View source for Melbourne University Football Club

{{Short description|Australian rules football club}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox australian football club
| clubname       = Melbourne University 
| image          = Melbourne uni football logo.png
| image_size     = 250px
| color1         = black
| color2         = white
| color3         = solid #2C5093
| fullname       = {{nowrap|Melbourne University Football Club}}
| nicknames      = ''Students'', ''Blacks'', ''Blues'', ''Mugars''
| formernicknames = ''Varsity''<ref>{{cite web |title=UNIVERSITY F.C. BEAT COLLEGIANS F.C. |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/242601621 |publisher=The Herald |access-date=14 October 2024 |page=4 |date=30 August 1906}}</ref>
| season        = 2024
| afterfinals =
| home&away  = '''[[2024 VAFA season|Blacks]]''': 7th <br/> '''[[2024 VAFA season|Blues]]''': 6th <br/> '''[[2024 VAFA Women's season|Mugars]]''': 9th
| topgoalkicker = '''Blacks''': Ayui Makieng (22) <br/> '''Blues''': James Stewart (45) <br/> '''Mugars''': Asha Price (25)
| bestandfairest = '''Blacks''': Henry Bennett<ref name="bf2024premier">{{cite web |last1=Bennett |first1=Jason |title=William Buck Premier Men's 2024 Club Best & Fairests |url=https://www.vafa.com.au/news/2024/11/07/william-buck-premier-mens-2024-club-best-fairests/ |publisher=Victorian Amateur Football Association |access-date=16 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250316034518/https://www.vafa.com.au/news/2024/11/07/william-buck-premier-mens-2024-club-best-fairests/ |archive-date=16 March 2025 |date=7 November 2024}}</ref> <br/> '''Blues''': Martin Gleeson<ref name="bf2024premier"/> <br/> '''Mugars''': TBA
| premierships = '''VAFA Premier (Blacks)''' (14) {{hlist|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1906]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1907]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1928]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1929]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1935]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1938]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1939]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1946]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1947]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1948]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1949]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1965]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1974]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|2014]]}} '''VAFA Premier (Blues)''' (6) {{hlist|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1921]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1922]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1952]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1960]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|2004]]|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|2019]]}} '''VAFA Premier (Mugars)''' (1) {{hlist|[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|2018]]}}
| founded        = {{Start date and age|1859}}
| dissolved      = 
| colours        = {{color box|black}} Black {{color box|#2C5093}} Blue
| league         = {{nowrap|'''[[Victorian Amateur Football Association|VAFA]]:''' Senior men and senior women}}
| chairman       = '''MUFC''': Andrew M. Donald <br/> '''Blacks''': Nick Carah <br/> '''Blues''': Andrew Lowcock 
| coach          = '''Blacks''': Cameron Roberts <br/> '''Blues''': Guy Martin (Blues)
| captain        = '''Blacks''': Bede Mahon <br/> '''Blues''': Martin Gleeson
| ground         = University of Melbourne Main Oval <br/> Crawford Oval <br/> Princes Park  
| ground3        =
| capacity       = 
| capacity2      =
| capacity3      =
| pattern_b1     = _Vwideblue
| pattern_sh1    = 
| pattern_so1    = _bluehorizontal
| body1          = 000000
| shorts1        = 000000
| socks1         = 000000
| pattern_b2     = _Vwideblue
| pattern_sh2    = 
| pattern_so2    = _bluehorizontal
| body2          = FFFFFF
| shorts2        = FFFFFF
| socks2         = 000000
| url            = {{URL|https://www.melbourneuniversityfootballclub.com.au/|melbourneuniversityfc.com.au}}
}}
'''Melbourne University Football Club''', often known simply as '''University''', is an [[Australian rules football]] club based at the [[University of Melbourne]]. Founded in 1859, it is one of the oldest football clubs in the world. The club fields two teams, known as the "Blacks" and "Blues", who both compete in the [[Victorian Amateur Football Association]] (VAFA) in the William Buck Premier Division and the women's team (nicknamed the "Mugars") in the [[VAFA Women's]]. 

