Despite a fantastic 2018 season, Melbourne crashed down to earth in 2019. Melbourne Football Club (MFC) and the MCC have shared a close history since the inception of Australian Football in 1859. During meetings held on 17 and 21 May 1859,[7] Wills, Hammersley, Thompson and Smith met near the MCG at the Parade Hotel, owned by Bryant, to draft "The Rules of the Melbourne Football Club". Robert Flower, The Demons made the Grand Final in 1954, losing to Footscray, won the flag in 1955, 1956 and 1957, lost to Collingwood in 1958, and then won again in 1959 and 1960 with Smith as coach and Barassi as captain. The club's first players were marquee signings Daisy Pearce and Melissa Hickey. Eddie Jackson, Proud to Belong, Proud to Give is an integral part of our response to the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown. Geoff Case, However, in an eventful twist to their season, the Demons only recorded four wins between the bye in round 5 and the second bye in round 16, that being a record 96-point thrashing of Adelaide at the MCG in round 7 and a convincing 33-point win over top eight side Essendon in round 11, a record 89-point thrashing of Fremantle in Rround 13, and a 27-point victory over Richmond in round 14. Thereafter things went downhill for Northey, although Jim Stynes won the Brownlow in 1991. Melbourne has improved their membership and attendances steadily since the failed Hawthorn merger in 1996, building a membership base of over 30,000 since 2009. Three narrow victories prevented the Demons from winning their first wooden spoon in ten years – two five-point wins over Hawthorn and Carlton, and a last-gasp one-point win over eventual wooden spooners Gold Coast. Len Dockett, There was a distinct revival during the middle of the 1984 season. Steven Stretch, In the ensuing weeks, a passionate debate was fought between pro and anti-merger supporters. Stephen Tingay, On 5 August, the club announced that Jim Stynes' goal of wiping out the club's debt that had plagued them for so long had finally been achieved. Gordon Jones, During the same year the club took part in the first interstate football match involving a South Australian side, Victorian, defeating the home side 1–0. $130.00. 391 Followers. Carl Ditterich, Bob McKenzie, 2005–2007. The following round saw a match-up with Essendon that would decide either team's fate. Ian Thorogood, Alan Rowarth, Following a twenty-year run of consistency, season 2007 would begin a dark era not seen since the 1970s. Although some Melbourne players and officials were associated with the cricket club, the football club was not initially allowed to use the MCG, so it used a nearby field at Yarra Park as its home ground instead. After defeating St Kilda in the second Elimination Final by 18 points the season ended the following week when Fremantle beat the Demons by 28 points. Founded in 1858, the Melbourne Football Club is not only the oldest AFL club, but the oldest professional football club in the world. After a visit to England by one of the club's officials, the colours of red and green were officially adopted by the club. [15] Despite celebrating the club's birthday with an official mid-season function at Crown Casino,[16] shortly afterward chairman Paul Gardner resigned, handing the presidency to former club champion Jim Stynes who inherited a $4.5 million debt, which media pundits suggested would cripple the club. City in the Community (CitC) Melbourne continue to play an invaluable role in our community, keeping people connected with the power of football.