Australian Football

Birregurra played its first match in June 1883, but the club did not really get going in an organised, competitive sense until after the first world war. Between the wars the Saints competed at various times in at least three different competitions, and are known to have claimed at least one premiership. In 1946 Birregurra affiliated with the Polwarth Football League where it spent precisely twenty seasons, winning a premiership in 1955, and losing a low scoring grand final to Beeac the following year.

After spending the 1966 season in recess the Saints were admitted to the Colac and District Football League where they continue to compete to this day. It took them twenty seasons to break through for a flag, but having done so they embarked on the most successful decade in their history, claiming further senior grade premierships in 1990 and 1994.

After struggling somewhat during the early years of the twenty-first century Birregurra’s seniors discernibly, if rather slowly, improved, finishing last without a win in 2004, second from last in 2005, eighth (of eleven) in 2006, sixth (of eleven) in 2007, and fourth in 2008 after ending the home and away rounds in third place with a commendable 14-4 record. In 2009 the Saints reached the grand final in which they started as favourites but sustained a shock 52 point loss at the hands of Irrewarra Beeac. 

The following season brought another grand final against the same opposition and although the ultimate result was unchanged the margin - just 2 points - clearly indicated that the Saints were getting closer to the mark, an impression they would vindicate in 2011. Top of the ladder with a 15-1 record going in to the finals the Saints overcame the setback of a second semi final loss to South Colac to earn themselves a grand final rematch with the Kangas thanks to a 15.14 (104) to 7.14 (56) preliminary final defeat of Simpson. The grand final turned into something resembling an arm wrestle, with scoring at a premium. When the final siren blared out the scoreboard showed Birregurra clinging to a 3 point advantage with scores of 6.10 (46) to South Colac's 6.7 (43).

Since 2011 the Saints' status as a competition heavyweight has been further endorsed with a losing grand final against Simpson in 2014 and a fifth C&DFL premiership in 2016, claimed on the strength of an 11.10 (76) to 7.12 (54) grand final defeat of South Colac. The 2017 season saw them go back to back thanks to a 15.4 (94) to 5.7 (37) grand final defeat of a Lorne team which had triumphed when the two sides had met previously on second semi final day. The Saints' bid to procure a hat trick of flags was derailed at the ultimate stage of the 2018 season, arch rivals Lorne getting home by 21 points. A year later they dropped to fourth on the ladder after losing the first semi final to Apollo Bay.