The club achieved prominence by being a member of [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]]'s elite competition in the early 20th century, the [[Australian Football League|Victorian Football League]] (VFL, now [[Australian Football League|AFL]]), between 1908 and 1914, departing after its strict policy of [[amateur sport|amateurism]] left it uncompetitive in an increasingly professional league.<ref>[https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/remembering-footballs-forgotten-club-100-years-since-university-20140822-107c2v.html Remembering football's forgotten club: 100 years since University] by Daniel Cherny for The Age 23 August 2014</ref> It is one of only three clubs to leave the competition in its entire history. It is one of 13 clubs to have competed in both the [[Victorian Football Association|VFA]] and the breakaway VFL competition prior to its expansion into a national competition. The women's team also competed at the highest level of women's competition, the [[Victorian Women's Football League]] (VWFL) and [[VFL Women's]] (VFLW) in 2016 prior to the formation of the national AFLW competition.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gigacz |first1=Andrew |title=The demise of University in the VFL |url=https://australianfootball.com/articles/view/The%2Bdemise%2Bof%2BUniversity%2Bin%2Bthe%2BVFL/4525 |publisher=Australian Football |access-date=17 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207111352/https://australianfootball.com/articles/view/The%2Bdemise%2Bof%2BUniversity%2Bin%2Bthe%2BVFL/4525 |archive-date=7 December 2024 |date=28 January 2024}}</ref>

Although there are no records of its exact formation, University's first recorded match took place in the same month that the [[Castlemaine Football Club]] was formed, making it possible that University is the second-[[oldest football club|oldest club]] in Australia.

==History==

===Early history (1859–1907) ===
University was founded in 1859 by students and graduates of the [[University of Melbourne]]. The first report of the university participating in a match was against a club named St Kilda (unrelated to the later VFL/AFL club) in June 1859. According to ‘Gymnastic’, writing in the sporting newspaper ''[[Bell's Life in Victoria]]'', the ‘long pending match’ finally came off between two teams of 15. University was captained by a player called Phillips, and St Kilda emerged the winners. The winning team under the rules at the time was the first team to score two out of three goals.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article201373574 |title=UNIVERSITY v. ST. KILDA. |newspaper=[[Bell's Life In Victoria And Sporting Chronicle]] |volume=4 |issue=126 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=4 June 1859 |accessdate=15 October 2021 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

The 15 man team in 1859 consisted of: Messrs. Browning, Bromby, Curlewis, Craig, Davis, Greene, Hart, Jacomb, Molesworth, Patterson, Philips, Purcell, Nunn, Oldham, Stephen, Walker.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5688103 |title=FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 1860. |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)]] |issue=4,425 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=17 August 1860 |accessdate=15 October 2021 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Shortly afterwards, it played against teams from [[Albert Park Football Club (VFA)|Albert Park]], [[Carlton Football Club|Carlton]], [[Melbourne Football Club|Melbourne]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5683161 |title=SATURDAY, MAY 26, 1860. |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)]] |issue=4,354 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=26 May 1860 |accessdate=15 October 2021 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Royal Park and South Yarra. 
In 1861, University defeated Melbourne to win the first ever trophy for Australian rules football, instituted as part of the Calendonian Society's Games.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article149720282 |title=THE CALEDONIAN GAMES. SECOND DAY. |newspaper=[[Geelong Advertiser]] |issue=4,755 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=28 December 1861 |accessdate=15 October 2021 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

During the 1870s, the club played in the Second Twenties competition, the level below the main competition of the South Yarra Challenge Cup, except for in 1875 when it fielded a combined team with St. Kilda.

From 1885 to 1888, University played in the [[Victorian Football Association|VFA]], which at the time was both the major governing body and top level of senior Australian rules football.

From 1888 to 1904, the club spent periods in recess or playing in other competitions, including the Metropolitan Junior Football Association and the Colleges Football Association, and from 1905 to 1907 as a dominant member of the Metropolitan Football Association, also winning the national Intervarsity championship in 1906 and 1907.
<gallery>
File:Melbourne University Football Teadm from The Critic Adelaide 31st August 1904 pg 14.png|Melbourne University Football Team in 1904
File:Melbourne University vs Adelaide University from Punch Melbourne 1907 pg 16.png|Action from 1907 Intervarsity final. Melbourne defeated Adelaide.
</gallery>

