FV Greater Bendigo History
Debuting in the Victorian Soccer Federation’s Provisional League in 1959, Bendigo United featured across four seasons, playing out of the Showgrounds and what is now known as Long Gully Recreation Reserve. The Bendigo Amateur Soccer League was formed in 1970 when Michael John and Ted Ellinghaus, along with fellow migrants, transformed casual Sunday matches at Long Gully Oval into an organised competition.
The inaugural season the following year featured four teams: Golden City, Strathdale, South Bendigo (now Spring Gully) and the Bendigo Institute of Technology (now La Trobe University), with Golden City crowned champions and notable players like Ellinghaus and Tony Longano recognised for their achievements.
Over the following decades, the league expanded with clubs from across the region, while also pioneering junior competitions and women’s football. Since the turn of the century, Bendigo has grown into one of Victoria’s strongest football regions, with significant investment in female participation from grassroots to senior levels. The most recent transformation came in 2017, when four Shepparton-based clubs joined after the closure of the Goulburn North-East Football Association, shaping the league’s current structure and reinforcing its role as a hub for community football success.
A new era beckons in 2026 as FV Greater Bendigo transforms a region now sporting seventeen clubs and teams ranging from Senior Mens and Womens down to MiniRoos.
Life Members
Geoff Boyle (2005), Margaret Bradley (1985), Bailey Browning (1995), Loris Browning (1999), Stephen Butler (1996), Ian Clutton (2002), Roy Davies (1986), Robin Doyle (Shrestcha) (1984), Terry Gormley (1994), George Harper (1982), Allan Harwood (1983), Stan Hodson (1978), Christopher King (2002), Allan Lassey (1991), Anthony Longano (1982), Neil McDermid (1987), Mel McGovern (1992), Ian Platt (1975), Matt Schepers (2005), Rhonda Schepers (1985), Trish Shanahan (1983), Jim Shepherd (1985), Roland Sowerby (1988), Phillip Tresize (1996), William Trew (1995), Greg Warren (1994), David Weatherall (1979), David Wilkinson (1972), Ted Ellinghous (1981), Michael Roche (1984), Arthur Curtain (1986), Dennis Curnow (1986), Craig Riley (1980), Peter Kaladis (1976), James Anderson (1987), Jan Hente (1973), Michael John (1972), Barry Moore (1978), Ronald Priest (1995), Leslie Rowe (1981) and John Webb (1984), Darryl Brown (2024), Ron Cole (2024), Andrew Mertons (2024), Ian Schepers (2025).
Note: Football Victoria officially recognised BASL Life Members as Football Victoria Life Members in 2016.
Competition Honour Roll
At present, Football Victoria is researching the history of football in regional Victoria, with particular emphasis on identifying the origins of each competition, with a view to composing an exhaustive list of League and Cup winners, to be shared early in 2026.