| St Bernard's Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Names | ||
| Full name | St Bernard's Old Collegians Football Club Inc[1] | |
| Nickname | Snowdogs | |
| 2025 season | ||
| Home-and-away season | 7th | |
| Club details | ||
| Founded | 1963; 63 years ago (1963) | |
| Colours | Gold Black Blue | |
| Competition | VAFA: Premier DivisionWFNL: Juniors (boys and girls) | |
| President | Steve Perrett | |
| Coach | Steven Alessio | |
| Premierships | VAFA (10) | |
| Ground | St Bernard's College Oval | |
| Uniforms | ||
| ||
| Other information | ||
| Official website | stbernardsfc.com.au | |
TheSt Bernard's Football Club (officially known as theSt Bernard's Old Collegians), nicknamed theSnowdogs, is anAustralian rules football club based in theMelbourne suburb ofEssendon West.[2][3] The club is closely associated with its namesake,St Bernard's College, and plays its home matches atthe school's oval.[4][5]
Since 1971, St Bernard's has been one of only twoVictorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) clubs to have not been relegated below B Section/Premier B after reaching the top division for the first time (the other beingOld Scotch).[6][7]
As of 2025, St Bernard's competes in the Premier Division of the VAFA men's competition.[8] It is the only Premier Division club without a senior women's team, although there are junior girls teams competing in theWestern Football Netball League (WFNL).[9]
AfterSt Bernard's College fielded a strong premiership side in the 1961Associated Catholic Colleges (ACC) First XVIII competition, a senior club was formed in 1963 (composed largely of players from the 1961 team).[6] The newly-formed St Bernard's Football Club entered the VAFA's E Section, becoming the first club in VAFA history to win a senior premiership in their inaugural season after defeatingGlen Huntly by 20 points in the grand final.[10] The club went back-to-back with a D Section premiership victory overOld Brighton in 1964.[6]
St Bernard's gained promotion to B Section for the first time in 1969, followed by promotion to A Section the following season.[6] The club made four consecutive finals series between 1973 and 1976, including winning the 1975 A Section grand final.[6] The remainder of the 20th century saw the club alternate between A Section and B Section, winning three B Section flags in 1984, 1987 and 1991.[6][11]
The club facedOld Xaverians in three A Section grand finals in four seasons between 2000 and 2003, winning the 2002 grand final.[12] Under the leadership of senior coachAnthony Rock, the club won a third top division premiership in2015 and saw the drafting of two players to theAFL,Mitch Hannan andBen Ronke.[13][14]
Throughout its history, St Bernard's College has maintained ties to theEssendon Football Club that have also been reflected in the football club, with former Essendonpremiership ruckmanSteven Alessio serving as the coach of St Bernard's senior team since the2023 season.[15][16]
The club is nicknamed the "Snowdogs" because its namesake college's patron saint is also named for the alpine dog breed, theSt. Bernard.[17] The club brandishes gold and black on theirguernseys and wear blue shorts, and have done so since the club was formed.[6]
| Competition | Division | Wins | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victorian Amateur Football Association | PremierA | 3 | 1975, 2002, 2015 |
| PremierB | 5 | 1984, 1987, 1991, 2018, 2023 | |
| Division 1 | 1 | 1964 | |
| Division 2 | 1 | 1963 |
