OUR HISTORY

North Warrnambool Eagles has a long history, steeped with tradition and a loyal supporter base.

North Warrnambool Eagles debuted in the Hampden League in 1997, formerly known as Northern Districts in the Warrnambool and District Football League for a decade. Northern Districts was forged as a result of a merger between the Grassmere Magpies and the Bushfield Bulldogs in 1986. Both clubs had poor numbers leading into the 1986 season and called an urgent meeting to discuss a possible amalgamation. Clubs that were arch rivals put their differences aside for the greater good, ensuring there would be a future club for the generations to come, agreeing to an amalgamation.

Bushfield Bulldogs wore the Footscray Bulldogs strip and Grassmere Magpies the Collingwood Magpies strip. Upon the amalgamation the black and white of Grassmere was kept as was two of the three colours of Bushfield resulting in a Saints strip for Northern Districts.

In 1995 a vote was held which passed a motion for the Northern Districts Football Club to enter the Hampden Football League competition as the 10th team. A decision that was made lightly but with an intention to grow the club, with an all-encompassing name of North Warrnambool encouraging a larger hinterland to call the Eagles Nest their home as Warrnambool, Bushfield and Woodford were expected to expand.

North Warrnambool Eagles entered the competition wearing the Eagles strip after establishing an affiliation with the West Coast Eagles who were just entering the Australian Football League. Quite a fitting strip and name for our club that for the last decade had adopted the Daddy Cool – Eagle Rock as its unofficial anthem.