From 1929 to Today: The History of the Zebs
As we enter the next chapter in the history of the Sandringham Football Club – going standalone for the first time in 25 years – we’re taking a look back at our long, proud and successful history in the VFA/VFL competition.
Sandringham was admitted to the VFA (Victorian Football Association) in 1929, two years after lodging an application to join the competition. The Club was formed from a merger of local teams, with our club colours taken from the three merging sides - gold from the Sandringham Amateurs, black from Black Rock and blue from the Hampton Amateurs.
The 'Zebra' name was started by Jim Blake, a Melbourne topliner who wrote about the VFA for many years during the club’s early years in the competition.
In our initial years, we faced challenges typical of a new club, including establishing a solid team and infrastructure. We worked on developing a competitive team and fostering community support, a key characteristic of the Club which still lives on today.
The Second World War impacted the Zebras significantly and we produced two of our poorest years (1940/41) since the team formed. As the seriousness of the war wore on, several players were scattered around the world on active service and it was a small core of players who drove the Club forward. Key to our eventual success was the focus on nurturing local talent and building a cohesive team. The Club's administration and coaching staff played significant roles in this period, laying the groundwork for future success.
1946 was a momentous year in every aspect. The formation of the Ladies’ Social Committee in the back end of 1945, with a social event every matchday, provided significant financial contributions and attracted greater attendances. We broke attendance records, both home and away, as the Zebras began to startle the football world with unexpected victories and soon became the glamour side of the V.F.A. The season concluded in our first ever finals appearance 17 years after formation, and our maiden Premiership. The Premiership brought about solidifying us as a competitive team within the VFA, after a lengthy period of hardship.
From Inception to Triumph – read more about our early years (1929 – 1946)
There was a dip in performance post the war and our first Premiership, and we underwent a list rebuild in the mid-1950s.
In 1951, Bruce Harper became the first Sandringham player to score 100 goals in a single season, finishing with 104. Neil Bencraft's appointment as Coach in 1959, with Fred Webster as Captain, marked the beginning of a prosperous era for Sandringham.
The pinnacle of the Bencraft era was in 1962, when we were Premiers once again, beating Moorabbin in a thrilling final.
It would be another 23 years before we won our next Premiership. In 1985, with the expectation gathering after off-field recruiting successes and limited departures, our team was strong and ready to contend. We finished the season in a strong position after securing the Minor Premiership, and as the final siren rang out, we were declared Premiers for the third occasion. The match also signalled a notable resurgence of the VFA, drawing a crowd of 22,341.
Zebras Rising: Read more about Sandringham's Journey through the Mid-Century Era
The 1990s and 2000s were transformative decades for the Sandringham Football Club, marked by significant success and premiership victories that solidified our place in the VFL's upper echelons. We navigated through structural changes, fostered key alignments with AFL clubs, and managed to cultivate both local talent and AFL-listed players to achieve sustained success.
The ‘90s brought us three Premierships, with our first of the decade coming in 1992, led by the great Trevor Barker, when we beat Williamstown by 44 points. Two years later we secured our second with a come-from-behind win against Box Hill, followed by our 1997 win over Frankston. This era showcased stars such as Justin Crough, Joe Rugolo, Darren Mitchelson, Shane Foley, Anthony Allen, Nick Murray, Nick Sautner an Adam Coghlan.
In a change of structure for the league, the Zebras aligned with the Melbourne Football Club, allowing for the sharing of resources and success. This took our team directly to the Minor Premiership, finishing the season with 16 wins and just three losses. The 2000 finals series brought about triumph for the Zebras, with Norm Goss Medallist Richard Maloney steering us to our first Premiership of the millennium.
By 2004, we were ready to assert our dominance once more. It was a season with a mix of both individual brilliance and strong team success. Adam Fisher was awarded the VFL’s Best Young Player and finished second in the JJ. Liston Medal count. Nick Sautner produced yet another magnificent season to claim his sixth consecutive VFL goal kicking trophy. Under the guidance of Mark Williams, who took over as coach, we captured our second Premiership of the decade.
The following year saw us assert our superiority once again, securing back-to-back Premierships in 2005, a rare and impressive feat. Daniel Ward was awarded the Norm Goss Medal for his impressive performance off the half-back flank.
The pinnacle of Sandringham's dominance in the 2000s came with the 2006 Premiership, completing an historic three-peat, an achievement not seen in the VFL since the powerhouse Port Melbourne teams of the 1980s. This three-peat further cemented our place as the dominant force of the VFL in the mid-2000s, showcasing our ability to balance talent development with sustained team success.
The Sandringham-Melbourne alignment came to an end after the 2008 season, which marked the beginning of a transitional period for the Zebras. In 2009, we entered a new alignment with the St Kilda Football Club.
In late 2019, the opportunity arose for us to co-manage a VFLW team – the Southern Saints - with St Kilda, since the introduction of a St Kilda AFL Women’s side in 2020. We subsequently took over full management of the VFLW team.
Coming off the back of the pandemic-impacted years, our VFLW side - the Southern Saints - gathered under the mentorship of Dale Robinson to excel in the finals series, making the 2022 Grand Final but finishing just short of the ultimate prize.
Celebrating the club’s 95th anniversary in 2024, we invested heavily in reconnecting our proud history with our modern identity. The 95th Anniversary campaign focussed on bringing together past legends and current players, further strengthening the bond between the club and its passionate supporters.
Sandringham Football Club: The Modern Era (1990 - 2024)
At the end of the 2024 season, the Southern Saints were re-branded to the Sandringham Zebras VFLW, which saw them wear the same yellow, black and blue jumper as the VFL for the very first time in 2025. In its inaugural year, the Sandringham Zebras VFLW made finals and Grace Hodder made history as the first Sandringham Zebras VFLW Best & Fairest winner.
2025 also marked the final year of our VFL alignment with St Kilda, with both parties agreeing to part ways at the conclusion of the season.
2026 and beyond…
In 2026, Sandringham Football Club will field a standalone men’s team in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for the first time in 25 years, restoring our independent identity and re-establishing a strong connection with our origins and the Bayside community. Whilst it's an exciting time, it doesn't come without its challenges.
With Premiership Player Daniel Ward recently appointed as our 2026 VFL Senior Coach, we are so excited about what’s to come, about re-connecting with our past players and officials, and about re-engaging with our local community.
Bayside, we’re YOUR club and we need YOU! You can help us shape this next chapter in our almost 100-year-old history. Be part of our journey.
#WeStandAsOne
