What is the Essendon Football Club?
The Essendon Football Club, known as the Bombers, is an AFL club from Melbourne's northwest. Founded in the early 1870s, it has won 16 premierships, the equal most in VFL and AFL history.
Essendon was a founding member of the Victorian Football League in 1897. The club's nickname, the Bombers, became popular during World War II because its home ground, Windy Hill, was near the Essendon Airport.
Before that, the team was known as the Same Olds. Its colors are red and black.
Kevin Sheedy era
Coach Kevin Sheedy led Essendon from 1981 to 2007, winning premierships in 1984, 1985, 1993 and 2000. The 2000 team lost only one game all season and is considered one of the greatest teams in the competition's history.
In 2012 and 2013, Essendon was at the center of a supplements scandal involving the use of banned substances. In 2016, 34 past and present players were suspended for a season by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Famous players include Dick Reynolds, John Coleman, Tim Watson, James Hird and Matthew Lloyd. Essendon's matches against Collingwood on Anzac Day and against Richmond in the Dreamtime at the G match are major events.
Did You Know?
The Coleman Medal for the AFL's leading goalkicker is named after Essendon's John Coleman.