History

Carngham Linton Football Netball Club History

The history of the Carngham Linton Football Netball Club dates back to the 1870s, when matches were played between the Carngham Football Club and the Linton Football Club. There are also records of 2 games played between the clubs around 1880. In both these games, Carngham were the successors, 1 goal to nil.

The first records of premiership competition between the Carngham and Linton Football Clubs began prior to World War 1. Carngham enjoyed early success, winning the 1908 premiership in the Scarsdale & District Football Association.  Five years later, Carngham won the 1913 premiership in the Linton & District Football Association against Linton and Skipton.

Unfortunately, local football went into recess mid-way through the 1915 season due to World War 1. At the end of the Great War in 1919, football was to return to the district and success was to start early for the Linton Football Club. They endured premiership glory in the Linton and District Football Association on 3 occasions, winning the 1919, 1920 and 1922 seasons. All 3 years being at the expense of their rival neighbours, Carngham. Unfortunately for Carngham, they were to be Runners-up in 4 seasons, being the years of 1919, 1920, 1922 and 1923.

In 1926, the Linton and District Football Association changed its name to the Linton-Skipton District Football Association. In that year, the Carngham Football Club finally broke their premiership drought with a hard-fought victory over Scarsdale in what would be the season’s ultimate match.

Carngham embarked on a so-called travelling excursion in 1927 by joining the Rokewood & Cape Clear District Football Association. The Carngham Football Club made it back-to-back flags, taking out the 1927 premiership. Linton remained in the Linton-Skipton Football Association but didn’t experience premiership success.

In 1930, the Linton Football Club rekindled their rivalry with the Carngham Football Club, entering into the Rokewood & Cape Clear Football Association. This competition was known as the Cape Clear-Carngham Association from 1934. Neither side endured premiership success in this 7-year period.

From 1937 until 1940, both clubs continued their fierce rivalry against one another, this time in the renamed Linton-Carngham District Football Association. Carngham again won back to back flags in 1938 and 1939. However, after the 1940 year there was no football played, due to World War II.

When football resumed in 1946, Carngham made an immediate impression on the Linton-Carngham District Football Association. The team won 5 consecutive premierships, being the 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1950 flags. The sweetest being the 1949 premiership, where they defeated the previously undefeated Skipton by a solitary point. Carngham could not continue their winning streak in 1951, but won their sixth premiership from seven years in 1952. Unfortunately for Linton, they were not able to encounter any premiership glory within these years.

The two clubs moved simultaneously into the Western Plains Football League in 1953.  Linton finally tasted success and after a 40-year drought, won the 1962 premiership. This would see the last move for Linton before withdrawing its senior team early in the 1968 season. Carngham had a seven year stint in the Ballarat Football League District Section from 1962 to 1968 without any premiership glory.

After long and debated discussions because of such a huge rivalry spanning almost 100 years, the Carngham and Linton Football Clubs amalgamated in 1969.  The Carngham Linton Football Club has since become one of the most successful and powerful combinations in the modern day country football.

After a difficult first few years, the merged club played its first senior finals series in 1973 and won its first senior premiership in 1974.  This was the first in what would become a substantial amount of senior premiership success in the Western Plains Football League.

During 30 years in the Western Plains Football League, the club won 12 senior football premierships which today remains to stand as a League record. They also won 13 reserve football and seven under 16/17 football flags. The netballers were also on the winners list taking out the 1975 senior premiership, as well as 2 reserve and 8 under age grades in this period of time.

In 1999, the Western Plains Football League amalgamated with the Lexton Football League, to form the Lexton Plains Football League and the club wasted no time in stamping its authority. Both senior and reserve grades reached the grand final in their debut seasons, winning the latter and going on to claim the 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008 senior flags. The reserves footballers also won premierships in 2006 and 2008. 

In 2002, the Lexton Plains Football League introduced the Ray Fisher Shield for the most successful club in the League. The club won this shield for 5 consecutive years between 2002 and 2006. After finishing second in 2007 the club was to regain the shield again in 2008 and again, continue its dominance in 2009.

By the final year of the Lexton Plains League in 2010, the Carngham Linton Football Netball Club had missed the senior football finals on only 6 occasions since 1969, 4 of these being in the first four years from 1969 to 1972. From 1974, the club had played in 29 senior Grand Finals, with a ratio of 17 Premierships and 12 losses. All grades within the club from 1971 until 2010, saw them play in a total 95 Grand Finals, with 54 Premierships and 41 Runner Up.

The Carngham Linton Football Netball Club joined the large Central Highlands Football League and Netball League in 2011. Due to a uniform clash with Creswick, Carngham Linton changed the design of its football jumpers whilst still retaining the red, white and black colours.

The Carngham Linton Football Netball Club registered its first Central Highlands premiership in 2012 when the under-13 netball team was victorious. The club’s under-15 netball team also won the premiership in 2014.

In 2018 we were proud to celebrate the 50^th year of the Carngham Linton FNC as a combined club. The following year, the club revised its football jumper design to black with a red & white vee. The under-13 netballers went on to be undefeated in 2019 to become Premiers & Champions.