Recent Articles
Fancy Dress Charity FootballPublished At: 2019-08-11 17:58 - (1702 Reads) -Australian Rules Football has a long history of Charity Matches where the players have dressed up in fancy dress and played football. These games were not played by elite footballers but by a wide range of everyday people. While researching old football matches these dress up games regularly appear, to the point where they deserves some attention.
Local hospitals frequently received the football fundraising and women as well as men got a go. These games might not be ‘elite’ but they provide a fascinating insight into history. Firstly the outfit trends over time changed as the world around changed. Secondly, what caused the end of this phenomena? Was it Television, or changes in attitudes? A New Association – Formation of the VFL 1896-1897Published At: 2019-08-11 14:14 - (2010 Reads) -In 1896, after a proposal by VFA Secretary T.S. Marshall, a group of teams broke away and formed the VFL. Why did they do this? why were some teams in and some teams out?
The Evolution of ‘the Premiership’ 1870-1888Published At: 2019-08-11 09:47 - (2348 Reads) -Winning the AFL Premiership is the height of Australian football, but what is it’s origin story. This article explains how in the early years of football in Victoria, the premiership evolved from a newspaper acclimation in an ad-hoc season of football in the early 1870s, into a points system run by the Victorian Football Association and finally into the winner of the Grand Final of a national competition that it is today.
Bendigo Football Association 1901 to 1906Published At: 2019-03-10 15:15 - (40722 Reads) -Turmoil, argument, teams folding and teams appearing,even new competing competitions. The final years of the gold mining boom in Bendigo were interesting times for football in the town.
A Favourite Not Forgotten – the football biography of Geelong’s John HaygarthPublished At: 2019-02-23 11:16 - (68592 Reads) -John Haygarth was an exciting Geelong footballer in the fifties. This article is the story of his football life, including his controversial departure from Geelong in 1959. The article includes an interview with John and photographs from his personal collection.
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Random Articles
Ron Todd 188 Goals in a Season (+82 in other games)Published At: 2013-03-16 14:56 - (10888 Reads) -In 1945, Ron Todd kicked a record 188 goals in a season. This was a remarkable achievement in skill, accuracy, endurance and luck. This article attempts to put this record into a wider context.
ANFC Football Carnival - Hobart 1947Published At: 2013-09-02 14:00 - (13568 Reads) -The 1947 Victory Carnival was held in Hobart and was the first Carnival conducted by the Australian National Football Council since the end of World War Two. It was also the first Carnival since 1933 where the 'B' Division teams had a chance to play. Poor weather caused disappointing attendances, and a muddy playing surface. It was no surprise that the Victorian Football League team was victorious, but the VFL did lose twice - once to Western Australia, and once (after the conclusion of the Carnival) to a combined South Australia/Western Australia team.
Tom O'Halloran - The Tiger From TimaruPublished At: 2018-11-11 14:49 - (4717 Reads) -Tom O'Halloran’s dedication and love for his club should be acknowledged and it is hoped that this story may stimulate new interest in the dynamic high flyer from Punt Road. Roger's article lets you see why Tom O’Halloran was introduced into the Richmond FC Hall of Fame in 2013.
Team Photos in the Weekly Times and Australasian 1928-29 - The link to Football Cards and the Football RecordPublished At: 2012-11-26 03:06 - (17162 Reads) -In 1928 and 1929, the Weekly Times newspaper (part of the Herald group of newspapers) published two series of colourised football team photos. In 1929, the rival weekly, the Australasian (published from the Argus building) produced its own series. Both newspapers had colour sections each week.
The team photos appearing in the 1928-29 Weekly Times and Australasian were chopped up and converted into individual player portraits. These individual portraits were later used in a number of football cards series. They also appeared in the VFL Football Record. From Tripod to WebsitePublished At: 2012-07-05 10:27 - (19837 Reads) -Ken's article here draws on his 2010 interview with Harley Boyles. It provides biographical material about the photographer Charles Boyles, an introduction to the Boyles collections, and a perspective on the 'hidden history' of the Boyles photos.
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Historical Articles (Reprinted)
Recent Articles
Dan Minogue Tells Why He - Gave Up Mining for FootballPublished At: 2019-03-10 14:22 - (2405 Reads) -Dan Minogue begins today his own story of his distinguished career. And a human, gripping story this great football personality has to tell! It is brimming with all the incident, thrills, humor and pathos which he has encountered during a quarter of a century as crack player and successful captain and coach. Turning back Time, Dan takes readers behind the scenes with him; into club rooms and on to playing fields as he lives again his hours of triumph —and disappointment.
