Jim Dowdall

James Matthew George Dowdall (8 August 1867 – 29 April 1945) was an Australian rules footballer who played for South Melbourne, Collingwood and Richmond in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) and the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Jim Dowdall
Dowdall in 1897
Personal information
Full name	James Matthew George Dowdall
Date of birth	(1867-08-08)8 August 1867
Place of birth	Emerald Hill, Victoria
Date of death	29 April 1945(1945-04-29) (aged 77)
Place of death	Parkville, Victoria
Original team(s)	Emerald Hill / South Melbourne[1]
Height	169 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	66 kg (146 lb)
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1897	Collingwood	6 (1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1897.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Jim and his younger brother Harry both played for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football Association, James from 1887. In 1892 they both tried to move to Collingwood. Jim was unsuccessful and instead played for Richmond.^{[citation needed]} Jim finally made it to Collingwood in 1897 in the inaugural year of the Victorian Football League.

The son of James Dowdall and Isabella McGowan, Jim was, like brother Harry, small of stature and lightly built.

Dowdall played for the Excelsior Football Club in the Ovens & Murray Football League in 1900.^[2]

Newspaper reports of the time spell his name (and Harry's) variously as Dowdell/Dowdall. Dowdall is correct.