We're proud to announce the naming of the Kevin Murray Stand at Brunswick Street Oval
Just before our Senior Men took the field in the round 1 clash against Beaumaris, President David Leydon made a very special announcement.
Alongside Roys greats Danny Wilson and Bruno Zorzi, David Leydon announced that from 7 May, 2022, at Fitzroy home games, the grandstand at Brunswick Street Oval will be known as the Kevin Murray Stand with a special sign created that will be erected on game days.
Club Legend Kevin Murray played his first ever senior game for Fitzroy on 7 May, 1955, hence the choice to commemorate this special date in round 5 when our Senior and Reserves Men take on the University Blacks at Brunswick Street Oval. This game will also be our Past Players Day, adding another great reason to celebrate the rich past of the Roys and further celebrate Kevin's contribution to the Fitzroy Football Club.
"This is a really special moment in our club's proud history," said President David Leydon. "Everyone loves Kevin Murray – from people in their 80s who saw him play his first game, to five-year-old fans who have only heard about him from grandparents (or great grandparents!).
"That respect has only grown in the many years since. Kevin has always been swamped by fans of every age whenever he comes to a Fitzroy or Brisbane Lions event. For many of us Kevin Murray is the greatest Roy Boy of all."
The opportunity to name the stand at Brunswick Street Oval after the 1969 Brownlow Medal winner came when the club became aware that the current Kevin Murray stand at Junction Oval would be renamed to honour cricket legend Shane Warne after his recent tragic passing.
The club felt the respect shown to honour Warne's legacy at the Junction Oval was a wonderful gesture and that we could play a role in ensuring that Kevin Murray's legacy could continue as well.
"So we’re naming our beautiful grandstand after Kevin with a custom-designed sign while we play on the hallowed turf that he made his debut on 67 years ago,” says David.
“This is something we're honoured to do in continuing to celebrate one of our club champions."
The unveiling of the new Kevin Murray Stand sign will be take place on Saturday 7 May in round 5 before our Senior Men take on the University Blacks at Brunswick Street Oval. All are welcome to attend the unveiling of the sign and celebrate this special moment with us on game day.
Booking details for the pre-game lunch will be available next week.
Be at Brunswick Street Oval this Saturday to witness history
70 years after the Fitzroy Football Club’s famous old theme song was first penned, the club will write another page in its illustrious history when the Roy Girls run out onto the Brunswick Street Oval to the strains of their own version of the song in Season 2022.
With the help of his teammates, Fitzroy Football Club champion, Bill Stephen, came up with the original version of the famous Fitzroy theme song on an end-of-season football trip to Perth in 1952. Line by line, the players on the trip contributed to the words set to the tune of La Marseillaise.
“In those days, it was only men and boys who were given the opportunity to play Australian rules football at the elite level but, thankfully, those days are long gone and women’s football is going from strength to strength,” says Fitzroy club president David Leydon.
The Fitzroy Football Club was established in 1883 and was one of the foundation clubs in the Victorian Football League in 1897. It was the first to win a VFL grand final in 1898, and is the only club to have played in the VFA, VFL, AFL and VAFA, winning other milestone premierships along the way.
Fitzroy first fielded a women’s side in 2015 with the support of the Australian Catholic University (ACU) and now plays in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), playing its home games at the club’s spiritual home at Brunswick Street Oval.
The Fitzroy Football Club has also long been championing women off the field.
“Club legend Elaine Findlay was the first woman elected to an AFL board after a unanimous vote by the, at the time, all male Fitzroy board in November 1985,” says David.
“Early in 1993 Elaine was elevated to Vice Chair of the board, making her also the first woman to take up this important leadership role at a VFL/AFL club.
“Most people don’t know that.”
The perpetual best and fairest award for the Fitzroy Women’s Senior team is named in Elaine Findlay’s honour.
For Elaine, having a women’s version of the Fitzroy Football Club theme song is another step in advancing women’s football.
“Having a woman’s song, and one that so brilliantly echoes the style of the old VFL version, is just fantastic,” Elaine says.
“It’s onwards and upwards for our Fitzroy women players and for all those who continue to keep Fitzroy alive and kicking.”
With over 20 years’ leadership in community football and taking on the presidency of the Fitzroy Football Club in 2010, former Fitzroy President Joan Eddy led a gender diverse board for over ten years, more often than not with a majority of directors serving being women. Throughout her long time as President, Joan was joined by Sharon Torney as club secretary and football operations manager.
The club’s current board has five women and five men serving as directors.
David Leydon agrees with Elaine Findlay that the women’s version of the song is just another step in striving for gender equity for women playing football, particularly those women's teams that are playing in long-established men’s-only clubs.
“Everyone loves the Fitzroy song,” says club Vice-President Gabrielle Murphy. “And every time our senior players run out to it at our historic home at Brunswick Street, Fitzroy hearts are stirred, and opposition players and supporters stopped in their tracks.
“The problem being, of course, that when our Women’s team ran out to the song, they had to sing that ‘we are the boys from old Fitzroy’.”
“With the new version of the song, one that so faithfully echoes the old version, that’s no longer the case.
“We’re all so happy about that.”
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On the afternoon of Saturday 9 April, a guard of honour made up of the trailblazing Fitzroy women and girls who have served the club and women’s football as administrators, directors, volunteers, community leaders, mentors, coaches, trainers, umpires and players, will cheer on Fitzroy’s senior Women’s team as they run out at Brunswick Street Oval to their own version of the famous club song.
