Henry ‘Ivo’ Crapp umpires his first game of VFL football in the very first round of the competition, in 1897. As Tim Ghys reports, some rule tweaks were soon required.
Almanac Footy History – The Crapp Chroicles Part 3: A Crapp First League Game
November 4, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Almanac Horseracing: Maybe the Last Great Post-race Demonstration – The 1975 McKell Cup at Rosehill
April 7, 2026 by 2 Comments
The ‘failure’ of a horse expected to win often causes a hostile reaction from disgruntled punters as Wayne Peake highlights some notable cases from the past turf events in Australia.
Almanac Footy: Minor Encounter with a Major Legend – Ted Whitten at Elizabeth Oval
April 5, 2026 by 2 Comments
Philip Peel recalls a brief but very memorable encounter he had with EJ Whitten at the Elizabeth Oval in 1968.
Almanac Footy History: The First State of Origin Football Game – Changi POW Camp January 1943
February 10, 2026 by 4 Comments
The first State of Origin Aussie Rules football match occurred in the Changi POW Camp in 1943 states ‘Grand Final History’ (Kieran Magee) as he examines the historical facts behind the occasion in his in-depth account of the event.
Almanac Footy: The Truth Behind The QClash
September 12, 2025 by 1 Comment
As CEO of AFL Queensland Richard Griffiths recalls his time as a committee member for the Gold Coast Suns’ bid to become the 17th AFL team in the competition. He also explains the origin behind the term ‘QClash’.
Almanac Footy (History): The story behind the iconic Roy Cazaly image
August 18, 2025 by 3 Comments
An historian at work: Carolyn Spooner used Trove and the other tools of discovery at her disposal to track down the story behind one of the iconic images of Australian football – Roy Cazaly’s one-handed leap.
Almanac Footy: Why you should never leave early
July 30, 2025 by 7 Comments
St Kilda’s record comeback win against Melbourne is a good reason why you should never leave the footy until the final siren sounds as Ian Wilson explains.
Almanac Books: The Fifty Books of Bernard
July 25, 2025 by 12 Comments
Friends gathered with Bernard Whimpress to help him celebrate the fifty books he has published over many years, and to acknowledge his recently announced award of an Order Of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to literature as a sportswriter and author.
Almanac Footy: Photos from Otway Districts FC 125th Anniversary weekend
May 1, 2025 by 3 Comments
Otway Districts FC celebrated their 125th anniversary last weekend. Old Dog provides photographs of the memorable occasion.
Almanac Footy: Pride – Otway Districts FC 125th Year Celebrations Saturday 26 April
April 25, 2025 by 5 Comments
Otway Districts FNC is celebrating 125 years of football in the ranges this Saturday. It will be huge! Past players coming from everywhere. In honour of the occasion, Old Dog takes the time to talk to one of its best ever, his former teammate, Sammy Harriott, about what it means to play for the mighty Demons.
Almanac Ultramarathons: Cliff Young – The Legend from the Otways
April 2, 2025 by 1 Comment
Middle Australia recalls being in the crowd as Cliff Young crossed the line to win the inaugural Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon in 1983.
Almanac Teams: Debuts with different happenings/milestones!
March 10, 2025 by 25 Comments
Rodney Boyd has created a team made up of players who made their AFL debut based on unsual or different circumstances.
Almanac Lunches: Des, Bob, Richard, and John – ‘He sat them down’
February 9, 2025 by 7 Comments
It was another cracking Footy Almanac Lunch featuring Des Tobin, Bob Utber, and ‘a cast of thousands’ at the All Nations Hotel in Richmond last Friday.
The Great Interceptor – The Intriguing Case Of Dennis Tutty
November 22, 2024 by 2 Comments
Braham Dabscheck recounts the importance of the Dennis Tutty case and how it changed the way sporting codes addressed players’ ’employment’.
Almanac Footy: The Bennetts from Cora Lynn
June 29, 2024 by 2 Comments
Citrus Bob Utber and a few mates remember Ken Bennett, premiership player in Collingwood’s 1958 flag side, who passed away last year. They also recall the Bennett family and the Cora Lynn Football Club.
Percy Cerutty and Harry Hopman – Half-Loons
June 17, 2024 by 8 Comments
The sheer will and determination of coaching/motivational masters Harry Hopman and Percy Cerutty gives Michael Sexton cause to claim them as the greatest of their kind this land has produced.
Almanac Books: ‘1989 – The Great Grand Final’
May 22, 2024 by 4 Comments
The 1989 Grand Final between Hawthorn and Geelong was one the great Grand Finals of all time. Raging Bull adds his thoughts about the game.
Almanac Local History: Sporting history in abundance at Coburg Pine Ridge Cemetery
October 17, 2023 by 6 Comments
A while ago, Allan Barden discovered that his great-grandmother was buried in 1918 in the Coburg cemetery. In finding out a little more he met the Friends of Coburg Cemetery a small group of volunteers who look after the cemetery and also have done some research into those buried there. This piece by Allan reflects on the cultural and historical significance of cemeteries generally, and discusses what they mean to us, and tell us. He then considers the lives of a number of Australian sportsmen buried in the Coburg Cemetery. [Wonderful piece – Ed]
Almanac Comment: MCC Library – a place of reflection, conversation, discovery and respect
The Melbourne Cricket Club Library is 177 years old. Citrus Bob Utber and others pay their respects to this institution of reflection, conversation, and discovery for members, scholars, researchers and the general public.