Talk:Geelong Football Club/HistoryDraft

Founding of the Club - Formation of the VFL
The Geelong Football Club was established at a meeting held in the Victoria Hotel on 18 July, 1859, a year after Melbourne, and, by 1870, was competing with six other clubs for the first premiership. During the 1870s Geelong had a strong rivalry with a neighbouring team, the Barwon Football Club. Although the Barwon team eventually disbanded, the rivalry spurred Geelong on to becoming a more professional organisation.

The club played most of its early home games at the Argyle Square, situated between Aberdeen Street and Pakington Street.In 1878, the club was evicted from the ground by the private owner because the club had not paid its rent, and moved to Corio Oval for the 1878 season. Geelong was a foundation member of the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1877 and was among the most powerful clubs in that competition, winning seven premierships in the twenty seasons they competed in it.

In 1896, Geelong and five other clubs broke away from the VFA and formed a new competition, the Victorian Football League. The first games of the new league were played the following year.

1897 - WWII
The first VFL match was between Essendon and Geelong at Corio Oval on 8 May 1897. Essendon won the match, with 47 points to Geelong's 24. Geelong did not train beforehand, and held two training sessions before their next game against Melbourne.

Lights were installed at Corio Oval in April 1909, to allow the players to train twice a week. In May 1909, Geelong's members voted at the annual meeting to appoint a team coach. The position was advertised, but no suitable applicants were found and the idea was abandoned. The club did not compete in 1916 because of World War I.

Until 1923 the club was known as the Pivotonians, believed to be because Geelong was the centre (pivot) of trade in the Western District of Victoria. . During the 1923 season, a black cat came onto the ground during a game between Collingwood Juniors and Hawthorn Juniors, and Collingwood won the match despite Hawthorn's large lead. Melbourne Herald cartoonist Sam Wells suggested Geelong might need the luck of a black cat to improve their poor season. Geelong won their next game, against Carlton. Geelong's captain, Bert Rankin, as quoted in the Herald, said, "It was the black cat that did it today." In 1924 the league instituted the Brownlow Medal in honor of Charles Brownlow, who had served the Geelong Football Club and the league for many years. The first winner was Edward "Carji" Greeves of Geelong.

In 1925 the Ford Motor Company began sponsoring Geelong, an association that continues to this day and is believed to be the longest continuous sponsorship deal in the world. The team also won their first VFL flag in this year, followed by premierships in 1931 and 1937.

World War II impacted Geelong in several ways. Corio Oval, which had been Geelong's home ground since 1878, was required for military training and the team moved to Kardinia Park for the 1941 season. The club was unable to compete in 1942 and 1943 due to wartime travel restrictions. During these years Geelong players could temporarily transfer to other clubs. When the club rejoined the league for the 1944 season many of the players who had transferred did not return and the club struggled to play competitive football for several seasons.

WWII - National expansion in 1987
In 1949 Geelong appointed former captain Reg Hickey as coach and, in 1951 and 1952, won back-to-back premierships. During 1952 and 1953 the Cats set a league record of 23 consecutive wins, a record that still stands. Geelong were defeated in the 1953 Grand Final by Collingwood, after Hickey controversially dropped leading goalkicker George Goninon for disciplinary reasons.

Geelong's next premiership, and its last for 44 years, came in 1963.