Australian Football

Heatherton

Established in 1913, Heatherton competed initially in the Federal Football Association, where its record could perhaps most charitably be described as disappointing. In 1930 the club transferred to the Berwick District Football Association, and shortly thereafter to the Caulfield Oakleigh District Football League’s C Grade competition in which, in 1938, it claimed its first ever premiership, downing Oakleigh Districts in the grand final by 40 points. The following season Heatherton played off in the B Grade grand final, but lost to South Oakleigh.

In 1946 Heatherton re-entered the Federal Football League where success once again proved elusive. In 1951 the club underwent a name change to Mentone Freighters and changed its official colours from blue and white to black and white. Later in the 1950s, after transferring to the CYMS Football League, there was another name change to Mentone CYMS. Over the course of two decades competing in this league the club achieved senior grade premiership success only once when it overcame Bentleigh CYMS in the 1974 B Section grand final. The following season saw the club almost win a second successive flag when, after transferring to the Victorian Amateur Football Association, it lost the F Section grand final to Monash Whites by 15 points. Nevertheless, by reaching the grand final the Tunners were automatically granted promotion to E Section, and two seasons later they won a premiership at that level. Their only other senior grade VAFA flag was also procured in E Section, in 1985.

Between 1990 and 1992 Heatherton competed in the Eastern Suburban Churches Football Association, winning a C Grade premiership in its final season. Since commencing in the Southern Football League in 1993 the club has added three more senior grade flags, in Division Three in 1998, and in Division Two in 2006 and 2009.

Since 2015, following their relegation from Division One, Heatherton have been a Division Two club. In 2015 they narrowly avoided relegation to Division Three before improving marginally the following year to finish ninth of eleven clubs, a result that was duplicated in 2017. In 2018 they rose to sixth place out of eight teams.