Preston Bullants Amateur Football Club
| Preston Bullants | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Names | ||
| Full name | Preston Bullants Amateur Football Club | |
| Former name(s) | Northern Bullants (2008−2012) Northern Blues Amateur Football Club (2012−2016)[1] | |
| Nickname(s) | Bullants, Ants | |
| Former nickname(s) | Blues | |
| 2023 season | ||
| Home-and-away season | VAFA: 11th VAFAW: 3rd | |
| Club details | ||
| Founded | Late 2008 | |
| Colours | Red White | |
| Competition | VAFA: Division 1 VAFAW: Division 3 | |
| Coach | VAFA: Tom Hill VAFAW: Shannon Gore | |
| Captain(s) | VAFA: Tom Hill VAFAW: Brenna Edsell | |
| Premierships | VAFA (4) | |
| Ground(s) | W.R. Ruthven Reserve | |
| Uniforms | ||
| ||
| Other information | ||
| Official website | prestonbullantsafc.com | |
The Preston Bullants Amateur Football Club (Preston AFC or PBAFC), formerly known as the Northern Bullants and later the Northern Blues, is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Preston.
Preston is a separate entity to the Northern Bullants, a club in the Victorian Football League (VFL), however the two clubs share a logo and maintain close links. Preston is also linked to the Preston Bullants Junior Football Club (PBJFC), which competes in the Yarra Junior Football League (YJFL).[2]
The club's men's team currently competes in Division 1 of the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), while the women's team is currently in Division 3 of the VAFA Women's competition.
History[edit]
In 2008, following a 2008 YJFL Colts premiership, a number of parents of junior players at PBJFC announced the formation of a new senior club − known as the Northern Bullants − to allow a pathway for players once they passed the junior football age.[3][4] The club joined the VAFA for the 2009 season in Division 1 of the under-18s competition.[5] However, the team folded at the end of the 2010 season.[4]
The club resumed playing in 2011, fielding an under-19s team in Division 3. That team continued in 2012 alongside a new team in the Premier B Thirds competition.[5] The club was also renamed to the Northern Blues, although it retained its red and white colours.[4]
On 30 October 2012, the VAFA announced the Blues would field a senior team for the first time in 2013, entering Division 4.[6] The club defeated Eley Park in the Grand Final later that year, and was promoted to Division 3 for 2014, where they went back-to-back with a premiership over Richmond Central.[7]
In 2016, the club was renamed to the Preston Bullants and defeated St John's in the Division 2 Grand Final.[7]
Preston introduced a women's team in 2018, coached by former Darebin mayor Vince Fontana. The women's team won the Division 3 Grand Final in 2019, and the men's team won the Division 1 Grand Final the same year.[7][8]
The Bullants did not win a game in the 2021 season, which was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however the club declined relegation.[9] At the end of the season, inaugural coach George Wakim stepped down and was replaced by under-19s coach George Cotsonis.[10] The club's first win in 931 days came in round 1 of the 2022 season against UHS-VU, the club they defeated in the 2019 Grand Final.[11] However, that would be Preston's only win in 2022, and the club would be relegated to Division 1 for the 2023 season.
Cotsonis departed as senior coach in June 2023, and was replaced by Tom Hill, a former Greater Western Sydney and Western Bulldogs-listed player.[12] The club ultimately avoided relegation for the 2024 season as part of the VAFA's aim to keep all divisions at 10 teams each.[13]
VFL links[edit]
Although they are separate entities, Preston AFC maintains close links with the Northern Bullants, who compete as a standalone side in the VFL. Both clubs use the same logo, colours and jumper design, and the Northern Bullants were also known as the Northern Blues from 2012 until 2020.[2]
A number of Preston AFC players have joined the Northern Bullants, including many who played for the club in the VFL Development League before that competition was disbanded in 2017.[2]
In 2022, Preston AFC became the first VAFA club to play a curtain-raiser for a VFL club, with the senior women's side hosting Parkside at Preston City Oval before the VFL game between the Northern Bullants and Geelong.[14]
Seasons[edit]
| Premiers | Grand Finalist | Minor premiers | Finals appearance | Wooden spoon |
Men's[edit]
Seniors[edit]
| Year | Division | Finish | W | L | D | Coach | Captain | Best and fairest | Leading goalkicker | Goals | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Division 4 | 6th | 8 | 8 | 0 | George Wakim | |||||
| 2014 | Division 3 | 1st | 14 | 4 | 0 | George Wakim | Damon Marcon | 58 | |||
