History

Where it all began..................

In 1922 the Diamond Valley Football League (now Northern Football League) consisted of six teams; Greensborough, Diamond Creek, Templestowe, Eltham, Warrandyte and Kangaroo Ground. These founding teams were joined in 1923 by teams from Heidelberg and Hurstbridge.

Towards the end of 1923, the then Captain of Greensborough, Harold Hodgson, decided that it was time to form a team to represent the burgeoning suburb of Montmorency and so stood down from his position at Greensborough.

In early 1924 Harold chaired a meeting where the Montmorency Football Club was officially formed. The inaugural office bearers to come from this meeting included Peter McDonald (President), Len Reid (Secretary) and Wally Simondson Snr (Treasurer). While traditional club facilities were non-existent – there was no football ground to play on, let alone a structured ‘home’ - the new club had its meetings wherever it could, reportedly using the shed at the Montmorency train station at one stage.

In 1924, while not officially recognised by the DVFL as a competing team, the Montmorency Football Club played against those DVFL teams that had a bye. 1925 saw the club finally admitted to the DVFL, but admittance carried strict conditions. In this bygone era of football administration, ALL Melbourne Leagues and clubs were divided in to zones. Players could only be recruited to a club if they resided in the corresponding team zone. The suburb of Montmorency was deemed a neutral zone before the formation of the football club, and one of the conditions placed on Montmorency Football Club upon admittance was that it had to remain a neutral zone. This meant that Eltham and Greensborough could still recruit from Montmorency, but Montmorency was not afforded the same luxury.

 

At the end of the 1925 season, Captain/Coach Harold Hodgson realised that to be competitive in the DVFL, the club needed a ‘home’ ground. After much manoeuvring, a decision was finally made to purchase the two current adjoining river properties and the Montmorency Football Club had a home. From this point - despite a brief hiatus – the club has rallied to become one of the most successful and vibrant clubs in the now Northern Football League.