Box Hill Hawks Football Club

History

Early Australian rules football in Box Hill (1903–1935)

Organised Australian rules football within the municipality of Box Hill can be traced back to 1903 and the founding of the Reporter District Football Association (RDFA). The six inaugural clubs were Bayswater, Box Hill, Canterbury, Ferntree Gully, Mitcham and Ringwood. This Box Hill team played on a ground approximately 400 metres south of where Box Hill City Oval is located today, the site is now partly occupied by the Box Hill High School and the Box Hill Cemetery. This team is wholly unrelated to the Box Hill Hawks Football Club of today but was the first team to be known as Box Hill and was the first Australian rules football team in the municipality.

In 1921, a team known as the Box Hill Junior Football Club participated in local competitions and in 1923 the Eastern Suburban Protestant Churches Football Association was formed with two teams representing Box Hill; Box Hill United and Box Hill City. The Box Hill City Football Club was the fore-runner of the present day club and was the first to wear the brown and gold uniform associated with later Box Hill teams. In 1932 the Eastern Suburban Football League formed with Box Hill City as a foundation member. In 1935 Box Hill City merged with Box Hill East. Prior to the 1936 season Box Hill East, Box Hill District and Box Hill Methodists all merged to become the Box Hill Football Club and this event is now generally regarded as the formation of the present-day club.

ESFL (1936–1950)

The newly formed Box Hill Football Club played at Surrey Park in 1936 and competed in the Eastern Suburbs Football League (ESFL) "B" Grade; qualifying for the Grand Final but being defeated by Hartwell. Both Grand Finalists were promoted to "A" Grade for season 1937 and in its first season in the higher grade Box Hill again reached the Grand Final, this time being defeated by Auburn.

In 1937 the team moved to the newly constructed Box Hill City Oval after the land south of Whitehorse Road was acquired by the Box Hill Cemetery Trust. The new oval was designed and constructed by the City Engineer, Mr FW Kerr, and provided improved facilities including a grand stand with changing rooms and covered races, a recorder board, conveniences, committee rooms, a timekeeper's box and a kiosk. Chain mesh partitions were provided for the "inner" and "outer" spectator viewing areas. At the time the ground was regarded as the equal of any in Victoria.

In 1939 the "A" Grade premiership was won but the team withdrew from the ESFL after 11 rounds of the 1940 season as the logistics of fielding a team became impossible due to players enlisting for the War effort. The ESFL itself went into recess from 1942 to 1944 before resuming in 1945. Box Hill won the 1945 and 1946 "East Section" premierships (with fuel restrictions in force in the years immediately after World War II, the ESFL divided into "East" and "West" sections to minimise travel). A third consecutive premiership was narrowly missed with the 1947 grand final being lost by 1 point to Mitcham. Box Hill was again defeated in the 1948 and 1949 grand finals, on each occasion by Ringwood. In 1950, in what was to prove Box Hill's final season in the ESFL, it lost the first semi-final to Tooronga by 1 point. During its 11 seasons in the ESFL, Box Hill only failed to qualify for the grand final on 3 occasions – 1938, 1940 (when the club withdrew mid-season) and 1950.

Towards the end of the 1940s the Victorian Football Association adopted an expansionist policy aimed at bringing senior football to the newer and younger suburbs of Melbourne, a policy that would see the VFA increase in numbers from twelve to twenty Clubs by the mid-1960s. The first two Clubs admitted under this new strategy were Box Hill and Moorabbin who, at the end of the 1950 season, were invited to field teams in the VFA for the 1951 season.

VFA (1951–1995)

The Box Hill Football Club made its debut in the VFA on Saturday 21 April 1951 at Preston City Oval. The team lost to Preston 7.9 (51) to 16.14 (110). Success did not come readily at first as the team largely based on its ESFL players and local juniors struggled to make the transition to senior football. The only premiership points gained during this first season were recorded in a drawn match against Williamstown at home in Round 13.

Improvement was steady during the early VFA years and the appointment of former Richmond champion and 1948 Brownlow Medallist Bill Morris as playing coach for the 1952 season proved to be an excellent choice. Morris attracted quality footballers to Box Hill and inspired the team through his own efforts. Morris played with Box Hill for three years and won the best and fairest by a huge margin each season and must still be regarded as one of the very best players ever to represent the club.