| 2015 | Division 2 | 4th | 12 | 6 | 0 | George Wakim | Dean Calcedo | Lachlan McRedmond | 61 | ||
| 2016 | Division 2 | 3rd | 13 | 3 | 0 | George Wakim | Damon Marcon | 37 | |||
| 2017 | Division 1 | 5th | 11 | 7 | 0 | George Wakim | |||||
| 2018 | Division 1 | 6th | 9 | 9 | 0 | George Wakim | Conor Howard | 23 | |||
| 2019 | Division 1 | 1st | 13 | 4 | 1 | George Wakim | Sean Calcedo | Jack Sammartino | 50 | ||
| 2020 | Premier C | (No season) | George Wakim | Sean Calcedo | (No season) | ||||||
| 2021 | Premier C | 10th | 0 | 11 | 0 | George Wakim | Sean Calcedo | Patrick Vanin | Jackson Curic | 22 | |
| 2022 | Premier C | 11th | 0 | 1 | 19 | George Cotsonis | James King | Ethan Lowe | 22 | [15] | |
| 2023 | Division 1 | 11th | 0 | 1 | 19 | George Cotsonis/Tom Hill | James King | Paddy Davies | 27 | ||
| 2024 | Division 1 | TBA | Tom Hill | Tom Hill | [16] | ||||||
Women's[edit]
Seniors[edit]
| Year | Division | Finish | W | L | D | Coach | Captain | Best and fairest | Leading goalkicker | Goals | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Division 3 | 1st | 11 | 3 | 0 | Vince Fontana | Binny Grainger | Jacara Egan | Jacara Egan | 14 | [17] |
| 2019 | Division 3 | 2nd | 12 | 2 | 0 | Vince Fontana | Melanie Cook | 20 | |||
| 2020 | Division 2 | (No season) | Doug Hamilton | (No season) | |||||||
| 2021 | Division 3 | 7th | 1 | 9 | 0 | Doug Hamilton | Kaitlin Pike | Kaitlin Pike | |||
| 2022 | Division 3 | 6th | 6 | 8 | 0 | Doug Hamilton | Binny Grainger/ Shannon Gore |
Shannon Gore | 10 | ||
| 2023 | Division 4 | 3rd | 7 | 7 | 1 | Siobhan O'Dwyer | Shannon Gore | 19 | [18] | ||
| 2024 | Division 3 | TBA | Shannon Gore | Brenna Edsell | |||||||
References[edit]
- ^ "Historical details for ABN 45 389 028 140". ABN Lookup. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024.
Northern Blues Amateur Football Club
- ^ a b c "Bullant Community Celebrate Luke Green's VFL Journey". Victorian Amateur Football Association. 15 April 2024. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024.
- ^ "VAFA Legends: Meet the man who built a dynasty at the Preston Bullants". 2 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Our History". Preston Bullants Amateur Football Club. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ a b "History". GameDay. Preston Bullants Amateur Football Club. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024.
- ^ "NORTHERN BLUES STEP UP". Victorian Amateur Football Association. 30 October 2012. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "NORTHERN BLUES VAFA - GRAND FINALS". Australian Football. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "2019 Division 3 Women's". GameDay.
- ^ Higgins, Ben (4 April 2022). "Preston Bullants claim maiden VAFA Premier C victory in one-point thriller". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024.
- ^ Higgins, Ben (21 October 2021). "Preston Bullants promote from within to replace coach George Wakim". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ Maclean, Hugh (8 April 2024). "Preston Bullants breakthrough for impressive initial victory". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Preston Bullants AFC is excited to announce that Tom Hill will be taking the reins as our interim Senior Men's Coach for the remainder of the 2023 season". Facebook. Preston Bullants AFC. 7 June 2023. Archived from the original on 22 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ Pignataro, Joe (12 October 2023). "2024 Men's Premier & Divisional competition structure". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ "Get down to PCO on Sunday to see our Senior Women take on Parkside in a curtain raiser for the Northern Bullants VFL side!". Facebook. Preston Bullants AFC. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024.
This is the first time in VAFA history that a team will play a curtain raiser for a VFL team
- ^ "2022 Premier C Men's Ladder". GameDay. VAFA Results Archive. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ Cole, Liam (16 April 2024). "Percentage bolstering wins the theme of Round 1". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
The Bullants playing coach and captain Tom Hill led from the front in the midfield kicking two goals.
- ^ Courtney Hagen; Kirby Fenwick (26 February 2021). "Jacara Egan is stepping into her power and onto the footy field". Siren Sport. Archived from the original on 22 June 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
- ^ Pignataro, Joe (15 November 2023). "Meet the new coaches leading VAFA Women's clubs in 2024". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
O'Dwyer has also coached Worawa all Indigenous Academy for five years as well as experience with several other VAFA clubs, most recently with the Preston Bullants in 2023.