie as captain-coach, and promptly steered them to a flag, a success repeated the following year when he won the Alex Jesaulenko Trophy for best afield in the grand final.

Golden Square, Victoria

Leading AFL player manager Ricky Nixon also started his playing career at Golden Square before playing VFL football with Carlton, St Kilda and Hawthorn.

Other former VFL players to hail from Golden Square include Des Dickson, Ray Byrne, Tony Southcombe and Peter McConville.

Inglewood Football Club

Greeves was a premiership player for Geelong and the first winner of the Brownlow Medal for the VFL's Fairest and Best Player.

Jack Broadstock

Jack Harmer Broadstock (born 1 December 1920, date of death unknown) was an Australian rules footballer who started his league career with West Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) in 1938 before moving to Melbourne to play for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1943 and winning a premiership with the club in his debut season.

Jack Lowry

Jack Brown Lowry (born 25 November 1916 in Lambton) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Jack Ryan

Jack F. T. Ryan (born 1916), Footscray and North Melbourne VFL footballer

Jim Krakouer

In one match report in 1986 they were referred to as the Pelé and Maradona of the VFL.

Jim Matthews

Jimmy Matthews, former Australian Test cricketer and VFL footballer

Joe Misiti

Misiti was also part of Essendon's 2000 Premiership team, and after retirement, he became a member of the VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century in 2007.

Kyabram Football Club

The club has produced many VFL/AFL footballers, including Ross Dillon, Garry Lyon and Brett Deledio.

Lakeside Stadium

The ground had a significant VFL/AFL history, having been the host venue for both the VFL Grand Final (1901) and the night premiership series (1952–1971).

Loxton, South Australia

Grantley Fielke (b. 1962), former Australian rules footballer who played for West Adelaide in the SANFL and for both Collingwood and the Adelaide Crows in the VFL-AFL between 1979 and 1997.

National-Panasonic Cup

The National-Panasonic Cup was the Victorian Football League's (VFL) night football competition between 1987 to 1989.

Page playoff system

It is identical to a four-team McIntyre System playoff, first used by the Victorian Football League in Australia in 1931, originally called the Page-McIntyre system, after the VFL delegate, the Richmond Football Club's Secretary, Percy "Pip" Page, who had advocated its use.

Paul Licuria

After Paul retired from AFL football in 2007 he was appointed Team Manager, with Eddie Hillgrove, of the newly formed Collingwood VFL side under the teams head coach Gavin Brown.

Percy Ellingsen

Following his VFL career, Ellingsen moved to the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1920 where he was suspended for a season, a sentence later overturned as an act of clemency during the visit of the Prince of Wales.

Peter Hudson

In 2010, Hudson became the eleventh player to feature in a Toyota Memorable Moments advertisement with Stephen Curry and Dave Lawson, comically re-enacting his unsuccessful attempt to break Bob Pratt's goal-kicking record in the 1971 VFL Grand Final.

Ray Watts

Watts made his VFL debut in the 11th round of the 1937 VFL season against North Melbourne and kicked three goals.

Silvio Foschini

Foschini's parents were both born in Italy and he was shortlisted for the VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century.

Sportfreunde Lotte

VfL Sportfreunde Lotte is a German association football club from Lotte, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Steven Alessio

Of Italian descent and named in the VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century in 2007, Alessio made his debut in 1992, and was renowned as one of Essendon's great ruckmen.

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

VfL Wolfsburg is wholly owned and supported by automobile manufacturer VW, Bayer 04 Leverkusen by pharmaceutical company Bayer.

VfL Engelskirchen

VfL Engelskirchen is a German sports club from Engelskirchen, Cologne established in 1883.

VfL Herzlake

VfL Herzlake is a German association football club from the village of Herzlake, Lower Saxony.

Walter Fritzsch

In 1940, he transferred to VfL Leisnig and played there until 1943 after which he played for several other clubs including BC Hartha, SC Döbeln and Zwickau-Oberhohndorf.

Waverley Park

The game was between Melbourne and Hawthorn and the game was described as the most epic played at VFL Park, with Hawthorn winning from a goal kicked after the siren, by Gary Buckenara.

Wendouree, Victoria

Landmarks of Wendouree include the Minerdome, the home of the Ballarat Miners and Ballarat Rush; the Ballarat Showgrounds, where the annual Ballarat Show is held; Eureka Stadium, which is the home ground of the North Ballarat VFL (Australian Football) club, and has hosted pre-season Australian Football League matches, the former St Mary's Redemptorist Monastery, Stockland Wendouree shopping centre, and the Wendouree Centre for the Performing Arts.

William C. McClelland

In 1912, McClelland became president of the Melbourne Football Club, a position he relinquished when elected to the presidency of the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1926, succeeding Baldwin Spencer.


see also