Sale

Sale Football Netball Club
Location: Sale Oval, Corner of Palmerton St & McArthur Str, Sale 2850
Mailing Address: PO Box 371 Sale, 3850
Email: sfncinc@gmail.com

About

Sale Football Club’s proud history commenced with the club forming in 1877. The club competed in inter town matches in unofficial football competitions until the turn of the century. In those years the club winning the most games was declared the premier team. Sale did this in 1882, 1884,1888,1889 (Payne Cup)1892 (Fielchenfeld Cup),1894 (Sergeant Trophy), 1897 and 1898 (Pearson Cup).

Note: Most of the priceless silverware mentioned here is on display in the club rooms.

With the formation of the Gippsland Football League in 1900, Sale affiliated with that competition and enjoyed immediate success taking out the 1901 premiership. In the era up to World War Two the club was successful in winning 8 premierships beginning in 1901 (Hagenauer Trophy), 1905,1911,1924 & 1927 (King George Cup),1931 & 1934 (King George Cup), and finally in 1937.

Sale’s Artie Davidson was the first player to win the league best and fairest Trood Award having tied in 1935. The feat was repeated in 1936 by another Sale player in Jack Collins. During this pre-war period many Sale players went on to play in the VFL, the most famous being Norman Ware who played with Footscray. Ware won the Brownlow medal in 1941, the year he also captained Victoria. Worthy of note also was Sale forward Doug Orr, a prolific goal kicker of the era and was known as “Gordon Coventry of the Bush”

Sale continued its affiliation with the Gippsland Football League after World War Two and went on to win three more premierships in 1949, 50 and 53 before becoming one of the foundation clubs of a newly formed Latrobe Valley Football League, the premier football league in Gippsland.  Sale was to prove a power house team and perennial finalists in the new competition winning four premierships in the first six years of the competition those being in 1954,55,57, & 59. Arguably, 1957 was the club’s most successful year winning a triple premiership with the Seniors, Seconds, and Thirds each taking home a flag.  Legendary player Jack Schuback retired in 1957 having played over 300 games with the club. Following those stellar years, the club entered a premiership drought before winning its next flag in 1971. This was quickly followed by also taking out the 1973 and 1975 flags.

It was to be eleven years before the club had success again this time winning the flag in 1986. One Sale brilliant player stood out in the eighties and that was Sale’s Shane Loveless who in 1987 booted 136 goals in home and away games plus another 4 goals in finals, a record that still stands and unlikely to be broken. Former Sale premiership player of the fifties of successful coach of the seventies Jim Hart added to his achievements by coaching the LVFL team to victory in 1979 and 1980. Sale played in two more unsuccessful grand finals before the turn of the century.

In the mid 2000’s Sale featured in two more unsuccessful grand final appearances before winning its next premiership flag in 2008. Four years later and fielding one of its most powerful teams ever in 2012, Sale dominated the season losing only one game and went on to easily win the premiership flag. Under 16 player Brandon Scott broke the league goal kicking record in 2013 with 107 goals, a rare feat for his age group.

In recent years the Magpie’s senior side has had limited success finishing runner up in 2022 playing in atrocious conditions at Moe.  Of all of Sale’s senior best and fairest award winners, three stand out – Shane Fyfe (5), Kane Martin (4) and Robert Foster (3). Numerous other players won the award twice. Long serving player Chris Laverty retired from senior football in 2022 holding the club record of 338 senior games. He has to date also played 374 club games.

With the introduction of a netball competition in the mid-nineties, Sale fielded its first A Grade netball team that finished runners up 1997, however it was not to have any senior success until when fielding its strongest team ever, winning the 2013 A Grade premiership. Stand out Sale players of that era who went on to play in national competitions were Lara Dunkley and Kate Eddy. Two Sale netball players Kate Love and Montana Holmes have won league A grade best and fairest awards. Of the club senior netball A grade best and fairest winners, Caitlyn Morgan has won the award three times, with Kate Love, Lara Dunkley, Amelia Charlton and Mel McLaren each winning twice. Long serving player Elise Murray retired in 2011 holding the netball games record with 201 games. Sale’s real netball success story has been with the lower grades (Under 13, Under 15 and Under 17), between them winning 13 premiership flags from 2006 to 2023.

The club introduced a Hall of Fame in 2011 and currently has 16 inductees.

Gippsland League Premierships