Former Umpire writes His ReminiscencesPublished At: 2018-12-15 09:58 - (2784 Reads) -Famous South Australian Umpire Johnny Quinn's reminiscences appeared in the News (Adelaide) in 1940. Quinn was famous for his smile and his gestures. He also took part in redrafting the rules of the game.
Melbourne’s Chief Play Grounds - No. 9— The Old East Melbourne GroundPublished At: 2018-12-15 08:36 - (2006 Reads) -Old Football Days. Teams and Men.Published At: 2018-11-16 08:33 - (1822 Reads) -Originally appeared in The Argus 2-May-1908. Observer (Donald McDonald) the great Australian Journalist looks back at the best players in his 30 years writing on football.
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Random Articles
Great Football Dramas No. 12. Prahran's Tragic Failure to Win Association Premiership of 1909Published At: 2016-10-29 12:06 - (2950 Reads) -In this, the twelfth of a series of football dramas, is described Prahran's great 1909 team, and its tragic failure to win the Association premiership.
History of the Australian Game on the Goldfields from 1894 to 1912Published At: 2017-08-11 15:57 - (2925 Reads) -League Footballers of 1950 – The Men In The CentrePublished At: 2016-09-04 09:15 - (3766 Reads) -HAPPY is the football club with a good centre man. He can constantly put his team into attack. He can also be a defender. When the ball is bounced he often acts as a rover, and, as he and his immediate opponent stand on either side of the rucks, there are frequently openings in those periods. When the play moves on the two centre men watch each other closely, and frequently engage in hotly contested duels.
Roy Cazaly Tells Of Football Ring-in with £500 at StakePublished At: 2017-10-19 06:39 - (2515 Reads) - |
Article Archive...
An Introduction to Charles Boyles
The website is centred around the photos of Charles Boyles, a Melbourne-based photographer. Boyles primarily took photos of Australian Rules Football teams and players. He appears to have started this football work in the late twenties. He continued through the 1930's, the years of the Second World War, and then right up to his final photos in the early sixties. Unlike most commercial photographers, Charles Boyles did not wait for customers to come to him. Boyles set up his camera on training nights, and on game days took posed team photos after the players had run onto the ground. These were sold directly to the clubs, players and general public. On Saturdays, at the games, the photographer's son Harley Boyles (and others) would take a satchel of mixed photos and sell them throughout the game. Unlike newspaper photos, therefore, a Boyles photo was something you could own, take home, and treasure. There are no action shots or photos of games in progress. Boyles specialised in team photos and player portraits, with the players looking directly to camera. Today these photos are used by clubs, by family historians, and by those interested in football history. They often appear uncredited in football history books. Boyles did not restrict himself to the leading football competition of his era, the Victorian Football League. During his working life he attended many different competitions. He covered the VFA, Wartime Services matches, the various Victorian workplace competitions, the Sunday leagues, and other competitions. Learn More about the Life of Charles Boyles
Read Ken's article on the methods, motives and life of Charles Boyles. The article includes notes from an extensive interview with Harley Boyles about his father. See Charles Edward Boyles: From Tripod to Website. |
Website Aims and Objectives
This website contains work by two independent researchers, Ken Mansell and Michael Riley. Our objective is to share our own passion for history and provide a friendly resource for family historians, football buffs and others who have an interest in the Charles Boyles photos and more generally in football photography from the 1920's to 1960's.A Football History Website
This site has grown to cover more than just football photos. There is an amazing amount to explore. You can start with articles, player pages, ground pages, team and league pages as well as information on players careers outside football.All Football Photographers Not Just Charles Boyles Photos
This site contains photos from many of Boyles's contemporaries. These contrast Boyles's style, and add to an understanding of sport, photography, and the football of the time.Football Outside the VFL
Charles Boyles took photos of VFL teams, but also took photos of VFA teams, Workplace Teams and teams in Junior Leagues. Also, for many players the VFL was just a small part of their footballing story. This site attempts to build a picture of the football world during Boyle's working period. This world is worth explored through articles and the pages thoughout the website. Sources of Images on this Website
We are not associated with any library or institution. We have received permission from a variety of people and institutions to include their images on this particular website. Each photo is labelled as to it's source. Please contact the relevant source for permission to reproduce any images. The appearance of an image on this website does not mean that it is public domain. Although many (not all) photos are out of copyright, many images are available here under 'Terms of Use' agreements with the relevant organisation. We credit the photographer and the photo source wherever possible, |