=== VFL history (1908–1914) ===
[[File:THE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL TEAM from The Leader Melbourne 30 May 1908 pg 27.png|thumb|[[1908 VFL season#Round 4|University VFL Team: 23 May 1908]]]]
[[File:1908 Club Flags VFL University.jpg|thumb|University's VFL club flag and colours]]
[[File:Albert Hartkopf.jpg|160px|thumb|right|Albert Hartkopf, footballer in the University VFL team 1908–11 & 1914. The club's leading goalkicker in 1909 (17), 1910 (30) & 1911 (19), Hartkopf was also a fine cricketer, playing for Victoria from 1911 to 1928, as well as representing Australia in one Test.]]
On 4 October 1907, the eight founding clubs of the [[Australian Football League|VFL]] voted to include University in the league as its ninth team,<ref>There had been a proposal at least as early as 1898: [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9842827 A University Team, ''The Argus'', (Monday, 18 July 1898), p.7.col.H.]</ref> with the [[Richmond Football Club]] becoming the tenth team two weeks later. The club's home ground was originally the [[East Melbourne Cricket Ground]], where it was a tenant of the Essendon Football Club; after a lengthy dispute with Essendon over rent, the club relocated in 1911 to the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] which it also shared, this time with the [[Melbourne Football Club]].

The club was nicknamed '''The Students''', '''The Professors''' and '''The Shop'''. The players wore a black guernsey with a blue [[Chevron (insignia)|chevron]] and blue collars and cuffs (the same design is still used to this day), black and blue socks, and an optional black and blue cap. Players had to have [[matriculation|matriculated]] or hold a higher degree to be eligible to play in the team.

The club was not particularly successful: it never finished higher than sixth in the ten-team competition, and never played in the finals. It finished last in the competition from 1911 to 1914, and lost its last 51 games in a row. In total, it played 126 games for 27 wins, 2 draws and 97 losses between 1908 and 1914.

The club is unique among VFL/AFL clubs in never having any professional players, and this was a major factor in its decline in competitiveness after 1911, when player payments were becoming common amongst the other clubs.

It became clear that the club could not remain competitive or viable in the VFL if it wished to remain amateur, and the fact that its players were focussed primarily on their studies (particularly during mid-year examinations) was another logistical issue for the club. As a consequence, the club withdrew from the VFL at the end of 1914.

Many of its players transferred to the [[Melbourne Football Club]], under an informal agreement between the clubs aimed at keeping the best University players together in the same club to keep the University intervarsity team strong.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|title=The University Team|date=18 September 1914|page=4|publication-place=Melbourne}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|title=Exit University – Football League Retirement|date=17 October 1914|page=20|publication-place=Melbourne}}</ref>

==== VFL Honour roll ====
[[File:Performance Chart AFL UNI.svg|thumb|Chart of yearly ladder positions for University in [[Australian Football League|VFL]]]]
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;margin: 1em auto;"
! Year
! Position
!width="120" | Coach
!width="120" | Captain
! Leading goalkicker (goals)
|-  valign="top"
|align=center|1908 
|align=center| 6 
|align=center| 
|align=center| [[Tom Fogarty (footballer, born 1878)|Tom Fogarty]]
|align=center| [[Martin Ratz]] (25)
|-
|align=center|1909 
|align=center| 7 
|align=center| 
|align=center| [[Harry Cordner]]
|align=center| [[Albert Hartkopf]] (19)
|-
|align=center|1910 
|align=center| 6 
|align=center| [[Gerald Brosnan]]
|align=center| [[Edgar Kneen]]
|align=center| [[Albert Hartkopf]] (30)
|-
|align=center|1911 
|align=center| 10 
|align=center| [[Gerald Brosnan]]
|align=center| [[George Elliott (Australian rules footballer)|George Elliot]]
|align=center| [[Albert Hartkopf]] (19)
|-
|align=center|1912 
|align=center| 10 
|align=center| [[Gerald Brosnan]]
|align=center| [[George Elliott (Australian rules footballer)|George Elliot]]
|align=center| [[Roy Park (sportsman)|Roy Park]] (22)
|-
|align=center|1913
|align=center| 10 
|align=center| [[Victor Upton-Brown]]
|align=center| [[Bert Hurrey]]
|align=center| [[Roy Park (sportsman)|Roy Park]] (53)
|-
|align=center|1914
|align=center| 10 
|align=center| [[Gerald Brosnan]]
|align=center| [[Jack West]]
|align=center| [[Roy Park (sportsman)|Roy Park]] (36)
|}

==== University VFL players ====
{{main|List of University Football Club players}}
Overall, 112 players played at least one game for University in the [[Victorian Football League (1897–1989)|Victorian Football League]] between 1908 and 1914; and, of that 112, at least 20 died in active service in either World War I or World War II (see [[List of Victorian Football League players who died on active service]]).