All women and girls in our wonderful Fitzroy community are welcome to join our guard of honour at 1.40pm.
So Near, Yet So Far
By Guy Gorilla
I wandered into the change rooms underneath the freshly proclaimed ‘Kevin Murray Stand’ prior to Senior Men’s game against Beaumaris. The four debutants, Charlie Hogg, Luke Minahan, Layne Holden and Jack Wotherspoon were receiving fresh Roys jumpers from their more senior playing comrades. As a change in protocol, parents and loved ones in the rooms was a beautiful touch. It showed clearly how much running out in ‘that’ jumper on ‘that’ ground means. The 2s had won in a romp – a very strong 2’s side indeed. The scene was set for the challenge of us being seen as a serious contender.
Unfortunately in hindsight, our first quarter probably cost us the game. We were edgy early, not clean enough in the clinches, and mistake-prone in defence. Beaumaris had tall timber in attack, and smooth midfield practitioners. Rhys Seakins kicked brilliantly for our first major, but midway through the quarter we were five goals down. Best laid plans! The opposition appeared much better drilled, and we were too reactive; we had to get our hands dirty, get first use. Needless free kicks and kicks upfield are gifts to the opposition. Hogg, Donovan Toohey and Matt Kyroussis combined for our second, but as the siren rang, it was 42–12 their way.
At the huddle, coach Mahoney called for composure, to think a bit more, to re-set, and to stop being so free-kick generous.
Big Bill Clayton was doing well in the ruck and up forward in the early parts of the second, and our tall defenders Max Ellis, Darcy Lowrie and Jock Green were meeting the challenges posed. Dos Doherty is a mean spirited, hard-nosed defender, Seakins continued to show Ellis-like maturity. A head knock stung Wotherspoon into action. We had a lot of the ball for little return, Beauie scoring against the run of play. It was 48–20 at the half way mark, looking as ominous as the return of Melbourne winter rain. A change of season, we needed a change of approach.
We quickly scored a major, and there seemed a definite lift in intensity. The problem was nothing was ever clean. Lowrie was growing in confidence in defence, stoutly spoiling and running the ball out. Toohey was winning a stack of the ball through the central corridor, using it well, and then scoring a major from the ‘Hill’ pocket. Predictably, our improved efforts were countered by a couple of goals against the tide. It was 64–35 at the final change, everyone waiting for the tide to turn.
The coach acknowledged the effort, but demanded better ball use, “take the speed off the game, the gaps will open up”.
And open up they did. I think it was George Pyers who snapped the first of the last, Captain Jack Hart got it to Ted Clayton for another, and Kyroussis bombed another after an exchange from Minahan and Toohey. Bravely, Minahan had returned from a clash of the titans to win his share of the ball. The difference was now only 11 points, and the cat from the grandstand was among those pesky pigeons. Professor Ross Boland was presenting handsomely, and he goaled after the two Greeks combined. 5 points, and time left. We were all over the travellers from down south.
Can willpower win games? They kicked a settler at the 25-minute mark, and slowed the game down. Cramp was settling in everywhere. Holden marked and kicked one after the siren to bring the final margin back to 5. Brave but defeated. That first quarter malaise killed us.
Next Saturday is a must win against Ajax. Their home digs are hosting that car race, so it looks like Elsternwick Park Number 2 is the venue. Guy Gorilla cut his teeth there as a player and coach in the mid 70s and 80s. Our most stern contests in the day occurred when the mighty Elsternwick FC took on Ajax. Wars! This gruff old bugger might shed a tear next Saturday if Baby Gorilla graces the turf against the Jackas. Alongside the ghost of my great mate, recently passed, the legendary Gary ‘Lumpy’ Rosewarne. Go Wicks!
Go Roys!
Get 'em before they're gone! Our 1922 100th anniversary premiership guernsey
2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the famous Fitzroy VFL Premiership of 1922, the Roys’ seventh VFL Premiership and eighth overall including the 1895 VFA flag.
The Fitzroy team which defeated Collingwood in that 1922 Grand Final included players such as Team of the Century star Percy Parratt, champion goal kicker Jimmy Freake and legendary captain Chris Lethbridge.
One of the special things about this team is the guernsey they wore at the time. It featured the well-known Fitzroy maroon and blue, but the blue was in the form of a solid ‘V’ shape and there was no FFC logo on the front. That iconic design didn’t appear until the 1930’s. This historic version of the guernsey was also the first to feature player numbers on the back.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of this magnificent premiership and the unique guernsey worn in 1922, the Fitzroy Football Club is releasing a limited-edition replica of that special guernsey.
Each guernsey will feature the number 22 on the back in honour of the Premiership winning 1922 side with the front of the guernsey acknowledging the 100th anniversary of the win.
These guernseys will be strictly a limited edition and there will only be 122 made to commemorate this significant moment in Fitzroy history. Each guernsey will be individually numbered on the lower left-hand side: 1 of 122, 2 of 122, 3 of 122 and so on to mark this special release.
This historic, 100-year anniversary re-issue of the 1922 Premiership winning guernsey is just $100.00. This is a special offer for this outstanding piece of Fitzroy Football Club history.
Once you place your order the guernsey will be specially made for you and sent out directly to you. Please allow at least 21 business days for production and shipping.
