ALBANY FA (from my book on WA football from 1885-1945)
The Albany Football Association was formed at a meeting at the Royal George Hotel on May 12, 1897 with three geographically based ‘ward’ teams taking part – East Albany (gold and black), North Albany (red and blue) and West Albany (blue and white). Between 1897 and 1940, they competed in a three-team competition with the exception of the 1904 and 1905 seasons and a recess for World War I between 1916 and 1918.
Matches were played at the Parade Street Recreation Ground (now known as Foundation Park) but due to its small size, teams were limited to 15 players per side.
Messrs E Barnett & Co donated a trophy to be retained permanently by the first club to win three premierships. East Albany and West Albany each won two of the first four premierships and in 1901 the two teams finished equal first on the ladder, so a playoff for the premiership was required. East Albany claimed the silverware after winning 7.11 to 3.7.
The AFA went into recess in 1902 after just one match when West Albany resigned from the association. The reasons for the club’s withdrawal were never released publicly.
There was a revamp of the competition in 1904 when the ward system was abolished and East Albany, North Albany and West Albany made way for Imperial, Rovers and Royal Australian Artillery. Imperial won the premiership in 1904 before the 1905 season came to an abrupt end in July when Royal Australian Artillery withdrew due to an objection with the association’s appointed umpire. The season was suspended without a premier declared.
East Albany, North Albany and West Albany were back in action in 1906, with North Albany adopting its famous colours of red and white in 1908.
The AFA ran minor and major premiership competitions in 1908, 1910, 1914, from 1920 to 1922 and from 1925 to 1937. These seasons were usually split into two equal halves with the first half being for the minor premiership and the second half for the major premiership. If the same club won both premierships then it was declared the season’s premier, however if the two premiers were different then a Final would be played to determine the season’s premier.
North Albany became the first club to win consecutive premierships when the club was successful in 1909 and 1910.
In July 1912, the AFA staged its first match away from Parade Street when the Ulster Road Recreation Ground was used, though it was not as popular due to it being further away from the town centre. This new venue was used for 10 matches between 1912 and 1926 before it became the preferred venue for matches from 1927.
Football had its share of problems in the region in the 1910s. East Albany struggled for most of the 1911 season before withdrawing in August and, despite the unbeaten North Albany being four wins clear on top, no premier was declared. In 1912, North Albany suffered even worse luck. When the season was put on hold at the end of August due to the condition of the Ulster Road ground, North Albany had an unassailable four-match lead at the top of the ladder with its rivals only having three matches to play (these were still the days of ‘first past the post’ premiers in the AFA). After more than three weeks without play, North Albany announced its decision to ‘retire’ for the season, probably expecting that the AFA would subsequently call off the season with the cricket season approaching. As bad luck would have it, the Ulster Road ground was passed fit to play just days later and the association decided to stage a playoff match for the premiership between East Albany and West Albany. Wooden spooner West Albany overpowered East Albany in the playoff to claim an unlikely premiership.
In 1914, the season came to a halt early in the major premiership stage due to a shortage of players. The Great Southern Herald reported that one match day was affected due to players ‘being called into barracks’. The following year, nine matches were staged before the AFA heeded the growing calls to stop the season and the competition went into recess for the duration of the war.
The AFA was revived in May 1919 and around this time a First-Rates (Second XV) competition commenced. West Albany had no peer in the association in the years following World War I, winning six straight premierships between 1919 and 1924 – the first club in Western Australia to achieve this feat.
Controversy surrounded the end of the 1925 season. West Albany and North Albany finished equal first on the ladder after the AFA allowed East Albany to forfeit its last two fixtures. West Albany (as minor premier) and North Albany (major premier) were scheduled to meet in a playoff for the premiership but West Albany dropped a bombshell, forfeiting the match as a protest against the AFA’s decision regarding East Albany and claiming that a dangerous precedent had been set.
In 1928, the Ulster Road Recreation Ground became known as Centennial Oval.
Premierships were won in clusters between 1926 and 1939. East Albany bounced back from its early withdrawal in 1925 to claim a hat-trick of premierships between 1926 and 1928 before North Albany had back-to-back successes in 1929 and 1930. East Albany fell just short of West Albany’s record sequence when the club won five on the trot between 1931 and 1935 before an undefeated North Albany stopped East’s run of success. The 1932 premiership was won by default – West Albany withdrew once the club was out of finals contention and oddly North Albany bowed out in sympathy, leaving East Albany winners. North Albany took its premiership tally to 10 after winning four premierships on end between 1936 and 1939.
The 1937 season saw the AFA opt to return to the ground at Parade Street before the last competition match was staged at the venue on May 21, 1938, when North Albany defeated West Albany.
The AFA went into recess after the 1940 season due to World War II. There was no competitive football in the district until 1945 when the Albany Wartime Football Association was formed.
The Albany Football Association reformed in February 1946 and ran until 1957 when it merged with the Mt Barker Football Association to form the Southern Districts Football League. Later, the SDFL and the Central Great Southern Football League amalgamated to create the Great Southern Football League prior to the 1991 season.
