Club History

History of the Club

The Werribee Football Club was established as a team in the VFA in 1965. The team’s initial years were spent in the 2nd division, and success was not immediate.

 

Those early days were a challenge for an emerging club in a growing town but that foundation paved way for success in the nineties, capped by a premiership triumph in 1993. While that is the only time the club has achieved the ultimate, there has been some close shaves in 1991, 1998, 2001, 2005, and most recently 2023, with agonising grand final losses. The club champion trophy is also an outstanding achievement and the Tigers boasted that honour four times in the nineties (1991, 1992, 1993, 1998) and twice in the noughties (2001, 2002).

 

The Tigers have solidified their status as one of the most consistently performing VFL clubs in the ever-changing landscape of the modern era.

 

The club has played a major role in the finals since the start of the nineties, embracing the evolution of the VFL competition to include AFL teams. The landscape saw the club involved in several different on field partnerships, firstly with the Western Bulldogs (2000-2007), and later with North Melbourne (2008-2017). Throughout this turbulent period of the club’s history, Werribee remained steadfast in preserving its identity. The team always donned the Werribee jumper, sang the Werribee song, and continued to host home games at its own ground – Avalon Airport Oval at Chirnside Park.

 

Chirnside Park is located in Watton St, Werribee. In 2018, after years of lobbying, the club was able to undertake a major redevelopment which saw Chirnside Park, already the premier facility in the City of Wyndham and a hub for local sports and events, ascended to become a benchmark for the VFL competition. The $13 million redevelopment was jointly funded by the Federal Government, Victorian State Government, Wyndham Council and the club itself.

 

The ground has been home to the Tigers but also:

  • Werribee Cricket Club
  • Werribee Super Rules Football Club
  • Werribee Junior Football Clubs
  • Werribee Auskick

 

As part of the redevelopment the famous Heritage Grandstand was relocated to the southern end of the ground, with the new stand, coupled with an integrated office complex, now providing state-of-the-art facilities for match days, media operations, corporate activities, and hospitality services at an elite level.

 

Plans have already been submitted for the next stage of the development to ensure the club, its members, supporters, stakeholders and the community continue to enjoy first class facilities.

 

The Werribee Football Club is constantly developing and evolving. As you can see, the Tigers are a club with an extensive history and very prosperous future. We have a strong tradition and are a community-based club. The three pillars of our mantra are Community-Driven-Care.

 

The Board of Management appreciates that on-field performance is just one facet of our success. To truly thrive, the Board understand the need for continuous self-improvement. Our relentless drive for excellence ensures we are determined and dedicated to making the Werribee Football Club the benchmark for all other teams in the competition on and off the field.

 

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VFL HISTORY

The Victorian Football League (VFL) as we know it today originated from the Victorian Football Association (VFA), which was established in 1877, the oldest football competition in Australia.

 

Over the years the composition of the VFA has continually changed with one of the most dramatic events occurring when the Victorian Football League was established in 1896. Six of the strongest clubs in Victoria – Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne and South Melbourne – broke away from the established Victorian Football Association (VFA) to establish a new competition.

 

As that league evolved from a strictly Victorian based competition to a national game, it saw the formation of the AFL in 1997. In response to this transformation, the Victorian Football Association underwent a name change to become the VFL in 1996. Subsequently, in 1999, the organization further evolved by adopting the name Football Victoria Ltd. Today AFL Victoria operates the Victorian Football League (VFL).

 

In 2024 the competition comprises 21 teams from throughout the eastern states. There are five New South Wales and Queensland-based clubs who prior to 2021, played in the North East Australian Football League. The competition retains the VFL name and nine of the clubs have strong and proud VFA heritage. Werribee is one of the six clubs that stands alone with no one or off field affiliation to an AFL club.

Gold Partners
  • CSCG
  • HARPLEY
  • MATCHWORKS
  • MORRIS
  • WYNDHAM CITY COUNCIL

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Contact

  • 1300 GO WERRIBEE

  • Fax: (03) 9741 0253

  • PO Box 2049 Werribee VIC 3030