The emergence of Albert Park FC

Extract from Almanac Footy History: The Zedders, ES&A and the emergence of Albert Park FC originally published on the Footy Almanac

Anna Pavlou – @Annalyst_Sports

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.

Read the full story HERE

Feature photo: http://www.anzroc.com.au/roc-notice-board/78-anz-es-a-a-football-club-history