Australian Football

Kew Bears

The Kew Bears were formed in November 2006 as the result of a merger between the Kew and North Kew football clubs. Under the accepted terms of the proposal, the new club was to be known as the Kew Bears, wear a brown jumper with a gold sash, and play in D3 Section of the VAFA, out of Kew Football Club's home ground at Victoria Park. Currently, the club boasts an establishment date of 1876, and their website neglects to mention any references to North Kew.

In recent seasons, the Bears have enjoyed as much success as almost any club in the VAFA, and more than most. In 2013, coached by ex Carlton player Ian Aitken, they claimed the premiership of Division Three thanks to a 15.10 (100) to 9.11 (65) grand final defeat of Elsternwick. This was followed a year later by an 8.10 (58) to 6.11 (47) victory over St. Marys Salesians in the Division Two flag decider. Then, in 2015 the Bears made it a hat trick of premierships when they accounted for Ormond in the Division One grand final by a 5 goal margin. Their first season in Premier C was one of consolidation as they won 7 out of 18 home and away matches to finish a highly respectable fifth on the ten team premiership ladder. Unfortunately, the Bears proved unable to build on this solid start and the 2017 season saw them plummeting to the bottom of the ladder thus succumbing to relegation back to Division One where, in 2018, they experienced modest fortunes, winning 6 of 18 matches to finish eighth (of ten).