Ascot Vale Football Club
The Ascot Vale Football Club formed in 1898 and competed in the Commonwealth Football Association. The clubs was originally known as the "Two Blues" due to two toned blue footy jumpers (that were also later adopted by Ascot Vale West Primary School). During these years the junior teams played in the Victorian Junior Football Association. The oldest current photo of the Ascot Vale Football Club "two Blues" was taken in 1911 currently up on the wall in our rooms. The single year of 1914 the club didn’t field a team due to all 40 of its members going off to war together. The club changed jumpers to the black and red sash in 1920, which made all the difference as the Ascot Vale Football Club won the Senior A Grade Premiership that year.
In 1930 the Ascot Vale Football Club moved from the Commonwealth Football Association to become a founding member of the Essendon District Football League (EDFL) which was the first year of league competition. The Ascot Vale Football Club successfully won Senior Grade A Premierships in 1933, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938 and 1940 as well as Senior B Grade Premierships in 1972 and 1977. During these years the club also won multiple under 11, under 15, under 17 and Reserve Grade Premierships along the way.
In 1988 three EDFL clubs, being Ascot Vale, Pascoe Vale and Coburg Districts Football Clubs all to the Footscray District Football League (now Western District Football League). Ascot Vale enjoyed almost immediate success winning the Senior Division 2 Premiership and Reserves Division 2 Premiership a year later in 1989.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the suburb of Ascot Vale had an aging population and few new families to the area which resulted in the club unable to consistently field junior or men’s teams. Unable to field a men’s team in 1997 the Ascot Vale Football Club decided to merge with the North Essendon Football Club and became a Men’s Over 35s Superrules Club. In the first year the club won the Vic Metro Superrules Premiership in 1997 and after many finals losses it won the Premiership again in 2006. The Ascot Vale Football Club changed to the Panthers jumper in 2006 which is the name and design used today.
With the change of demographics in the 2000s and new housing estates in the immediate area of the Walter St Oval, the EDFL contacted Ascot Vale requesting the club restart the Junior Football Club and rejoin the EDFL. The Junior Club was re-established in 2017 with one team playing under 9s. In 2019 Ascot Vale fielded it’s first girls team competing in under 10s. The Junior program has been expanding with around 50 new kids joining the club each year at the grass roots under 8 program. The club won its first Junior Premiership winning under 12 mixed in 2021 and then 3 Premierships a year later in 2022 winning two under 10 Mixed Premierships and it’s first Girls Premiership for under 12 Girls.
Today, the Ascot Vale Panthers Superrules continues to field teams in over 35s and over 50s in the Premier Division of the VIC Metro Superrules League. The Ascot Vale Panthers Junior Club continues to expand with a total of 15 teams in each of the mixed/boys and girls age groups. The club’s growth is supported by one of the largest Auskick programs in the EDFL hosting over 180 kids aged 5 – 7 and proudly includes the largest girls only Auskick program.