The Albany Football Association was formed at a meeting at the Royal George Hotel on May 12, 1897 with three geographically based ‘ward’ teams taking part – East Albany (gold and black), North Albany (red and blue) and West Albany (blue and white). Between 1897 and 1940, they competed in a three-team competition with the exception of the 1904 and 1905 seasons and a recess for World War I between 1916 and 1918.
Matches were played at the Parade Street Recreation Ground (now known as Foundation Park) but due to its small size, teams were limited to 15 players per side.
Messrs E Barnett & Co donated a trophy to be retained permanently by the first club to win three premierships. East Albany and West Albany each won two of the first four premierships and in 1901 the two teams finished equal first on the ladder, so a playoff for the premiership was required. East Albany claimed the silverware after winning 7.11 to 3.7.
The AFA went into recess in 1902 after just one match when West Albany resigned from the association. The reasons for the club’s withdrawal were never released publicly.
There was a revamp of the competition in 1904 when the ward system was abolished and East Albany, North Albany and West Albany made way for Imperial, Rovers and Royal Australian Artillery. Imperial won the premiership in 1904 before the 1905 season came to an abrupt end in July when Royal Australian Artillery withdrew due to an objection with the association’s appointed umpire. The season was suspended without a premier declared.
East Albany, North Albany and West Albany were back in action in 1906, with North Albany adopting its famous colours of red and white in 1908.
The AFA ran minor and major premiership competitions in 1908, 1910, 1914, from 1920 to 1922 and from 1925 to 1937. These seasons were usually split into two equal halves with the first half being for the minor premiership and the second half for the major premiership. If the same club won both premierships then it was declared the season’s premier, however if the two premiers were different then a Final would be played to determine the season’s premier.
North Albany became the first club to win consecutive premierships when the club was successful in 1909 and 1910.
In July 1912, the AFA staged its first match away from Parade Street when the Ulster Road Recreation Ground was used, though it was not as popular due to it being further away from the town centre. This new venue was used for 10 matches between 1912 and 1926 before it became the preferred venue for matches from 1927.
Football had its share of problems in the region in the 1910s. East Albany struggled for most of the 1911 season before withdrawing in August and, despite the unbeaten North Albany being four wins clear on top, no premier was declared. In 1912, North Albany suffered even worse luck. When the season was put on hold at the end of August due to the condition of the Ulster Road ground, North Albany had an unassailable four-match lead at the top of the ladder with its rivals only having three matches to play (these were still the days of ‘first past the post’ premiers in the AFA). After more than three weeks without play, North Albany announced its decision to ‘retire’ for the season, probably expecting that the AFA would subsequently call off the season with the cricket season approaching. As bad luck would have it, the Ulster Road ground was passed fit to play just days later and the association decided to stage a playoff match for the premiership between East Albany and West Albany. Wooden spooner West Albany overpowered East Albany in the playoff to claim an unlikely premiership.
In 1914, the season came to a halt early in the major premiership stage due to a shortage of players. The Great Southern Herald reported that one match day was affected due to players ‘being called into barracks’. The following year, nine matches were staged before the AFA heeded the growing calls to stop the season and the competition went into recess for the duration of the war.
The AFA was revived in May 1919 and around this time a First-Rates (Second XV) competition commenced. West Albany had no peer in the association in the years following World War I, winning six straight premierships between 1919 and 1924 – the first club in Western Australia to achieve this feat.
Controversy surrounded the end of the 1925 season. West Albany and North Albany finished equal first on the ladder after the AFA allowed East Albany to forfeit its last two fixtures. West Albany (as minor premier) and North Albany (major premier) were scheduled to meet in a playoff for the premiership but West Albany dropped a bombshell, forfeiting the match as a protest against the AFA’s decision regarding East Albany and claiming that a dangerous precedent had been set.
In 1928, the Ulster Road Recreation Ground became known as Centennial Oval.
Premierships were won in clusters between 1926 and 1939. East Albany bounced back from its early withdrawal in 1925 to claim a hat-trick of premierships between 1926 and 1928 before North Albany had back-to-back successes in 1929 and 1930. East Albany fell just short of West Albany’s record sequence when the club won five on the trot between 1931 and 1935 before an undefeated North Albany stopped East’s run of success. The 1932 premiership was won by default – West Albany withdrew once the club was out of finals contention and oddly North Albany bowed out in sympathy, leaving East Albany winners. North Albany took its premiership tally to 10 after winning four premierships on end between 1936 and 1939.
The 1937 season saw the AFA opt to return to the ground at Parade Street before the last competition match was staged at the venue on May 21, 1938, when North Albany defeated West Albany.
The AFA went into recess after the 1940 season due to World War II. There was no competitive football in the district until 1945 when the Albany Wartime Football Association was formed.
The Albany Football Association reformed in February 1946 and ran until 1957 when it merged with the Mt Barker Football Association to form the Southern Districts Football League. Later, the SDFL and the Central Great Southern Football League amalgamated to create the Great Southern Football League prior to the 1991 season.
