Preston Football Club (VFA)
| Northern Blues Football Club | ||
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| Names | ||
| Full name | Northern Blues Football Club | |
| Nickname(s) | The Blues | |
| Club details | ||
| Founded | 1882 | |
| Colours | ||
| Competition | Victorian Football League | |
| President | Stephen Papal | |
| Coach | Josh Fraser | |
| Captain(s) | Tom Wilson | |
| Premierships | VJFA 1900, 1901, 1902, 1921, 1923 VFA Div 1: 4 (1968, 1969, 1983, 1984) VFA Div 2: 2 (1963, 1965) |
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| Ground(s) | Preston City Oval (capacity: 10,000) | |
| Ikon Park (capacity: 20,000) | ||
| Uniforms | ||
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| Other information | ||
| Official website | northernbluesfc.com.au | |
Northern Blues Football Club is a long-established Australian rules football club based in Preston and currently playing in the Victorian Football League representing the central and outer areas of Melbourne. The Northern Blues are affiliated with the Carlton Blues in the AFL, and play their home games at the Preston City Oval and Ikon Park.
The club was established in 1882 as the Preston Football Club. The club participated in the VFA between 1903 and 1912, and then since 1926. After World War II, the club was known as the Bullants, and wore a plain red guernsey with a white monogram. The club later became the Northern Bullants. Ahead of the 2012 season, the club adopted the colours and nickname of its AFL-affiliate; to become the Northern Blues. In 2013 the third open age team affiliated with the Victorian Amateur Football Association began and in 2016 reverted to the name Preston Bullants.
The club was formed in 1882 but little is known of its first three years before the Shire of Jika Jika changed its name in September 1885 to Preston. Preston and another local club, Gowerville, then merged and competed at lower levels of the Victorian Junior Football Association. After a battle with the Council, the club was finally granted permission in 1887 to play on Preston Park where it had remained with the exception of one year when it played at Coburg to allow the ground to be widened.
From 1890, the club played in the First Rate Division of the V.J.F.A. and despite being its remote location compared to the other clubs, was the only one of the 28 teams of 1890 to survive the decade despite finishing last or second last in five consecutive seasons.
By the late 1890s the district was starting to grow and the struggling club gathered depth and strength and took out the first of three consecutive First-Rate premierships in 1900, defeating Collingwood Juniors (effectively the League team's Seconds) before 5,000 people at the Brunswick Street Oval. Further premierships followed in 1901 and 1902, no finals being played as Preston finished the requisite two games clear of their nearest rivals to claim the title.
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