Darley football club was formed in 1919. Darley lies on the northern side of the township of Bacchus Marsh. It is part of the overall township of Bacchus Marsh but forms a distinct community within Bacchus Marsh especially in the early period of its history. The area is known as a football breeding ground and has produced many champion players at VFL and AFL level and the club has had sustained success over many decades in various competitions. For many years it played in the Bacchus Marsh District Football Association. From the mid 1990s it has competed in the Ballarat Football League.A black and white photograph print mounted on mounting board, showing a group of 19 players, 3 non playing officials and one child acting as the mascot arranged in three rows. A player in the centre holds a football with D.F.C. Premiers 1939 written upon it. Nineteen men are in football Guernseys, 3 are in civilian clothes. Two of these have towels over their shoulders and are probably trainers. In the centre is the third non-player who is presumably the coach. The photo is taken in an outdoor setting. The child is a young boy dressed in the clubs uniform and sits in the front row between the legs of another player. At the foot of the photo is, "Darley F. B. C. Premiers 1938-39". On the reverse are written some of the players names. Back row: 1. C. Lillburn, 2. ? Cook. 3 Skinner. 4 -----------. 5 Jimmy Younger. 6. Barry. 7. Albie Jones: Middle Row: 1. ----------. 2. McMahon. 3. Ray Closter. 4. Pop Closter. 5 ----------. 6. Mickey Dix. 7 ---------. 8. Densley. Front Row: 1. -----------. 2. Hartley Younger. 3. Whelan. Darley Football Club 1938-39. At to of reverse: 'Donated by the Wittick Family 12 - 1 - 2004. Marie Wittick'.darley football club, australian rules football

Darley Football club contested the 1954 Bacchus Marsh District Football Association Grand Final against Maddingley Football Club. This photograph is thought to have been taken in 1954. It is cited in some sources as the Premiership winning team of 1954. This is incorrect as Maddingley Football club were the premiers in this year. It is possibly a photo taken at the time of the Grand Final of 1954 and subsequently misidentified. Or, it may be a photo from another year in the 1950s.A black and white photograph print on a mounting board in a display folder, showing a group 30 men, 3 boys and one younger child seated on the knee of a man probably his father. The group is arranged in three rows, 10 in civilian clothes, the rest in vertically-striped guernseys and white shorts. In the front row, seated in the middle, are three boys, club mascots , dressed in uniform guernseys and shorts. Two of the men have towels slung over their shoulder, indicating that they were club trainers. The photo is taken in an outdoor setting, probably Maddingley Park. There are no names on the mounting board, but from information taken from "Bacchus Marsh. A Pictorial Chronicle", 1986, by Gwyn Moore and Jean Oomes. This source incorrectly identifies this team as Premiers 1954. Bacchus Marsh Express of Saturday 18 September 1954 reported "Decisive Win by Maddingley." The score was recorded as Maddingley 17.11 Darley 12.15. The names given in Moore and Oomes are: Back Row: l-r: M.Cook, B.Skinner, J.Cook, C.Reddrop, L.Holt, J.Cook, M.Carr, J.Carr, M. Younger, B.Carr, R.Stevens, W.Richardson, B.Giani. Middle Row: C.Casey, N.Thomson, N.Holt, G.Tudball, J.Ashby, L.Carr, L.Carr jnr., M.Younger, J.Moore, T.Densley, L.McKenzie Front Row: H.Cairns, P.Shea, L.Kight, M.Shea, R.Closter, A.Franklin, with mascots.darley football club, australian rules football

Toolern Vale and Coimadai are small communities near Bacchus Marsh and Melton. The two small communities combined to form an Australian Rules football club around the early 1920s. The club name appears in the Bacchus Marsh and Melton local newspapers during football seasons between 1924 and 1930. In 1928 the club were premiers in the Junior division of the local football association. The Junior division was not an under age competition but a lower level competition than the main or senior level local competition. Toolern Vale-Coimadai defeated Darley by nine points in the 1928 Grand Final. A very detailed report of the premiership game was published in Bacchus Marsh Express on 1st September 1928, page 4. This image appears to be a rare example of a photograph of a football team representing the Toolern Vale-Coimadai district. It is an import documentary record of football in a small community. A black and white photograph print mounted on mounting board, showing a group of 24 men arranged in three rows along side a grandstand. Eighteen men are in football guernseys, six in civilian clothes. Board and print are split top to bottom, and a small part of the image is missing due to a tear. At bottom of photo: 'Toolern Vale J.F.B Club' and written in dark ink and barely legible is '& Coimadai' On the reverse in pencil: 'Premiers; A. Cairns'australian rules football, toolern vale - coimadai football club, darley football club