Arthur, Darren (2019) Foundation Narratives in Rowing, Cricket and Australian Rules Football: Sport in Footscray 1859-1886. Research Master thesis, Victoria University.

Abstract

How does a sporting club come to life? What and who are the drivers behind it and what are the forces that shape its development? This thesis examines the town of Footscray through the lens of three local sporting clubs during the period 1859–1886. The study attempts to answer the above questions and considers the reasons each entity came into prominence and what hindered their progress or allowed them to grow. The major focus of this thesis is the Footscray Football Club whose precise origins have not been formally identified, despite conjecture that the club was founded in 1883. Two other local sporting clubs are closely scrutinised, namely the first incarnations of the Footscray rowing and cricket clubs, whose histories have not been properly documented. The intertwined histories of these organisations will not only assist in providing wider contexts for understanding the birth of the local football club, but will, more broadly, illuminate the important role that sport plays in the building of local communities.

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