Monash Blues Football Club
Names
Full name	Monash University Blues Football Club[1][2]
Former name	Monash University Football Club (1961−1963)
Nickname(s)	Blues,Ashes,Ashers
2024 season
Home-and-away season	VAFA: 9th VAFAW: 10th
Leading goalkicker	VAFA: Nicholas Darling (22)[3] VAFAW: Clare Konstanty (8)[4]
Best and fairest	VAFA: TBC VAFAW: TBC
Club details
Founded	1961; 64 years ago (1961)
Colours	Turquoise  Silver  Gold
Coach	VAFA: Dylan Cousins VAFAW: Shane Chapman
Premierships	VAFA (5) 1962 1987 1996 2003 2022 VAFAW (1) 2023
Ground	Frearson Oval
Other information
Official website	monashblues.com.au

TheMonash Blues Football Club is anAustralian rules football club that representsMonash University in theVictorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA).^[5]

The club was formed in 1961 asMonash University, changing its name to the Blues when theMonash Whites joined the VAFA in 1964. In 2001, the two teams merged, and the Whites now compete as the Blues' Club XVIII team.

As of 2024, the club's men's team competes in the Premier C division of the VAFA, while the women's team is in the Premier Division of theVAFA Women's (VAFAW).

Monash University Football Club was formed in 1961, shortly afterMonash University opened on 13 March of that year. Whilst too late to be accepted into a local competition for the 1961 season, the club played internal matches, as well as matches against teams fromNewman College,Ormond College andBurwood Teachers' College. In1962, the club entered the VAFA, going undefeated and winning the E Section premiership in its inaugural season.^[6][7]

1967 marked the beginning of the club's most successful decade, including two periods in A Section. The club was first in the highest division from 1969 until 1973, with its best finishing position in fifth place in 1970.^[8]

After being relegated, the club made the1974 B Section grand final and, although they lost toOld Trinity, immediately returned to A Section.^[9] The club avoided relegation in 1975, but finished last in 1976 and was sent back to B Section, beginning a period of decline for the Blues.^[8]

The Blues lost the1986 D Section grand final toBalaclava, but finally won its second senior premiership in1987 with a 25-point victory overKew in the C Section grand final.^[8][10][11] Further senior premierships came in1996 and2003.^[12][13]

The club established a women's team in 2016 and it entered theinaugural VAFAW season inDevelopment Division 1 in 2017.^[14]

In 2022, the Blues won their first women's premiership, defeatingCollegians by three points in theVAFAW reserves grand final.^[15] One month later, the club's senior men's team won its fifth premiership with a 21-point victory overOld Geelong in Premier C.^[16]

Monash University established a second team in1964, theMonash Whites, which entered F Section. However, after just two seasons, the Whites (along with F Section itself) went into recess for five years.^[17]

The Whites were replaced by a junior side in 1966, but as numbers continued to grow, the Whites were revived in1971 in the reformed F Section.^[18] The first Whites premiership came in1972, winning the F Section reserves grand final. A senior premiership came in1975, defeatingHeatherton in the F Section grand final.^[19]

Despite the premiership, the Whites struggled in E Section in1976, winning only four games and being relegated back to F Section for the1977 season.^[18]

At the end of the1979 VAFA season, the Blues and the Whites split, with theMonash Whites Football Club being established as a separate entity.^[18]

The Whites' end-of-season review in1980 wrote:

"The start of the season began in reality at the end of the 1979 season when there was a big push from a lot of quarters to have the Whites thrown out of the VAFA. The first push came in the form of the Monash Blues; who in their wisdom decided it would be for the betterment of all concerned if the Whites did no longer exist. We were blamed for all sorts of things as well as the Blues bad showing during the year. So, the Blues thought, they had the right to decide where 40 odd players would not be playing in 1980."

The club struggled on its own, unable to win apremiership post-split until1998, when they defeatedKew by 11 points in Club XVIII Section 2.^[20]

In 2000, the Blues and Whites merged. The Whites played its final game as a separate club in the first Club XVIII semi-final, before merging and becoming the Blues' Club XVIII team at the start of the2001 season.^[18][21]

Source:^[22]

• Although the Monash Blues finished first in2021, no finals series was held as the season was curtailed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic
• The following players won the Division Best & Fairest Award but did not win the Club's Best & Fairest in the same year: 1986 D Section Andrew McGregor; 1991 C Section Jamie Sturgess; 1999 D Section A. Anderson; 2005 C Section George Smyth; 2021 Premier C MacGregor Cameron.

• Victorian Amateur Football Association clubs
• University Australian rules football clubs
• Australian rules football clubs in Melbourne
• 1961 establishments in Australia
• Monash University
• Sport in the City of Monash

• Australian football articles with insufficient color contrast