Club History

Oakleigh Amateur Football Club came together in 1992 as an amalgamation of the Oakleigh Sacred Heart and Emmanuel Football Clubs. Born in difficult times, the newly formed Krushers had a mixed start in life. Hard decisions had to be made by both clubs about how best to navigate the turmoil in the early 1990’s surrounding the breakup of the Eastern Suburban Churches Football Association(ESCFA) and its joint venture with the Southern football league. Neither club could be convinced that the Southern League was the way to go.

For both clubs resource issues were a defining factor in the decision to merge. Emmanuel had no juniors and wanted to continue playing at the highest level. For Sacred Heart the Edwards Street Reserve was massively substandard and the Oakleigh council was unlikely to make any improvements in the foreseeable future; and soccer was beginning to impose itself on Oakleigh life. The powers at EFC and OSHFC, namely Barry Alexander, Jim Podesta, Peter Chapman and Jim Mullholland did not want to be in the same competition with numerous other local clubs competing for the same player and sponsorship resources. Hence they decided to go to the VAFA and time has proven this to be a very wise decision from many points of view.

The first OAFC teams took the field in 1992 against Bentleigh at Scammell Reserve on the 4th of April in the ESCFA “A” grade division. Sadly the OAFC lost by three points. Coached by John Aldridge the best players on the day were Alan Cloke, Peter Hamilton, Steve Jenkins, Brett Matheson and Andrew Walsh. With Matt Forrest kicking 5 goals by any standards this was a gutsy start to a great and successful club, heralding a never lie down ethos that was inherited from EFC and OSHFC and continues today with OAFC.