Almanac Footy: 1870 – Remembering the Forgotten Years

Graham Pilkington weighs in on the argument made in Colin Carter’s recent book ‘Football’s Forgotten Years’ around including pre-1897 VFA flags in the AFL’s tally.

Almanac Book Review: Joan Beaumont – Australia’s Great Depression

Roy Hay reviews Joan Beaumont’s book on Australia’s Great Depression where the book seeks to explain why there was not the kind of breakdown in society that occurred in other countries during and as a consequence of the depression. Although a very informative book, Roy Hay has his take on the recurring pattern of history leaving sport absent from the picture.

Almanac Football History – Darkness and Light: The remarkable and tragic story of the Banks family

A rich and engaging tale of the Banks family, in particular two extraordinary brothers, Tom and Albert, who made history in Victoria and Western Australia over a century ago, shared here by John Gordon. [Exceptional story. Ed.]

Almanac Teams: The Eclectic Six (1980- )

Rodney Boyd has returned with a deep dive into VFL/ AFL history, pulling out some forgotten names who happened to pull on the number six jumper at some stage in their career.

Almanac Football History: Aren’t we lucky we are not playing soccer?

Here’s an interesting tidbit by Roy Hay from the early decades of Australian Football in one of its original heartlands – Geelong. Could the 2020 AFL grand finalists have been less the Cats we know today and more like the Sunderland Blackcats?

1966 and all that: Round 15 – Geelong v St. Kilda

Potential finalists Geelong and St. Kilda put on a football exhibition down at Kardinia Park. And Peter Clark’s father shares his memories of that historic Grand Final day in September, 1966. Peter Clark invites you to add a comment to explain where you were on that day.

The Footy Almanac 2007 Round 8 – Essendon v Brisbane: A hit to Brisbane’s finals hopes

Tony Roberts had a day to forget at the old Telstra Dome. Seeing the Lions fall short to Essendon, he left cursing Jonathan Brown’s array goal kicking.

The Footy Almanac 2007 Round 8 – Adelaide v Richmond: Falling into the trap of tempo footy

John Kingsmill ventured down to AAMI Park in Round 8, 2007, expecting to see Adelaide make light work of the Tigers. But he was surprised (and dismayed) by the tactics of the home side in a lethargic display of football.

Short (footy) films from country Victoria – Part 3: by Malcolm McKinnon

The last series of videos that make up Malcolm McKinnon’s short film collection on Victorian country football.

Short (footy) films from country Victoria – Part 2: by Malcolm McKinnon

Malcolm McKinnon’s series of short films on country football in Victoria continues with six more videos.

Almanac Film: Short (footy) films from country Victoria – Part 1

Some time back, Malcolm McKinnon turned his film-making skills to country footy. Here are nine short films.

Footy History: Do you now what team this is?

Do you know which footy team this was? Citrus Bob Utber could do with a hand.

Study: Watching old games of footy a boon to mental health

Good news everyone; delving into the glory days might not just be a guilty pleasure – it could improve your health.

Oldest Surviving Footballers – Keith Rae

We kick off our Oldest Surviving Footballers series with a profile on Keith Rae. The former Carlton and Richmond player turns 101 at the end of July. Get involved by sharing any insights or tales you have about Keith.

Collingwood: A sensational history

Almanacker and Collingwood diehard Jeff Dowsing invites you to take a look at his new website.

Footy Spirits and ‘Palmhenge’

Harold Peacock brings out the history in the “everyday”. Visit his blog for more insights like this one.

AFL revisionists’ flagging logic

Jeff Dowsing takes aim at the dubious claims of revisionist footy historians who are seeking to grant premiership* flags for the decades before the game took on an organised structure.

New book “Fandemic” offers another view on footy

In a new book just out, Phillip Dimitriadis explores the relationship between sports, literature, language and mythology. “Fandemic: Travels in Footy Mythology” expresses the tensions of a passionate sports fan with a keen interest in literature and education. Take a journey of observation and reflection over the complexity and history of sports, especially Australian football.