Western Suburbs Magpies AFC


Western Suburbs Australian Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Sydney AFL league. The club is based in the inner west of Sydney, New South Wales, and its senior teams played their home games at Henson Park in 2009 and 2010 but returned to their 'spiritual home' of Picken Oval, next door to their social club, in 2011. The club, which became the first licensed Australian rules football club in New South Wales in 1962, is located in Croydon Park, next to Picken Oval. During the 1960s and 1970s, Western Suburbs was by far the most successful club in the competition. They made every grand final from 1963 to 1969 and every grand final from 1971 to 1979 bar one.
In 2005, in the premier division Western Suburbs only lost one of the 16 minor round games and secured the minor premiership. However, they lost the grand final to old rivals North Shore. In 2009 and 2010, the club under the coaching tutelage of Craig Tognolini, made the preliminary final.
Many fine players have been recruited from the Western Suburbs Magpies to the AFL including Paul Bevan, Arthur Chilcott, Terry Ingersoll and Greg Stafford amongst others. Paul Bevan was a Sydney Swans premiership player in 2005.

History

The club formed in 1926.
It was re-formed in 1947.
John Northey coached at the football club before coaching at AFL Level.
Senior premierships have been won in 1951, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977 & 1996