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Australia’s own code of football was played by clubs in South Melbourne and Albert Park as early as 1862, but it was 12 years later when the red and white received its birthright.

The story began in earnest on the evening of Friday June 19, 1874. A group met at Temperance Hall in Napier Street at Emerald Hill, a borough that would later become part of South Melbourne. Four weeks later, on July 15, the club was named the South Melbourne Football Club.

Based at the Lake Oval in Albert Park, the club joined the VFA in 1877 and attained senior status in that competition in 1879. South Melbourne went on to become one of the founding clubs of the Victorian Football League when it was formed in 1897.

It wasn’t long before the South Melbourne Football Club became known as the Swans, due to an unprecedented influx of players from Western Australia. In 1982, the Swans flew north in the name of survival, making their home at the Sydney Cricket Ground and becoming the Sydney Swans.

Explore the eras, jumpers and heroes that drove 150 years of respect, discipline, and courage.

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