Castlemaine Football Club

The first recorded football match on the Camp Reserve was in September 1855 between a team of Army soldiers and a team of goldminers.^[2] The "Castlemaine Football Club" was formed on 15 June 1859 at the Supreme Court Hotel, Castlemaine and chaired by T Butterworth with reference from an article in the Castlemaine Mail newspaper^[3] Castlemaine played its first match on 22 June 1859 on the Cricket Ground Barkers Creek.^[4]

Records for the foundation date was discovered in 2007 which rewrote history; as many had previously believed that the Geelong Football Club had been formed earlier.^[5]

The club was formed in an era before codified rules organised competition, but according to some sources, including Graeme Atkinson, "football" was popular in the goldfields region; and, without a league to participate in, the club was an irregular competitor during its first decade.

Timeline

• 1877 - 1879: Victorian Football Association^[6]
• 1889 - 1899: Castlemaine District Football Association
• 1900 - 1909: CFC in recess
• 1910 - 1913: Castlemaine District Football Association
• 1914 - 1924: Castlemaine District Football League
• 1925 - 1930: Bendigo Football League
• 1931 - Midland District Football League^[7][8]
• 1932 - 1938: Bendigo Football League
• 1939 - 1948: Castlemaine District Football League
• 1949 - 2019: Bendigo Football League

The original uniform was a white cap with royal-blue Maltese cross.

In 1925, Castlemaine joined the Bendigo Football League, coached by the West Australian champion Phil Matson, Castlemaine made the 1925 Grand Final, but lost to South Bendigo by 14 Points: 7.12 (54) to 6.4 (40).^{[9][10][11][12]}

In June 1953, Castlemaine footballer, Ian Brown accidentally received a knock to his head in an inter-league match between Bendigo Football League and Ballarat Football League and died in the Ballarat Hospital the following day.^[13]

Seniors

• Castlemaine District Football Association
  • 1895^[14]
  • 1897 - Castlemaine: 4.3 - 27 d Newstead: 2.4 - 16^[15]
  • 1915 - Castlemaine: 3.3 - 18 d Maldon: 1.12 - 18^[16][17]

• Castlemaine Wednesday Football Association
  • 1904^[18][19][20]
  • 1909^[21]

Bendigo Football League

• 1926 - Castlemaine: 13.18 - 96 d Sandhurst: 8.16 - 64^[22]
• 1952 - Castlemaine: 15.9 - 99 v Sandhurst: 9.16 - 70^[23][24][25]
• 1992 - Castlemaine: 14.13 - 97 d Golden Square: 14.8 - 92
• 2000 - Castlemaine: 12.11 - 83 d Kangaroo Flat: 9.17 - 71

Reserves

• 1956, 1981, 1996,

Thirds

• 1960, 1965,