[[Bert Hurrey]] played the most games for the club, with 101, and was the only University player to play at least 100 games in the VFA or VFL, while [[Roy Park (sportsman)|Roy Park]] was the club's leading goalscorer, kicking 111 goals between 1912 and 1914: Park also won the VFL's [[Coleman Medal|Leading Goalkicker Award]] in 1913 with 53 goals for the home-and-away season, a remarkable effort considering the team itself scored only 115 goals<ref>{{cite web|url=http://afltables.com/afl/seas/1913.html|title=AFL Tables - 1913 Season Scores|website=afltables.com}}</ref> and finished last on the ladder without a win.

==== VFL coaches ====
The following is a list of [[coach (sports)|coaches]] to have coached the club in the VFL.

: P = Played
: W = Won
: L = Lost
: D = Drew
: W% = Win percentage

{| class="wikitable"
! No. !! Coach !! P !! W !! L !! D !! W% !! Years
|- 
| 1
| [[Gerald Brosnan]]
| 72
| 12
| 60
| 0
| 16.67
| 1910–14
|- 
| 2
| [[Victor Upton-Brown]]
| 18
| 0
| 18
| 0
| 0.00
| 1913
|-
|}

=== Post-VFL and post-war reformation (1919–) ===
[[File:Melbourne vs Adelaide intervarsity match from Table Talk 30 August 1923 pg 23.png|thumb|Melbourne defeats Adelaide in the intervarsity final in 1923]]
[[File:Melbourne fc 1946.jpg|thumb|right|Melbourne University – A grade premiership team of 1946]]
[[File:Collegians vs university blues.jpg|thumb|right|A Melbourne University Blues player takes a mark in front of a Collegians opponent in a 2008 VAFA A- Section reserves match]]
In the summer of 1919, after the War, [[Melbourne University]] began to rebuild its football involvement. Deciding not to reapply for a position in the VFL, they were instead requested by the [[Australian Football League|VFL]] to supply two teams to the newly formed [[VFL reserves]] competition, or the Victorian Junior Football League. These two teams were initially called '''University A''' and '''University B''', but soon became known as '''"University Blues"''' and '''"University Blacks"''', respectively (although the names did not become official until [[1930 MAFA season|1930]]).<ref name="argus9may">{{cite web |title=METROPOLITAN AMATEUR ASSOCIATION |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1754943 |publisher=The Argus |access-date=20 October 2024 |page=11 |date=9 May 1921}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=METROPOLITAN AMATEURS |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4083966 |publisher=The Argus |access-date=20 October 2024 |page=17 |date=29 April 1930 |quote=The Melbourne University Football Club notified the association that the two teams entered should be known as the University Blues and University Blacks instead of University A and University B respectively}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Fitzroy v. University: rivalry and respect that began 136 years ago but remains strong today |url=https://www.fitzroyfc.com.au/latest-news/fitzroy-v-university-rivalry-and-respect-that-began-136-years-ago-but-remains-strong-today |publisher=Fitzroy Football Club |access-date=12 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250322092408/https://www.fitzroyfc.com.au/latest-news/fitzroy-v-university-rivalry-and-respect-that-began-136-years-ago-but-remains-strong-today |archive-date=22 March 2025 |date=8 April 2021 |quote=The Uni A and Uni B name was replaced with Uni Blues and Uni Blacks the teams that survive and thrive to this day in the VAFA competition}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Melbourne University Football Club |url=https://archives.library.unimelb.edu.au/nodes/view/58538 |publisher=University of Melbourne Archives |access-date=12 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250712063417/https://archives.library.unimelb.edu.au/nodes/view/58538 |archive-date=12 July 2025 |quote=In 1921 it divided into University A (Blues) and University B (Blacks)}}</ref>

The Blues contested the 1919 and 1920 VJFL grand finals, losing to [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] on both occasions; the Blacks, who joined the 1919 VJFL season only at short notice when {{AFL Mel}} was unable to organise its own junior team,<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|publication-place=Melbourne|title=Football|date=15 May 1919|page=10}}</ref> moved to the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association in 1920, and the following season, were joined by the Blues. Both contested the 1921 MAFA Grand Final, with the Blacks winning what to date is the only grand final the two teams have contested in the MAFA or [[VAFA]].

