ARTICLE: "The Forgotten Story of Cottesloe Beach Oval", by Chris Egan

Mann Oval today viewed from Lochee Street, Mosman Park

The forgotten story of Cottesloe Beach Oval

Posted by cegan on January 21, 2014

Davis Oval today, adjoining Mann Oval on the eastern side

When I was first trawling Trove and came across Cottesloe Beach Oval, I instantly thought it would be a venue in what is presently known as Cottesloe. I then assumed it would be Cottesloe Oval, and beach had just been dropped off the end over time as the name was too long.

Then when researching I saw that in the 1920s there were two venues that sport was played at: Cottesloe Oval and Cottesloe Beach Oval. The historical record in publications such as Soccer Anzacs said Caledonians played at Mann Oval, there was no note of it being called Cottesloe Beach Oval. I needed more evidence to find out what and where Cottesloe Beach Oval was located.

It wasn’t until a photo on trove titled Cottesloe Beach (now Mosman Park) that I looked further afield and didn’t look for evidence of a soccer pitch on the world famous Cottesloe Promenade. 

In a long forgotten story the town of Mosman Park was called The District of Cottesloe Beach, much to the disdain of the government at the time. It was named after Cottesloe Beach Railway Station, which is now called Mosman Park Station on the Fremantle Line. Mosman Park was called Cottesloe Beach for 21 years from 1909-1930 before eventually being renamed along with the ground.

I used spatial archaeology to confirm that Mann Oval, named after the President of Cottesloe Beach Council, was in fact Cottesloe Beach Oval, a name long forgotten by supporters and historians alike. The field is more square shaped than oval and is quite compact compared to ovals such as Fremantle Oval.

The archaeological spatial boundaries show a ground that held rectangular codes and Australian Rules in the 1920s as Cottesloe Beach Oval did. Williamson noted community acceptance of both codes in the 1930s at the ground. However, the major football code of the region was Association Football.  Australian Rules Football was not hated, but it knew its place, that it was not as popular as the world game in many parts of the western suburbs.

Davis Oval, looking east to Hope St

Caledonians' success in the 1920s relates to the community and local decision makers' passion for the game which carries on for much of the early 20^th century.

On the 31^st March 1933 the council had allocated a Caledonians home game ahead of a WAFA fixture which had to be rescheduled to the following weekend. The opposite occurred in other parts of Perth such as Leederville and Subiaco where soccer would often be kicked out of or denied entrance to sporting fields showing the pre-eminent position held by the code in this part of Perth.

Today Mosman Park’s major football code is Australian Rules Football not soccer.

Preliminary research on how this occurred leads back to the entrance into the WAFL of Claremont Tigers in 1925. Due to the strength of soccer the Tigers were very weak at the same time Caledonians were at their peak.

In John Williamson’s Soccer Anzacs, Williamson argues that local councils defined how Perth interacted with sport. A particular election would change the attitudes, rates and access to a particular ground depending on which councillors had been elected.

The decision by the neighbouring Claremont Council in 1925 to spend 5000 pounds on Claremont Oval and evict Claremont Soccer Club from the ground is evidence of a council decision that changed a community's sporting interest.

So why did the Claremont Tigers get established in a region that was an island of British Soccer hegemony?  

Much like the establishment of Greater Western Sydney Giants, Claremont Tigers came into the WAFL based on being an untapped population, despite other sides based on talent and interest being more applicable to join the top league. It was an Australian Rules Football administration decision to be represented in every district and thus Claremont was the only district which was not represented in the top competition.

This administration decision changed the region from Association Football to Australian Rules Football and thus a ground that used to hold three football codes, with soccer being given priority has only the Australian game being played on it today. The name of Cottesloe Beach Oval, when soccer was at its peak, is long gone.

But grounds such as Cottesloe Beach Oval have stories to tell; its spatial shape shows the legacy and prominence of the rectangular codes in the region.

As in my other articles on my blog, spatial archaeology can be used in sports history to interpret stories not written down in the historical record.

Mosman Park looking westward

The WACA Ground went from an oval suited to Australian Rules Football, to squared off boundaries in its last redevelopment because it wanted to be home to Perth Glory after its contract with the AFL had finished. The growth of soccer in the late 1990s is reflected in the spatial archaeology of the WACA.

Field spaces are simply an expression of a community and sports will adapt venues according to the social demands of the time. Grounds and stadia are often the creation of a surrounding community, whether at a regional or a more city bound level.

  

The lost name of Cottesloe Beach Oval, from both memories and historical interpretations in the region, reflects a community that no longer sees Association Football as its most popular football code. However the archaeological footprint remains to elicit the fact that in this region, in the early part of the 20^th century, the world game reigned supreme. 