In 1956 Box Hill made its initial appearance in the VFA finals under captain-coach Col Austen. It defeated Brunswick in the first semi-final before losing to eventual premiers Williamstown in the preliminary final. Austen again guided the club into the finals in 1958, losing the first semi-final to Port Melbourne.

After the high points of 1956 and 1958, during the ensuing seasons Box Hill's performances began to decline. In 1960 the VFA was a single division of seventeen teams and Box Hill finished tenth. When divisional football was introduced for the 1961 season Box Hill therefore became the final club admitted to the newly formed ten team first division.

Box Hill finished last in the first division in 1961 and therefore became the first team to be relegated to the VFA second division. Divisional football was conducted in the VFA for 28 years from 1961 to 1988 and Box Hill played a total of 24 seasons in the second division (1962 to 1984, 1986). Only Northcote (25 seasons), Sunshine (25 seasons) and Mordialloc (withdrew 3 rounds into its 25th season) were in the lower division for a longer period of time.

In 1960 the VFA introduced Sunday football which, as the only professional sport played in Melbourne on a Sunday, soon developed a large following and became a financial boon for VFA clubs that hosted Sunday matches. Box Hill, a conservative club in a conservative municipality, at first vigorously opposed the introduction of Sunday football and refused to play Sunday games. Even when the club changed its stance and agreed to play on Sundays in 1966, the Box Hill City Council continued to refuse permission for the club to host Sunday matches at Box Hill City Oval. Box Hill did not gain council's permission to play Sunday matches on its own ground until 1969, the final VFA club to do so. Generally the club struggled throughout the 1960s as it suffered financially by not being able to play Sunday Football at home. Through the 1960s, the club relied on a successful Saturday night dance that it hosted at the Box Hill Town Hall for most of its income. Box Hill finished fourth in the second division in 1962 but did not reach the finals again until 1969 when it also finished fourth.

VFL years and Hawthorn alignment

The creation of the Australian Football League from the previous Victorian Football League in 1990 had left a structural void within the heartland of Australian rules football, with no Victorian state-based competition to provide a player pathway from the elite Under 18s TAC Cup competition.

At the end of the 1998 season, the administrations of the AFL and VFL adopted the recommendations of the "Busse Report", which recommended the amalgamation of the Victorian-based AFL reserves with the VFL competition into a revamped and stronger VFL commencing in season 2000. Victorian-based AFL clubs were to be permitted to participate in the VFL competition either by fielding its reserves teams or by entering into an "alignment" partnership with an existing VFL club, whereby the VFL club hosted players from the AFL club, effectively fielding a hybrid team.

Due to the complexities involved in finalising the details of such an arrangement, only 3 AFL clubs participated in an "alignment" partnership in the VFL in 2000. On 23 December 1999, Box Hill and Hawthorn created one of the first such partnerships, considered to be one of the more natural and logical of such arrangements, due to such factors as both clubs wearing brown and gold playing uniforms and Box Hill being geographically located within the heartland of Hawthorn's membership and supporter base. Moreover, Hawthorn's training base Glenferrie Oval was wholly unsuited to state league football, making the prospect of Hawthorn players playing at a quality suburban venue such as Box Hill City Oval an attractive one for that club. As part of the alignment partnership, Box Hill dropped its "Mustangs" nickname in favour of the "Hawks" nickname of Hawthorn but its brown and gold playing uniform with the large white horse emblem remained unchanged.

The early years of the restructured VFL competition handed a considerable advantage to clubs which had entered into "alignment" partnerships; the blend of full-time, professional AFL listed players with a smaller number of VFL players on most occasions proved to be too strong for "stand alone" VFL clubs composed entirely of part-time, semi-professional footballers. Such was the case for the Box Hill Hawks, which between 2000 and 2005 completed the most successful period of its long history, with 6 consecutive finals appearances.

