Australian Rules has been played in Glebe since the 1880′s. In the 1880′s and 1890′s Wentworth Park was the main ground for Aussie Rules in Sydney. The senior club was called West Sydney and it drew its players from the inner west.
In 1903, with Federation, ‘Australian rules’ was revived in Sydney and 11 clubs were formed: Sydney, Paddington, East Sydney, Balmain, North Shore, West Sydney, Redfern, Newtown, Ashfield, Y.M.C.A. and Alexandria. Matches were held on the Agricultural Ground, Wentworth Park, Birchgrove Oval and ‘Sydney Cricket Ground No.2’, with the final at the SCG.
In the 1930′s there was a club called Glebe Juniors. In 1934 seven ex-Glebe Junior players represented Sydney. At the time Jubilee Oval was then the headquarters for the Balmain senior club.
From the early 1950s until 1978 a junior club played at Jubilee Oval, variously named Balmain and Annandale.
Our club was started in 1980 by Simon Kelly and John Muggeridge, both 18 years old at the time. Simon and John saw a need to provide an alternative sport to the local youth and the need of Balmain AFL to have an affiliated junior AFL club provided the impetus.
The club almost became the Annandale JAFC as there had previously been a junior club called the Annandale Magpies and Balmain AFL had a number of Annandale old boys playing. However, when Simon and John went to register the Club they found that Annandale had an outstanding debt to the NSW JAFL! They quickly rethought their plan and came up with Glebe Greyhounds because they trained next to the the greyhound racing facility at Wentworth Park.
The Black ‘n’ White jumpers were given to Simon and John by John Coles, then Balmain AFL president who had 40 or so old Annandale Magpies jumpers in storage.
The club song was adopted from the Collingwood club song as the line “Side by side we stick together” rang true to Simon and John as they represented the core values of the Club in the early years.
It would appear that 25 years on the Club owes a huge debt of gratitude to those players and Club officials who have gone before, especially to the founders Simon Kelly and John Muggeridge.
There have of course been many Presidents, Secretaries and parents involved over countless hours of involvement in match days and behind the scenes. Thanks to those people as well for upholding the Greyhound Spirit.
This article first appeared in the June 2004 club newsletter. In that article the author credits an article written by John Muggeridge. “How We Became the Glebe Greyhounds in 1980 and Ended Up with the Famous Colours of Collingwood”, as well as past club yearbooks, in particular the 1995 edition and the President’s report by Paul Feain. Additional cross references from Jack Dare.