Northcote Park Football Club
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| Full name | Northcote Park Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Cougars |
| Strip | Green with yellow sash |
| Founded | 1952 |
| League | Northern Football League |
| Ground | Northcote Oval |
| Senior Premierships | 11 |
| Premierships Years | 1957, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002. |
The Northcote Park Football Club is an Australian rules football club located in the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne.
The club was formed in 1952 and played their home matches at McDonnell Park, Northcote. The Club had been previously known as the Prince of Wales Football Club and had played in the Methodist Football Association. Between 1947 and 1951, Prince of Wales FC won five consecutive premierships.
In 1952 the Club was renamed Northcote Park and went to play in the Metropolitan Football League. It is not known if the club made these changes to its name and the league it played in because it sought tougher competition or due to off field restrictions on the club imposed by the Methodist Association.
Northcote Park, nicknamed the Cougars, won their first premiership in the Metropolitan League in 1957. The Club moved on to the Panton Hill Football League in 1973 where it won three consecutive premierships in 1977, ’78 and ’79.
The search for stronger competition led the club to move to the DVFL which at the time was considered one of, if not the, strongest suburban league in Melbourne. The DVFL was forming a second division and was looking for strong clubs in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
Northcote Park captured the premiership in the DVFL’s second division in 1985 but, having gained promotion to the first division for 1986, the Cougars were immediately relegated.
In 1987, Northcote Football Club played its final season in the VFA and was wound up. This left the city's best football ground in Westgarth St without a tenant. So, in 1989, Northcote Park took up tenancy at Westgarth St, moving from its previous ground, McDonell Park.
In 1994, Northcote Park won the second division Premiership for the second time and this time the Club survived in the first division the following season and has done ever since. In 1996, in partnership with Darebin City Council, the Club embarked on a major redevelopment of the ground which included extending the club rooms and the viewing area as well as constructing new change rooms and a gymnasium.
With a revamped facility at the premier venue in Northcote, the Cougars started to dominate the Diamond Valley Football League, winning first division premierships in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. The feat of four successive premiership victories is a record for the DVFL.
Northcote Park Football Club also successfully fields junior teams and women's teams.
[edit] Links
| Clubs in the Northern Football League (formerly the Diamond Valley Football League) | ||
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Alphington (Juniors) · Bundoora · Diamond Creek · Fitzroy Stars · Eltham · Epping · Greensborough · Heidelberg · Heidelberg West · Hurstbridge · Keon Park (Juniors) · Lalor · Lalor Stars (Juniors) · |
