Leopold Football Club

For the current Geelong-based club, see Leopold Football Netball Club.

The Leopold Football Club was an Australian rules football club based in the suburb of South Melbourne.^[5][6]

Leopold Football Club
Names
Full name	Leopold Football Club
Nickname(s)	Leos[1][2]
Club details
Founded	1898; 127 years ago (1898)
Dissolved	1924; 101 years ago (1924)
President	C.D.M. Thomson (1912)[3][4]
Premierships	MJFA (5) 1900 1901 1910 1911 1913
Ground(s)	Warehousemen's Cricket Ground
Uniforms
Home

The club is best known for acting as the reserves team for the South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Junior Football League (VJFL, later AFL reserves) from 1919 until 1924.^[7][8]

History

MJFA

Leopold first appeared in historical records in 1898, competing in the Metropolitan Junior Football Association (MJFA).^[9] The club won its first MJFA premiership in 1900, going back-to-back with another victory in 1901.^[7] At the time, the club played its home games at Warehousemen's Cricket Ground.^[10][11]

At some point around 1904, Leopold had a relationship with the Melbourne Football Club.^[12]

The club won two premierships in a row again in 1910 and 1911.^[7] In 1912, like other MJFA clubs developing formal affiliations, Leopold developed an association with the South Melbourne Football Club, which competed in the Victorian Football League (VFL).^[9] As South Melbourne was a seniors side, Leopold operated as its juniors team.^[13]

A fifth premiership was won in 1915, before the impacts of World War I in Australia affected football competitions.

VJFL

The VFL introduced a reserves competition in 1919, known as the Victorian Junior Football League (VJFL), and Leopold contested as South Melbourne's affiliate until the end of the 1924 season.

In 1925, the competition was renamed as the VFL seconds, and the South Melbourne Second Eighteen (later known as the South Melbourne reserves) replaced Leopold in the competition.^[14][15]

Seasons

Premiers

Grand Finalist

Minor premiers

Finals appearance

Wooden spoon

League leading goalkicker

League best and fairest

Year	League	Finish	W	L	D	Coach	Captain	Leading goalkicker	Goals	Ref
1898	MJFA	3rd	9	5	2					[16]
1899	MJFA	2nd	10	4	3					[17]
1900	MJFA	1st	15	1	0		T. Williams[18]	V. Coutie[19]	37	[19]
1901	MJFA	1st	14	14	0		T. Williams[20]			[21]
1902	MJFA	5th	9	7	0		T. Williams[22]			[23]
1903	MJFA	2nd	14	1	1					[24]
1904	MJFA	3rd	12	6	0					[25]
1905	MJFA	3rd	11	6	1					[26]
1906	MJFA	4th	12	6	0					[27]
1907	MJFA	5th	9	9	0					[28]
1908	MJFA	2nd	16	2	0					[29]
1909	MJFA	3rd	15	3	0					[30]
1910	MJFA	2nd	14	4	0					[31]
1911	MJFA	1st	17	1	0					[32]
1912	MAFA	4th	12	6	0					[33]
1913	MAFA	2nd	14	3	1					[34]
1914	MAFA	3rd	12	6	0					[35]
1915	MAFA	2nd	12	1	1					[36]
1919	VJFL	3rd
1920	VJFL
1921	VJFL	9th
1922	VJFL	9th
1923	VJFL	5th
1923	VJFL	5th	10	8	0

Notable players

• Bill Hennington (formerly South Melbourne)
• Angus McDonald (formerly St Kilda)
• Charles McDonald - South Melbourne