News Herald-Sun Article on the Brunswick Street Oval 13/09/2016

[Roylion]

For those interested the Herald-Sun has an article today on the Brunswick Street Oval.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/the-lions-den-fitzroys-old-home-ground-on-brunswick-street/news-story/a3b1ad75f5b370fe0b850fdd7849257e

 

[lion around]

For those interested the Herald-Sun has an article today on the Brunswick Street Oval.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/the-lions-den-fitzroys-old-home-ground-on-brunswick-street/news-story/a3b1ad75f5b370fe0b850fdd7849257e

I tried this link and hit the Herald sun digital subscription wall. I buy the paper daily and didn't notice it, and I'm not Digital Subscriber.

 

[Roylion]

I tried this link and hit the Herald sun digital subscription wall. I buy the paper daily and didn't notice it, and I'm not Digital Subscriber.

Fitzroy’s Bill Stephen at the Brunswick Street Oval against Carlton.

The Lion’s den: Fitzroy’s old home ground on Brunswick Street

Christopher Talbot, Herald Sun
September 13, 2016 4:42pm

BRUNSWICK Street is famous for hipsters and a bustling food scene, but it was once home to the mighty Fitzroy Football Club and droves of footy fans.

Brunswick Street Oval, which is nestled at the northern end of Brunswick Street, was the home of Fitzroy Football Club in the Victorian Football Association from 1883 to 1897, and the Victorian Football League from 1897 until 1966.

The last VFL game played at the ground was on August 20, 1966, between St Kilda and Fitzroy — a game which the Lions lost by 84 points.

Fitzroy then began playing its home games at the Junction Oval in St Kilda and Brunswick Street Oval became a distant memory for the club.

Fitzroy remembered

Brunswick Street Oval captured from the air in 1925. The ground was Fitzroy’s home for 84 years. Picture: HWT Library.

Fitzroy Football Club was formed on 26 September 1883 at the old Brunswick Hotel and the team originally played in the old Victorian Football Association before becoming a founding club of the VFL in 1897 — along with Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, Melbourne, South Melbourne and St Kilda.

The first recorded game in a senior competition was played at Brunswick Street Oval in 1883 between Melbourne and Carlton and a crowd of 6,500 watched the Dees win by a goal.

Fitzroy Football Club pictured in 1906. Picture: HWT Library.

Footy fans watching Fitzroy play at Brunswick Street Oval in circa 1900. Picture: Yarra Libraries.

Brunswick Street Oval’s heritage listed grandstand which was built in 1884. Picture: HWT Library.
The ground’s heritage listed grandstand and pavilion were erected in 1884, and Fitzroy played its first game at the ground the same year — defeating Melbourne by 3 goals.

In total the club played 131 VFA matches Brunswick Street between 1883 and 1896, and won its first VFL game at the ground on 8 May 1897.

The following year in 1898 they won the first of 8 premierships defeating Essendon 5.8 to 3.5, and in 1899 won back to back premierships defeating South Melbourne by a point.

People climbing the trees to watch Fitzroy play at Brunswick Street Oval in 1909. Picture: HWT Library.

Fitzroy and Collingwood players watch the unfurling of Fitzroy’s premiership flag in 1904. Picture: HWT Library.

Fitzroy team photo from 1935 at Brunswick Street Oval. Picture: HWT Library.
Footy fans witnessed some of the Fitzroy’s absolute greats on the pitch at Brunswick Street Oval, including Haydn Bunton, Wilfred “Chicken” Smallhorn, Dinny Ryan, Alan Ruthven, Frank Curcio, Fred Hughson, Bill Stephen and Kevin “Bulldog” Murray.

The Fitzroy goal kicking record at the ground is held by Bob Merrick, who booted 12 goals straight against Melbourne on August 30, 1919 — Fitzroy thrashing the Demons by 125 points.

Fitzroy’s Haydn Bunton boots the ball at Brusnwick Street Oval in 1936. Picture: HWT Library.
The record crowd at the ground was 36,000 when Fitzroy played Collingwood on 6 May 1935 — a game which ended in a 14.9.93 draw. The current capacity at the ground in around 15,000, so fans were certainly packed in.

The club won the VFA premiership in 1895 and made the VFL finals nine times in the first 10 years, with four premierships in 1898-99 and 1904-05.

After a six-year drought they were finalists nine times again from 1913-24, winning a further three flags in 1913, 1916, and 1922 and losing two more grand finals.

Fitzroy legend Haydn Bunton takes a mark at Brunswick Street Oval. Picture: HWT Library.

Fitzroy's Kevin Murray, Ian Aston, Alan Gale, Ken Ross, Keith Bromage, Brian Pert, Keith Weigard and Alan Lynch stand in front of a Persian rug that was presented to the club in 1959. Picture: HWT Library.
In 1936 the club won the wooden-spoon and it wasn’t until 1943 that they appeared in the finals once again, claiming their eighth and final flag in 1944.

And in the 52 years that followed they only played in the finals nine times.

The final game played at Brunswick Street Oval was on August 20, 1966, against St Kilda — a game which the Lions lost by 84 points.

Fitzroy’s Kevin Murray is chaired off after his record-breaking match in 1974. Picture: HSW Library.
Fitzroy then moved to Princes Park as joint tenants with Carlton in 1967 following a breakdown in negotiations with the Fitzroy City Council over the club’s request for a 40-year lease and a $400,000 loan to develop the Brunswick Street ground.

Within two years Fitzroy was negotiating another move to Junction Oval when the Fitzroy Council offered to help get the club back to Brunswick Street — but again negotiations broke down over ground improvements and in October 1969 the VFL granted permission for the club to play home games at Junction Oval in 1970.

In 1997, the Fitzroy Football Club merged with the Brisbane Bears, and the remaining Victorian members of the club began to be based out of the Brunswick St Oval, eventually merging with the University Reds to form the Fitzroy Reds Football Club, which continue to use the ground today.

Fitzroy’s last match in Melbourne at the MCG in 1996. Picture: HWT Library.