NORTH BALLARAT
Affiliated: Ballarat Football League 1952-96; VFL 1996-present (includes one overlap season during which the club fielded teams in both the BFL and VFL)
Club Address: P.O. Box 61N, Ballarat North 3350
Home Ground: Northern Oval, Ballarat
Formed: 1882
Colours: Black and white
Emblem: Roosters
Premierships: BFL: 1963, 1970, 1973, 1978-79, 1982-83-84-85-86, 1991-92, 1994-95-96 (16 total); VFL - nil (Best position: 2nd in 1999 & 2000)
Henderson Medallists: D.Norman 1960; E.Lovett 1963 & 1965; M.Henderson 1973; G.Polkinghorne 1991 (4 Medallists/5 Medals)
J.J.Liston Trophy winners: Justin Field 2004 (1 total)
Highest VFL Score: 24.9 (153) vs. Coburg in 1996
| MINI-BIOGRAPHIES: | Greg Burns Dave Norman |
After serving a six season apprenticeship in the Ballarat Football League's B grade as 'North City' the club became a full member of the league in 1952 when it changed its name to 'Ballarat North City'. A further name modification occurred in 1960 with the club becoming known as 'North City-Wendouree' but after just one season under this moniker there was a 3rd and (so far) final change the following season to North Ballarat, under which name all of the club's senior on field success has been achieved.
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North Ballarat's 1986 Premiers - the 'Five in a Row' Team |
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By the time the Roosters transferred to the VFL, along with Traralgon, in 1996 they had won a total of fifteen senior flags in thirty-three seasons, as well as reaching the grand final of the Victorian Premiers Cup in 1992. After a slow start to its VFL career the club began to give signs of developing into a genuine power, and, after finishing 3rd in 1998, it reached its first VFL grand final the following year, only to succumb by 10 goals to a powerful Springvale combination.
Season 2000 brought a similar end result, albeit at the hands of Sandringham on this occasion. The Zebras, who were in association with AFL club Melbourne by this time, kicked 4 goals to none in the opening term and maintained this lead more or less throughout the match en route to a 15.18 (108) to 11.11 (77) triumph. The crowd of just 8,652, spread thinly around the vacuous stands at Waverley, was more than a trifle disappointing, and emphasised the significant drop in profile of the VFL, which was now little better than an AFL reserves competition.
Most VFL clubs now engage in some form of alignment with an AFL counterpart. In North Ballarat's case, this alignment is with the Kangaroos.
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