The Box Hill Hawks claimed its first major division VFL premiership in 2001 under the coaching of former North Melbourne player and Werribee coach Donald McDonald. After finishing the home-and-away season in 2nd place with 15 wins and 5 losses, it defeated Springvale and the Murray Kangaroos to claim a grand final berth against Werribee. Werribee had only lost two games for the season and had twice comfortably defeated the Box Hill Hawks during the home-and-away round, but Box Hill jumped Werribee early and by halfway through the 2nd quarter had established a lead of more than six goals which Werribee was unable to threaten. In the end the Box Hill won comfortably by 37 points, 13.13(91) to Werribee 7.12(54).

Records

Highs and lows

* Sequence of losses ended by a draw followed by 4 further losses, i.e. 33 matches without a win.

Thirds Grade – 1952 to 1994

Seasons

Source:

Seniors

Position of General Manager known as Secretary until 1981

Although Box Hill finished third in 2021, no finals series was held as the season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic

VFL/AFL players

The following are players who have played at least 1 VFL/AFL game or are currently on an AFL list and yet to play an AFL game:

* Indicates AFL listed player in 2026.

All games totals to the end of the 2026 season.

The following players were drafted from Box Hill but did not play an AFL game: Ashley Byrne (Brisbane – 1991 Mid-Season Draft); Paul Mullarvey (Fitzroy – 1993 National Draft); Matthew Penny (Carlton – 1993 Pre-Season Draft); Michael Georgiadis (Hawthorn – 2002 Rookie Draft); Clinton Alleway (North Melbourne – 2003 Rookie Draft); Doug Scott (Hawthorn – 2004 Pre-Season Draft); Kristan Height (Hawthorn – 2005 Rookie Draft).

"Greatest Ever Team"

(as announced in 2000, covering period 1951 to 2000)

"Box Hill Hawks All Stars"

(as announced on 24 August 2019 to celebrate 20 seasons of the Box Hill – Hawthorn Alignment 2000 to 2019)

In popular culture

On Sunday 26 June 1988 at a match between Box Hill and Frankston played at Box Hill City Oval, Box Hill coach Harold Martin rode on a cherry picker while delivering his 3/4 time address to the Box Hill team. Martin was serving a suspension that prevented him from entering the playing arena. He circumvented the ban by being hoisted by the cherry picker over the boundary fence and several metres inside the playing arena without actually touching the ground. The incident has been recounted and referred to in several publications since in the context of describing extreme acts that coaches have undertaken in an attempt to motivate their teams.

In an episode of Kath & Kim (season 2, episode 8), Brett and Kim are shown at a suburban football match. Both are wearing brown and gold scarves and ABC footage of a VFA match played in 1988 between Box Hill and Preston is used. Peter Rowsthorn, who plays the role of Brett, has been Number One Ticket Holder of the Box Hill Hawks Football Club since 2005.

Club song

The club song is identical to the Hawthorn Football Club song, except that "Box Hill" is substituted for "Hawthorn", and is sung to the tune of "Yankee Doodle Dandy".

Women's team

Box Hill were granted a license to compete in the VFL Women's league in 2017. The club won three out of fourteen games in the 2017 season. The license was transferred to AFL-aligned club Hawthorn, who participated in the league under that name from 2018 to 2022, winning the premiership in the 2018 season. In 2023, following Hawthorn's ascension to the AFL Women's competition, the VFLW license was returned to Box Hill, and the club has played under that name in the league ever since.

Jumpers

1936−1974

Brown jumper with a gold vee and small white horse emblem on left hand breast. The white horse emblem was added prior to the 1938 season, coinciding with the club's move from Surrey Park to Box Hill City Oval.

1975−2011

Prior to the 1975 season, the VFA encouraged a number of its member Clubs to adopt a more colourful playing uniform to coincide with the introduction of colour television to Australia. Box Hill adopted its iconic and most widely recognised jumper, consisting of gold and brown vertical thirds (brown in the middle), with a brown back, gold numbers, and a large white "Wild Mustang" logo in the centre of the front of the jumper.

2012−present

Box Hill adopted the identical jumper to its AFL affiliate Hawthorn, the only difference being that the white "Wild Mustang" logo was retained, located in the centre of the front of the jumper and approximately half the size that it was previously.