Ballarat Imperial Football Club

The Ballarat Imperial Football Club was an Australian rules football club which formerly competed in the Ballarat Football League. The club was one of the most successful teams in the league, winning 17 premierships until it was dissolved in 1955.

Ballarat Imperial
Names
Full nameBallarat Imperial Football Club
Nickname(s)Imps
Club details
Founded1876
Dissolved1955 (1955)
Colours      [1]
CompetitionBallarat Football League
Premierships17 (1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1922, 1929, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937)
Uniforms
Home

History
An Imperial team of 1921

The club was formed in the mid-1870s as the "Galatea Football Club" before becoming known as "Ballarat Imperial" in 1878.[2] The club was a provincial member of the Victorian Football Association (VFA) from 1885[3] until 1896, taking part in the Association's administration and competing regularly against Melbourne-based VFA clubs.

Ballarat Imperial was a founding member of the Ballarat Football Association in 1893, and was its dominant club through its early years, winning eleven of the first fourteen premierships. The club returned to prominence in the 1930s, winning four premierships in a row from 1934–1937.[4] In 1937, it made an attempt to rejoin the VFA as a full member; however, it was thought that a second Ballarat-based team would be required to ensure that one VFA game could be played in Ballarat each weekend, and no willing co-applicant could be found.[5]

The club went into recess during World War II, and although it played B-Grade football for a period of time after the war, it never returned to top grade.[6]

Premierships
  • Ballarat Football League (17): 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1922, 1929, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937

References
  1. "South Ballarat v. Ballarat Imperial". The Ballarat Star. Ballarat, VIC. 20 July 1885. p. 4.
  2. "News and notes". The Ballarat Star. Melbourne, VIC. 6 May 1878. p. 2.
  3. "Ballarat Imperial Football Club". The Ballarat Star. Ballarat, VIC. 27 March 1886. p. 4.
  4. "Ballarat Football League". Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  5. H. A. deLacy (31 March 1837). "Lack of interest and lost prestige". The Sporting Globe. Melbourne, VIC. p. 8.
  6. "Football in the country". The Age. Melbourne, VIC. 25 April 1949. p. 6.
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