By Chris Egan

@perthforever

[This article was first published by Chris Egan at: http://cegan.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/the-forgotten-story-of-cottesloe-beach-oval/. The article is reproduced here with the kind permission of Chris Egan. Jack Frost did some additional minor editing. If you would like to submit an article to this website please send to Jack Frost on Facebook (busukwebzine@y7mail.com)]

Kieran James (left) and Chris Egan, Mandurah, Western Australia, August 2012

Chris Egan and friend Rueben at Dorrien Gardens (Perth Soccer Club), West Perth, August 2012

Chris Egan at Rushton Park, Mandurah (Peel Thunder Football Club), August 2012

Chris Egan at Rushton Park, Mandurah (Peel Thunder Football Club), August 2012

BOOK REVIEW: Review of "FITZROY", by Dyson Hore-Lacy (2000)

Fitzroy farewells fans, 1996

I could introduce this review by saying this is the book the AFL does not want you to read. However, at the end of the day, the AFL is now far too powerful as a Stalinist authoritarian regime in the Australian sporting landscape to care about websites such as mine or books such as this one. This book is absolutely depressing from the viewpoint of a traditional football supporter and from the viewpoint of a person who admires fair-play and decency on the football fields and in the corporate boardrooms. It discusses the last few years of Fitzroy FC as an AFL club and then discusses in detail the demise of Fitzroy and the enforced merger with Brisbane Bears. It is written by Fitzroy's then President, Dyson Hore-Lacy, four years after the events in question. It chronicles the proposed merger with North Melbourne to form the North-Fitzroy Kangaroos which was thwarted by the AFL at the last minute because it preferred the Brisbane merger for "strategic reasons". We see here the AFL coming to power as an authoritarian body with new corporatist-managerial type leaders who had taken full power over from the club presidents based on recommendations contained in the Crawford Report. At the end Hore-Lacy and his board were rendered even more powerless because creditor Nauru Insurance Corporation put the club in receivership and called in Michael Brennan as administrator (not the West Coast footballer). Brennan apparently was bullied by the AFL and he broke his fiduciary and legal duty by not accepting the North Melbourne merger even though North had offered to match Brisbane's offer in all respects and the North merger was the one accepted by the Fitzroy directors and preferred by most Fitzroy supporters. Initially it was to be called North Melbourne-Fitzroy Kangaroos with a mixed jersey. Then North supporters objected and finally the compromise North-Fitzroy Kangaroos name was accepted by both parties with the word "Melbourne" removed. This is an interesting name as it is open to multiple interpretations. Fitzroy FC people could have interpreted it as referring to North Fitzroy the actual suburb while North Melbourne people of course could have interpreted it to refer to the old North Melbourne club.

Home @ Brunswick Street Oval

We read of the AFL's desire to destroy Fitzroy as a club and force merger. Then we read of the AFL forcing the Brisbane merger rather than the North Melbourne merger for "strategic reasons" (as then AFL Commissioner John Kennedy Sr. said). Firstly the AFL introduced a rule giving Brisbane and Sydney access through the draft to uncontracted players which decimated Fitzroy's playing stock. Secondly, the AFL, completely unreasonably, forbid Fitzroy to play some AFL matches in Canberra, although it later permitted North Melbourne to play games in Canberra, Sydney, and Gold Coast, and allowed Hawthorn to play games in Tasmania. We read of Ross Oakley's rude comment (p. 132) that it would not allow "their worst product" (Fitzroy) to be sent up to Canberra, an offensive statement made against a foundation VFL/AFL club with eight premierships and which had made the final-five several times in the 1980s. It shows how the AFL was viewing clubs and players merely as "products for sale" in the 1990s, and it wanted to determine which products were sold in which markets. We read of the AFL's authoritarianism by continually demanding Fitzroy directors provide proof of solvency, a very difficult thing to offer positive proof of. The wishes of all the Fitzroy directors and most of its supporters to merge with North or stand-alone were completely disregarded by the AFL. The AFL cares about nobody but only about revenue dollars, marketing, vision, and the strategic plan. I urge football people not to contribute more of their hard-earned money to the AFL but to support second-tier football instead (SANFL, VFL, WAFL, etc.).

The Fitzroy Football Club still legally exists to this day. The Fitzroy Reds play at the old Brunswick Street ground in the amateur league and play in the 1950s-70s Fitzroy jersey. It is a pity that the club could not be represented at the higher VFL level and this may happen in the future. Ironically one of the terms of a possible Collingwood merger had been that Fitzroy play as Fitzroy in the reserves which now means the VFL competition. Perhaps this offer should have been accepted? While the AFL is the clear Darth Vader here, Hore-Lacy's board appeared to be genuine in its actions but was just outbullied and outsmarted by the AFL working in conjunction with the club receiver Mr Brennan and Brisbane Bears (and with the anti-Fitzroy Melbourne media in the background always ready to pounce). The club could only have held on for a few more years with yet another white knight.

