The St. James Football Club was an Australian rules football club based in St. James, in North East Victoria, Australia, and was formed in May 1883.[1]

History

The first recorded football match for St. James Football club was against Tungamah Football Club in Tungamah on Saturday, 16 June 1883, with Tungamah Football Club winning three goals to two goals.[2]

The team won its first senior football premiership in 1884, winning the J. H. Fitzgerald Cup.[3]

The football club's president in 1908 was Sir George J. Coles, whose very first retail business was in St. James, which he purchased from his father, George W. Coles.[4] His company, the Coles Group, would grow to become Australia's largest retail business.

In its short existence the St. James Football Club won an incredible eighteen premierships in various local football competitions and also produced several players that went onto play in the Victorian Football League. An amazing achievement for such a small town.

In 1910, St. James entered two teams in the Dookie Football Association, with the St. James – "Socialables" defeating St. James in the Grand Final.

Jim Flynn started and finished his football career in St. James, but in between he played with both the Geelong Football Club and Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League in the early 1900s. Jim went onto become the club captain and premiership player at Carlton Football Club. Jim was still playing football with the St. James Football Club in his early 40s and was a member of the St. James Football Club premiership teams in 1910, 1911 and 1913.

Former Carlton Football Club premiership player and captain, Gordon Green's original club was St. James, before he went onto play with the Yarrawonga Football Club and then Carlton Football Club, debuting in 1911.

Pat Pelly was also another local player who played eight games with the Carlton Football Club in 1908.

In 1924, Maurie Sheehan coached St. James to the premiership of the Yarrawonga Line Football Association.[5]

St. James FC played in the Murray Valley Football League in 1947, then the Benalla – Tungamah FL when it formed in 1948 until 1954.[6]

In 1955 St. James FC merged with Devenish – United FC, to become known as "St. James / Devenish United FC". This team played in the Benalla – Tungamah FL from 1955 to 1960, which was their last season of competition football.

The Devenish FC then entered the Benalla & District Football League in 1963 as a stand-alone football club and played in the B&DFL until they folded early on during the 2006 season.[7]

The Benalla & District Football League eventually folded after the 2009 season, with the remaining club's joining the Ovens and King Football League.

Senior Football Premierships

LeagueTotal flagsPremiership year(s)
J. H. Fitzgerald Cup11884 [8]
Devenish Football Association11899[9]
Moira Football Association11903[10]
Benalla Yarrawonga Football Association51906,[11] 1907,[12] 1914,[13] 1915,[14] 1924.[15]
Dookie Football Association11910[16]
Yarrawonga & Border Football Association31902,[17] 1911,[18] 1913[19]
Dookie Line Football Association11919[20]
Yarrawonga Mulwala Football Association31930,[21] 1931[22] 1937[23]
Benalla Tungamah Football League21948,[24] 1949[25]

Senior Football Runners Up

  • Moira Football Association
    • 1905
  • Benalla – Yarrawonga Football Association
    • 1909
  • Dookie Football Association
    • 1910
  • Benalla – Mulwala Football Association
    • 1932
  • Murray Valley Patriotic Football Association
    • 1946

References

  1. ↑ "1883 – Formation of St. James Football Club". The North Eastern Ensign. 25 May 1883 – via Trove Newspapers.
  2. ↑ "1883 – St. James Football Club's first match". The North East Ensign. 22 June 1883 – via Trove Newspaper.
  3. ↑ "J. H. Fitzgerald Cup Review". The North-Eastern Ensign. Benalla, Victoria. 24 June 1884 – via Trove Newspapers.
  4. ↑ "1935 - G J Coles - Annual Report". Cobram Courier. 12 September 1935. p. 2. Retrieved 5 June 2020 – via Trove Newspapers.
  5. ↑ "1925 - Wimmera league". The Weekly Times. 15 August 1925. p. 80. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Benalla League draw". The Argus. 26 March 1954 – via Trove Newspapers.
  7. ↑ "2006 – Devenish FC facing the chop". The Border Mail. 26 March 1954 – via Trove Newspapers.
  8. ↑ "1884 - Fitzgerald Cup". The Corowa Free Press. 22 August 1884. p. 3. Retrieved 2 July 2020 – via Trove Newspapers.
  9. ↑ "1899 – Devenish Dookie Football Association – Premiership". The North East Ensign – via Trove Newspapers.
  10. ↑ "1903 – Moira Football Association – Premiers". The North East Ensign. 11 September 1903 – via Trove Newspapers.
  11. ↑ "1906 – Benalla Yarrawonga Football Association – Premiership". Benalla Standard. 21 August 1906 – via Trove Newspaper.
  12. ↑ "1907 – Benalla Yarrawonga Football Association – Premiers". The Argus. 10 September 1907 – via Trove Newspapers.
  13. ↑ "1914 – Benalla Yarrawonga Football Association – Grand Final Review". Benalla Standard. 13 October 1914 – via Trove Newspapers.
  14. ↑ "1915 – Benalla Yarrawonga Football Association Grand Final Scores". Tungamah and Lake Rowan Express and St. James Gazette. / Tungamah and Lake Rowan Express and St. James Gazette. 5 August 1915 – via Trove Newspapers.
  15. ↑ "1924 – Benalla Yarrawonga Football Association – Grand Final Review". The Weekly Times. 13 September 1924 – via Trove Newspapers.
  16. ↑ "1910 – Dookie Football Association Grand Final Review". Dookie and Katamatite Recorder. September 1910 – via Trove Newspapers.
  17. ↑ "1902 - Yarrawonga & BFA Grand Final review". Benalla Standard. 26 August 1902 – via Trove Newspapers.
  18. ↑ "1911 – Yarrawonga & Border Football Association". Benalla Standard. 22 August 1911 – via Trove Newspapers.
  19. ↑ "1913 – Yarrawonga & Border Football Association – Grand Final Review". Benalla Standard. 23 September 1913 – via Trove Newspapers.
  20. ↑ "1919 – Dookie Line Football Association – Grand Final Review". Benalla Standard – via Trove Newspapers.
  21. ↑ "1930 – Benalla Mulwala Football Association – Grand Final Review". Benalla Standard – via Trove Newspapers.
  22. ↑ "1931 – Yarrawonga Benalla Football Association – Grand Final Review". North Eastern Ensign. 2 October 1931.
  23. ↑ "1937 - Benalla Mulwala FA Premiers, St. James FC". Goulburn Valley Stock and Property Journal. 29 September 1937. p. 4. Retrieved 5 July 2020 – via Trove Newspapers.
  24. ↑ "1948 – Benalla Tungamah Football League – Grand Final match review". Benalla Ensign. 10 September 1948 – via Trove Newspapers.
  25. ↑ "1949 – Benalla Tungamah Football League – Grand Final match review". Benalla Ensign. 23 September 1949 – via Trove Newspapers.
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