From humble beginnings in South Melbourne to our new home at Sydney Swans HQ in the Royal Hall of Industries – our football club has come a long way.

We’d like to take a moment today to acknowledge the founding of our club.

Australia’s own code of football was played by clubs in South Melbourne and Albert Park as early as 1862. However, it was on June 19, 1874, that the red and white received its birthright.

That Friday evening in the Temperance Hall, Napier Street at Emerald Hill, a group met to form a football club. Four weeks later, on July 15, it was named the South Melbourne Football Club.

It was the beginning of a club that would go on to be known for its grit and determination,  a club that would have players who would become part of footy folklore – the likes of Bob Peter Bedford, Roy Cazaly, and Norm Smith, through to modern day greats such as Adam Goodes, Paul Kelly, and Tony Lockett – and a club that would be able to look back 149 years and be proud of its rich history.

To everyone who has been part of our journey so far – we thank you. And we look forward to celebrating a big milestone in the year ahead.