Fitzroy Reds @ Brunswick St (amateurs)

However, the structural problems of moving to a higher stage of brutal capitalism within the AFL industry were always going to exist. When West Coast and Adelaide entered the competition with lots of money, supporters, members, and sponsors it was clear that the smaller Melbourne clubs would suffer the most by comparison. Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon and perhaps Richmond could compete with the bigger interstate clubs but the smaller clubs in Melbourne could not. Smaller Melbourne-based clubs today are being funded by the AFL to a significant extent. It appears that AFL policy has changed and it is no longer coercing or even encouraging mergers. However the AFL's arrogance and authoritarianism continue on unabated. Only the tactics on the ground change. The AFL's reason to see Fitzroy merge was so that Port Adelaide could enter the competition in 1997. One of the funniest parts of a depressing book is the proposed merger of Port Power and Fitzroy as the (wait for it) Port Power Lions or, as Hore-Lacy says, the "power lines".

I like the front cover cartoon picture of a lion hanging on a cross in Christlike fashion with a black-suited person with a football for a head (the AFL) shooting arrows at the lion's chest. Although I think it is usually unwise to apply religious analogies to secular contexts, I support the use of the cross here as the picture perfectly sums up the situation of the Fitzroy Football Club. The AFL should apologize to Fitzroy FC and its supporters, the vast majority of whom now no longer follow AFL but have gone across to support Melbourne Victory and / or Melbourne Storm and / or other teams in other codes. The AFL does not deserve their support or their dollars. Its behaviour was completely reprehensible. Might does not make right [by Jack Frost, 2 January 2014].

PICTURE GALLERY: East Perth FC cheer squad, 1982-88 (courtesy David Lockhart)

East Perth cheer squad, 1982 Reserves 2nd semi-final, Subiaco Oval (courtesy David Lockhart). David Lockhart writes on Lost WAFL Facebook page that he was the leader of this group which operated over the years 1982-88; had up to 40 members at one point; was funded by the club; knew the other cheer squads; and participated in State of Origin cheer squad a few times.

East Perth cheer squad banner, 1982 Reserves Grand Final, Subiaco Oval (courtesy David Lockhart)

East Perth cheer squad, 1983, Perth Oval (courtesy David Lockhart)

East Perth cheer squad banner, 1983, Perth Oval (courtesy David Lockhart). Even as a West Perth fan it is impossible to disagree with the sentiments expressed on this banner! If Yakka filed a libel case I'm sure a knowledgeable judge would throw the case out of court!

East Perth 1978 premiers, Subiaco Oval. Not directly related to the cheer squad but I'm sure East Perth fans will forgive me for posting this picture here (which is "borrowed" from the EPFC's official Facebook page).

PICTURE GALLERY: Fat Pam's West Perth cheer squad, northern end, East Fremantle Oval, 8 August 1981

This cheer squad stopped operations at the end of the 1983 season but continued to make the banners for players to run through in 1984 and following years. Although I never met her, the leader of this group was allegedly a legendary figure known as "Fat Pam".

NEWS: 1981 WAFL Grand Final Budget, Claremont vs South Fremantle, sold for AUD43.00 on Ebay, 6/11/2013

NEWS: 1981 WAFL Grand Final Budget, Claremont vs South Fremantle, very good condition, sold for AUD43.00 on Ebay (auction ended 6 November 2013)

Other WAFL-related items won by Ebay auctions recently:

1968 WAFL Second Semi-Final Football Budget, Perth versus West Perth, winning bid AUD20.50 (auction ended 10 November 2013)

1969 WAFL Second Semi-Final Football Budget, West Perth versus East Perth, winning bid AUD20.50 (auction ended 10 November 2013)

WAFL-related items recently sold as normal purchase (not via auction) on Ebay recently:

1990 West Australian Football Register, 28th and last edition, sold for AUD34.00 by gardenvalecollectables

1988 Football's Who's Who, published by Indian Pacific Limited on behalf of West Coast Eagles and WAFL, sold for AUD14.40 by phils_time_booksellers

Mal Brown & Mongrels I've Met, by Mal Brown and Brian Hansen (1994), sold for AUD8.00 by taroona123

The Footballers, by Geoff Christian, 1985 edition, hardcover, sold for AUD45.00 by bobwardell

Set of 4 WAFL Football Budgets from 1990 & 1991, sold for AUD44.00 by gardenvalecollectables

PICTURE GALLERY: Farewell to the old Claremont Oval

Claremont Oval Legends Game, 26 October 2013. In this pic are Darren Kowal (7 Gold), Michael O'Connell (23 Blue), Brendan Green (21 Blue), Colin Barnett (17 Blue), Darrell Panizza (40 gold), and Graham Moss (25 Blue) (photo courtesy Lost WAFL Facebook page)

Graham Moss with the 1981 premiership cup (photo courtesy: Lost WAFL Facebook page)

Field of Dreams: Kieran James at the centre of Claremont Oval on a dreary winter's day dreaming he was Mossy or perhaps Boucher

(all Claremont Oval pictures taken on 16 August 2012)

PICTURE GALLERY: Glenelg cheer squad, versus Port Adelaide Magpies, Alberton Oval, 11 August 2012

PICTURE GALLERY: Port Adelaide Magpies cheer squad, versus Glenelg, Alberton Oval, 11 August 2012 (SANFL)