The Castlemaine Football Netball Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football and netball club based in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia and is currently a member of the Bendigo Football League.

The club is notable for several reasons. Formed in 1859, it is the second oldest documented football club in Australia after the Melbourne Football Club and it has produced many notable Australian rules footballers.

History Foundation The first recorded football match on the Camp Reserve was in September 1855 between a team of Army soldiers and a team of goldminers. The "Castlemaine Football Club" was formed on 15 June 1859 at the Supreme Court Hotel, Castlemaine and chaired by T Butterworth with reference from an article in the Castlemaine Mail newspaper Castlemaine played its first match on 22 June 1859 on the Cricket Ground Barkers Creek.Mt Alexander Mail, June 1859

Records for the foundation date was discovered in 2007 which rewrote history; as many had previously believed that the Geelong Football Club had been formed earlier.Real Footy

Competition The club was formed in an era before codified rules organised competition, but according to some sources, including Graeme Atkinson, "football" was popular in the goldfields region; and, without a league to participate in, the club was an irregular competitor during its first decade. Timeline 1877 - 1879: Victorian Football Association 1889 - 1899: Castlemaine District Football Association 1900 - 1909: CFC in recess 1910 - 1913: Castlemaine District Football Association 1914 - 1924: Castlemaine District Football League 1925 - 1930: Bendigo Football League 1931 - Midland District Football League 1932 - 1938: Bendigo Football League 1939 - 1948: Castlemaine District Football League 1949 - 2019: Bendigo Football League

Uniform The original uniform was a white cap with royal-blue Maltese cross.

1925 In 1925, Castlemaine joined the Bendigo Football League, coached by the West Australian champion Phil Matson, Castlemaine made the 1925 Grand Final, but lost to South Bendigo by 14 Points: 7.12 (54) to 6.4 (40).Country Matches: Bendigo Grand Final: South Bendigo Win Premiership, The Age, (Monday, 5 October 1925), p.7.Bendigo Matches: South Bendigo Premiers, The Argus, (Monday, 5 October 1925), p.17.'Half-Forward', "In the Presence of 12,000 Spectators, South Bendigo Win Premiership of Bendigo League", The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 10 October 1925), p.88.Bendigo League Premiership Won by South Bendigo, The Australasian, (Saturday, 10 October 1925), p.37.

Tragedy In June 1953, Castlemaine footballer, Ian Brown accidentally received a knock to his head in an inter-league match between Bendigo Football League and Ballarat Football League and died in the Ballarat Hospital the following day.

Football Premierships Seniors Castlemaine District Football Association 1895 1897 - Castlemaine: 4.3 - 27 d Newstead: 2.4 - 16 1915 - Castlemaine: 3.3 - 21 d Maldon: 1.12 - 18

Castlemaine Wednesday Football Association 1904 1909

Bendigo Football League 1926 - Castlemaine: 13.18 - 96 d Sandhurst: 8.16 - 64 1952 - Castlemaine: 15.9 - 99 v Sandhurst: 9.16 - 70 1992 - Castlemaine: 14.13 - 97 d Golden Square: 14.8 - 92 2000 - Castlemaine: 12.11 - 83 d Kangaroo Flat: 9.17 - 71

Reserves 1956, 1981, 1996,

Thirds 1960, 1965,

Alumni Castlemaine players in the VFL/AFL The following 47 footballers played with Castlemaine FC, prior to playing senior football in the VFL/AFL, and / or were drafted, with the year indicating their VFL/AFL debut. Not 100 percent sure if Jack Titus actually played with Castlemaine FC.

Player VFL/AFL Clubs VFL/AFL Career Notes/References Arthur Cummins Carlton 1897John Everard 1905Bill Sewart 1905-151911 & 1912 VFL PremiershipsLen Bowe Essendon 1907-151911 & 1912 VFL PremiershipsBill Johnson, 1907-12 1908 VFL Grand FinalistNorm Oliver 1909-111910 VFL PremiershipGil Ebbott 1911 Victor Jackson Collingwood 1912 Bob Curtayne St Kilda 1920-21Frank Gleeson St Kilda 1920 Percy Bentley , 1925–40 1932, 1934 VFL PremiershipsJack Titus Richmond 1926–431932, 1934 VFL PremiershipsJack Fincher, 1927-331927-28-29 VFL Grand FinalistBert Smedley 1928-29Harry Crapper Melbourne 1930–31Norm McPherson 1931-2 Matt Carland , 1932 & 38Les Bogie 1934-36David Wilkie 1934 Ron Barassi, Sr. Melbourne 1936–401940 VFL Premiership Ron McCann Collingwood1936 1936 Stawell Gift winnerDarrell Wilkins 1936 Jack Showell 1936-38 Arthur Sanger Carlton 1938-471945 VFL Premiership Fred Burge Richmond 1942-501942 & 1944 VFL Grand FinalistBert Harper Essendon 1943-521946 & 1950 VFL Premierships Ray Bower , 1944-47Jeff Patterson 1951-54Vin Williams 1952-59 Graham Minihan St Kilda 1953–59 Bud Annand St Kilda 1956–62Brian McMillan 1962–641962 VFL Night Premiership Kevin Delmenico Footscray 1966–70 Robert Thompson Essendon 1968–71 1968 VFL Reserves Premiership Peter Hall Carlton 1971 Peter Fyffe Carlton 1970–73 Mark Cross 1974 Warren Jones Carlton, 1978–85 1982 VFL Premiership Lazar Vidovic 1989–97 Rod Keogh , 1990–98 1997 AFL Grand FinalistAdrian Bassett Carlton1990-92 Paul Starbuck Sydney, Carlton 1990 Steven Oliver Carlton 1992–94 Tom Kavanagh , Fitzroy 1993–94 Heath Culpitt Carlton 1999–2001 Dustin Martin Richmond 2010–24 2017, 2019, 2020 AFL Premierships Kane Farrell Port Adelaide 2018-

References

External links

A Day at the Camp: 150 years with the Castlemaine FNC (170 page History Book) Camp Reserve Postcard 1915 - Avenue in Camp Reserve 1914 - Castlemaine Foundry United FC team photo 1919 - Castlemaine DFA Premiers: Campbell's Creek FC team photo 1923 - Castlemaine DFA Runner Up: Castlemaine Foundry United FC team photo 1925 - Castlemaine FC & South Bendigo FC team photos 1926 - Castlemaine FC & Eaglehawk FC team photos 1926 - Bendigo FL Premiers: Castlemaine FC team photo 1928 - Castlemaine FC team photo 1928 - Castlemaine Technical School team photo 1928 - Castlemaine DFA Premiers: Guildford FC team photo 1929 - Castlemaine FC action photo 1929 - Castlemaine FC team photo 1930 - Castlemaine FC team photo 1931 - Castlemaine FC & Kyneton Collegians FC team photos 1932 - Castlemaine FC & Maryborough FC team photos 1933 - Castlemaine FC & Kyneton FC team photos 1934 - Castlemaine FC & Maryborough FC team photos 1934 - Bendigo FL Grand Final teams: Castlemaine FC & Sandhurst FC team photos 1935 - Castlemaine FC & Golden Square FC team photos 1954 - Castlemaine FC Ball photos 1955 - Castlemaine FC & Sandhurst FC team photos 1965 - Bendigo FC Thirds Premiers: Castlemaine FC team photo