ALBERT PARK
Affiliated: VFA 1877-9; merged with South Melbourne 1880
Colours: Red and white
Premierships: Nil
Although the original Albert Park Football Club ceased to exist well over a century ago, there is a sense in which its heritage continues to be prominently and frequently displayed at the very highest level of the game. This is because the red and white colours which everyone today associates with the Sydney Swans were Albert Park's most conspicuous contribution to the original marriage of convenience out of which the Swans emerged.
Albert Park was a prominent club during the 1870s when it was recognised as enjoying senior status. When the Victorian Football Association was formed in 1877 Albert Park was one of eight inaugural senior members, and immediately proved its on-field prowess by finishing fourth. In 1880 it amalgamated with South Melbourne, giving rise to a club that would soon emerge as a dominant force in the game, winning no fewer than five VFA premierships between 1881 and 1890. However, perhaps because the new club retained the South Melbourne name, Albert Park's implicit, but nevertheless very real, contribution to this success has tended to be overlooked.
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