Club History
Canning Football Club – Founded in 1905
The Canning Football Club was founded in 1905 as the Queens Park Football Club, playing home games at a ground adjacent to where the Carousel Shopping Centre now stands. The Cecil Hotel (later Waverley Hotel) was used for meetings and general club business.
In 1926 the club changed its name to the Canning District Football Club to coincide with the building of the Canning Town Hall, the local Road Board was also moving from Queens Park to Cannington.
The club experienced great success during this period which included 5 premierships.
The Canning Football Club prior to and after World War II used the Canning Showgrounds (now the greyhound track) until 1950, when they moved to Coker Park in Wharf Street Cannington.
The facilities at these venues were very ordinary to say the least, change rooms consisted of various sheds with very little light and cold showers. Ground maintenance was very little if any at all and was undertaken mostly by players & members.
For a brief period during the war the South Suburban Football Association was suspended, recommencing in 1943. Players were in short supply, so to help clubs a 16 a side competition was organized.
Nicholson Road played a big part in the destiny of the Canning & Maddington Football Clubs, this being the district boundary. The Grose family who owned two properties on this road, one in Canning and one in Maddington had 5 family members who were Canning players, they obviously lived on the Canning side during football season! However one other player who lived very close in Spencer Road was claimed by Maddington – George (Jigger) Johnson who went on to become a champion full forward and house hold name for the Maddington Football Club.
A few seasons later Canning got their own back when in 1955 champion Maddington player John Worth became residently bound to Canning. He made an immediate impact at Canning winning the Fairest & Best trophy in 1959, 1960, 1962 & 1964. He was also instrumental in many premierships with the club.
The method of transporting players and supporters to away games was by open back trucks with fixed seats (no seat belts), you can imagine the mood of the players & supporters on a wet trip home after losing.
The club took steps to overcome the change room conditions, in 1953 buying a block of land opposite Coker Park for the princely sum of 81 pounds. This land was later sold and is now part of the Canning RSL complex. The big problem at Coker Park was that the ground was enclosed by a three strand wire fence. This made it very difficult for the standing treasurer at the time Ron Lawrence to convince opposition & club supporters to pay for entrance.
The Canning Football Club was a power of strength in seasons 1944-1959, the club contested in 16 consecutive Grand Finals winning 8 premierships. In seasons 1952, 1953 & 1954 the club lost only 6 games, three of these being Grand Finals and then went on to be premiers in 1955, 1956 & 1958.
The Canning Reserves side were also a force in the 1950’s, winning 41 games in succession including 5 premierships in a row.
In 1961 the club negotiated with the Shire of Canning for a move to Wyong Oval. On inspection the committeemen claimed the facilities were as good as Collingwoods (hot showers). The club is still based at Wyong.
The went on to win further league premierships in 1961, 1965 & 1980 in the SSMFL. The Tigers also won the flag in the now defunct SFL in 1994.
After the Sunday Football League folded at the end of 2008 the club moved into the Western Australian Amateur Football League (WAAFL) along with the other clubs from the SFL. The Tigers made the most of their fresh start in a new league by making it into the preliminary final.
2010 saw the Tigers win the premiership after going undefeated throughout the season. Moving up a grade in 2011 saw the club seeking to consolidate its position in a higher grade. The Tigers again made the preliminary final but fell short of the mark.
The club is competing in C2 grade in 2012 and will again be looking to play finals.
The contribution of members has been enormous over the years. The club has over 50 life members and has won 20 League premierships at an average of one premiership every 5 years, a record the club is justly proud and one that would be hard to equal.
South Perth Football Club – Founded in 1931
The South Perth Football Club has a long, proud, chequered and interesting history. Over the past 70 years, many talented footballers and personalities have made their mark at the Club. Many of their names and feats are recognized and remembered through Memorial trophies and through the Honour Boards. This History of the Club is dedicated to all those who have helped build the foundations for this great Club.
The South Perth Football Club dates back to 1931. Originally, the Club was associated with the W.A. Amateur League from 1931 to 1966. The first Senior Premiership was won in 1947, with back-to-back Premierships in 1952 and 1953.
In 1967 the Club moved to the South Suburban Murray League (S.S.M.L.), and remained in that League for only four years until 1970. The only success in that period was a Reserves Grade Premiership in 1969.
The 70\’s and early 80\’s were remarkably successful years for the Club. In 1971 it joined the W.A. Football Association (W.A.F.A.). A League Premiership was won in 1972, and the Club was also League Runner-up in 1973, 1979, 1981 and 1982. The League side had the notable distinction of being in the finals in every year, except one. The Reserves were Runners-up on several occasions, and in 1981, the Colts won a Premiership.
In 1984 the Sunday Football League was formed through the amalgamation of the S.S.M.L. and the W.A.F.A. Success in the early years of the Sunday League was limited to 4th in 1985 and 3rd in 1986. In 1986 the league side was eliminated in the Preliminary Final by only 4 points. That year also saw all teams participate in the finals. The Colts lost the 1987 Preliminary Final.
In 1990 the benefits of a possible relationship with the East Victoria Park Junior Football Club was recognised. Discussions were lukewarm for some years until 1994, when both Clubs began more determined negotiations.
1991 was a very successful year for the Club, with both the League and Colts teams participating in the Finals. The Leagues success in 1991 was particularly notable, given that in 1990 the league did not win a game! 1991 was a good year for awards – Laurie Liddelow won the Bowden Medal for the SFL Fairest and Best, SFL Colts Fairest and Best was won by Robert Calcraft, and Michael Adams won the SFL Rookie of the Year.
1992 was not as successful for the League and Reserves, although the Colts had a remarkably successful year – only losing two games in the season. Unfortunately injuries saw the Colts knocked out in the first semi-final.
In 1993 and 1994, all sides performed poorly. In 1995, many senior players left the Club, but after drastic measures to recruit players, the Club went on to achieve on-field success in 1996.
The successful recruiting drive saw the league side finishing second on the ladder at the end of the home and away season. Unfortunately the success was not carried through into the finals, with the league losing both of its finals matches. Some highlights of the year included Paul Bennett winning the Burley Sekem Footballer of the Year, and being runner-up for the Bowden Medal. Paul Coleman also won the League Goalkicking Award.
1997 was again not a very successful year for the Club, due to a number of factors such as injuries to key players and retirements. In a bold move to secure the future of the South Perth Football Club, a merger was negotiated with the Victoria Park Juniors. A new club emerged – the Vic Park/South Perth Football Club. A new name that embodied the spirit of both Club was sought, and the “Raiders” were born.
In 1998 the league team enjoyed success under Coach Stephen Hooper, and finished third after the home and away season. Unfortunately the league side was unable to progress in the finals, losing the first semi-final.
In 1999, Club legend and long-time player Laurie Liddelow coached the League side to the verge of the finals. Despite Ryan Biddiscombe’s Bowden Medal win, the league team continued to underachieve. An additional positive was the Colts team who performed well throughout the season and fell just short of a grand final appearance.
Originally the Club was based at Ernest Johnson Oval in South Perth for many years. In 1981 a move was made to Perth Oval, to provide better facilities for both players and spectators. This move was only temporary, and in 1984 the Club moved to Lathlain Park. This move ensured that the standard of facilities was maintained, and firmly cemented the Club in the South Perth area. Another temporary move in 1989 saw the Club play at Forster Park in Cloverdale, but in 1990 the Club returned to Lathlain Park.
At the conclusion of the 2000 season the Vic Park South Perth Football Club merged with Canning Football Club to form the CVPSPFC Tigers. The Club is based at Wyong Oval.