Melbourne University students and [[alumni]] continue to maintain their involvement in football through the Blues and Blacks. The Melbourne University Football Club is unique in that it only plays as '''"Melbourne University"''' in inter-university matches, and its regular weekly competition is provided through its component teams, University Blues and University Blacks. The Blues and Blacks play in the [[Victorian Amateur Football Association]], and have been a perennial power in the highest division of a high-standard amateur competition.

Up until the 1950s, the Blacks were the leading University side as well as one of the dominant sides in the Amateur competition, winning 11 A-Section premierships by 1949, including a record six premierships in a row between 1938 and 1949 (the 1940–1945 seasons not being played due to World War II). However, in the later part of the century the Blues established themselves as the premier University side, and are currently the longest serving club to play in the top division of the VAFA.

'''The Blacks''' have won a total of 14 A-section flags (their most recent in 2014 & the most in the VAFA). '''The Blues''' have won a total of 4 A-section flags (with their most recent being in 2019).

Throughout their history, the Blues and Blacks have often played together in A section of the MAFA/VAFA, and with the Blacks return to A section in 2008 after a prolonged absence, the teams met again for the first time in 25 years. In head-to-head matches, the Blues lead the win tally with 43 wins to the Black's 36 and one draw. The Blacks and the Blues added to their head-to-head history in 2015 after the Blues won promotion after only one year in B section in 2014. Unfortunately the Blacks dropped to B in 2018.

Both teams have consistently been a spawning ground for young players who go on to the [[Australian Football League|AFL]]. To date, 240 MUFC players have played in the [[VFL/AFL]] competition.

From 1955 until 1996, an additional team was fielded by the club called '''[[Fitzroy Reds|University Reds]]''' which competed in the lower sections of the VAFA with a firsts and reserves team. When the team was discontinued by the club, players and supporters of the team decided to keep the team operating as the '''[[Fitzroy Reds]]'''.  The Reds merged with the [[Fitzroy Football Club]] in 2008.

==Women's team==
[[File:Women aussie rules.jpg|thumb|right|Melbourne University women's team during their 2007 VWFL Grand Final appearance.]]
A women's side was formed In 1996 as a stand-alone side that did not fall under the Melbourne University Football Club. The club was named Melbourne University Women's Football Club and was nicknamed the MUGARS, an acronym for Melbourne University Girls Australian Rules Squad. In 2016, the MUWFC became a part of the MUFC and is equally represented alongside the Blacks and Blues sides on the MUFC board.

The MUWFC field three senior sides and three junior sides across three different leagues. Historically having senior teams in both the Victorian Women's Football League and WRFL/EDFL Youth Girls Competition, in 2016, upon formation of the inaugural statewide competition aligned with the [[Victorian Football League]], MUWFC entered a senior side, with a second and third team competing in the Premier Division and Division 3 of the Victorian Women's Football League respectively. The WRFL/EDFL Youth Girls Competition also expanded from under-13s side and under-18s side to also include and under-15s side.

In 2002, MUWFC won their first premiership against St Albans in Division 1. This was followed by double premierships in 2003 and 2005, to make up the club's five premierships.

In 2005, an Under-18s Youth Girls team was formed. They started competing in the Essendon Districts Football League in 2012.

From 2009, {{AFL NM}} partnered with the club, allowing them to use [[Arden Street Oval]] for training and matches. Under this arrangement, Melbourne University served as North Melbourne's [[VFL Women's]] affiliate from 2016 until the end of 2019, when North Melbourne decided to field a standalone team instead.<ref>{{cite news |title=AFLW: North to stand alone |url=https://www.nmfc.com.au/news/2019-10-30/aflw-north-to-stand-alone |access-date=24 November 2019 |work=nmfc.com.au |publisher=Telstra Media |date=30 October 2019}}</ref>

In 2011, an Under-12s team was established in conjunction with [[North Melbourne Football Club]].

The club also facilitates intervarsity teams, for both the Southern University Games and [[Australian University Games]].

== Honours ==
=== Premierships ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="4" style="background:#bdb76b;" align="center"| '''University Blacks'''
|- style="background:#bdb76b;"
!Competition
!Level
!Wins
!Years Won
|-
|rowspan=4 scope="row" style="text-align: left"|'''[[Victorian Amateur Football Association]]'''
||Premier
||14
||[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1906]], [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1907]], [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1928]], [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1929]], [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1935]], [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1938]], [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1939]], [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1946]], [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1947]], [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1948]], [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1949]], [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1965]], [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1974]], [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|2014]]
|-
||Premier B
||2
||[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1964]],  [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|2012]]
|-
||Premier C
||1
||[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|2005]]
|-
||E Central
||1
||[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1997]]
|-
|rowspan=3 scope="row" style="text-align: left"|'''[[Victorian Amateur Football Association|VAFA reserves]]'''
|-
||Division 1
||1
||[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|2004]]
|-
||Division 2
||1
||[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|2000]]
|-
|rowspan=1 scope="row" style="text-align: left"|'''[[Challenge Cup (Australian rules football)|Challenge Cup]]'''
||Seniors
||2
||[[Challenge Cup (Australian rules football)|1862]], [[Challenge Cup (Australian rules football)|1895]]
|-
| colspan="4" style="background:#bdb76b;" align="center"| '''University Blues'''
|-
|rowspan=2 scope="row" style="text-align: left"|'''[[Victorian Amateur Football Association]]'''
||William Buck Premier
||6
||[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1921]],  [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1922]],  [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1952]],  [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1960]],  [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|2004]],  [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|2019]]
|-
||Premier B
||3
||[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1967]],  [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|1981]],  [[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|2014]]
|-
| colspan="4" style="background:#bdb76b;" align="center"| '''University Mugars'''
|-
|rowspan=1 scope="row" style="text-align: left"|'''[[Victorian Amateur Football Association]]'''
||William Buck Premier
||1
||[[List of Victorian Amateur Football Association premiers|2018]]
|-
|rowspan=3 scope="row" style="text-align: left"|'''[[Victorian Women's Football League]]'''
||Premier
||1
||[[Victorian Women's Football League#Facts and figures|2005]]
|-
||Division 1
||2
||[[Victorian Women's Football League#Facts and figures|2002]],  [[Victorian Women's Football League#Facts and figures|2003]]
|-
||Premier Reserves
||1
||[[Victorian Women's Football League#Facts and figures|2005]]
|-
|rowspan=2 scope="row" style="text-align: left"|'''[[Victorian Women's Football League|VWFL Division 2]]'''
||Reserves
||1
||[[Victorian Women's Football League#Facts and figures|2002]]
|}

==See also==
*[[:Category:University Football Club players|University Football Club players]]
*[[Adelaide University Football Club]]
*[[Sydney University Students AFC]]
*[[University of Queensland Australian Football Club]]

==Bibliography==
* ''Black & Blue: The Story of Football at the University of Melbourne''. J Cordner et al., 2007.
* Kevin Taylor, ''The Sydney Swans''. Allen & Unwin, 1987.
* Rodgers, S and A Browne, ''Every Game Ever Played : VFL/AFL Results 1897–1997'', (Ringwood, Vic. : Viking, 1998)

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category }}
* {{official website}}
* [http://www.uniblues.com/ University Blues website]
* [http://www.uniblacks.org.au/ University Blacks website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160329044109/http://www.bomberblitz.com/mero/university.htm University jumpers on Footyjumpers.com]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170420102646/http://www.muwfc.com/ Melbourne University Women's Football Club]

{{University Football Club}}
{{VAFA}}
{{Australian Football League}}
{{AFL reserves}}
{{VFL}}
{{VFL Women's}}
{{VWFL}}
{{University of Melbourne}}

[[Category:Melbourne University Football Club| ]]
[[Category:University Australian rules football clubs]]
[[Category:Victorian Amateur Football Association clubs|University]]
[[Category:Australian rules football clubs in Melbourne]]
[[Category:Sport at the University of Melbourne|Football]]
[[Category:Former VFL/AFL clubs|University]]
[[Category:1859 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Australian rules football clubs established in 1859]]