About
About us
To this day, the East Sandringham Junior Football Club proudly remains what it has always been at heart — a junior football club dedicated to developing young players, building character, and fostering a lifelong love of the game. For more than seven decades, the Club has focused on giving local boys and girls the opportunity to learn, compete and grow in a supportive community environment. Many of whom have gone onto have incredible professional careers at AFL, AFLW, VFL and VAF levels.
Today, represented by 17 football teams — including five junior girls sides — the Club is almost unrecognisable from its humble beginnings at Chisholm Reserve. In 1948, there were no change rooms, no toilets, no running water, and not even a fence around the oval. Players who ran over the boundary risked landing in boxthorn bushes that ringed the ground. Thankfully, the clubs facilities have been vastly modernised over the years; especially at the now named Shane Warne Oval. What has never changed, however, is the Club’s spirit, resilience and dedication to its young players.
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Our history
How it all began
Founded in 1948, the East Sandringham Junior Football Club quickly became one of the most established sporting clubs in Bayside. Its first team competed in the Under 18 ‘B’ section of the Caulfield-Oakleigh District League, wearing a dark green jumper with yellow collar and cuffs, emblazoned with E.S.F.C. across the chest. That design later evolved into a bold yellow “V”, reminiscent of the Victorian Football League’s iconic style.
On-field success did not come immediately. In its inaugural season, the Club won just one of 18 games. The following years brought gradual improvement — three wins in 1949, four in 1950, nine in 1951, and by 1952 the team had won 14 games and reached finals for the first time. The breakthrough came in 1955 when the Under 18s secured the Club’s first premiership.
Yet even during the early years when wins were scarce, the Club measured success differently. It was providing organised sport and community connection for local boys at a time when opportunities were limited. That commitment to youth development became the foundation of everything that followed. As interest in the game grew, so did the Club. An Under 15 team was formed in 1951, narrowly missing a premiership in its first year before going on to win three consecutive flags from 1952 to 1954. It was during this period that the Club colours transitioned to the now-familiar yellow, black and blue.
Through the 1960s and 1970s, the Club competed across multiple leagues, including the South East Suburban Football League, consistently fielding strong sides in Under 13, 15 and 17 competitions. From 1963 to 1971, all three teams made the final four each season — a remarkable period of sustained success. In 1975, the Club claimed the Under 13 premiership in its final season in the league.
In 1972, the Club briefly entered open-age competition, offering former junior players the chance to return and represent their old Club. While the venture was spirited and enjoyable, numbers proved challenging, and after three seasons the Club proudly returned to its core identity as a juniors-only organisation — a status it maintains to this day.
The move to the Waverley District Junior Football Association in 1974 brought further success, including premierships in the Under 15s (1977) and Under 17s (1979). Throughout the 1980s, teams competed across several competitions, with strong finals performances and increasing player development success. In 1985 alone, ten players represented the Club at league level, four played VFL Thirds football, and three were selected in the Junior Development Scheme at St Kilda Football Club — clear evidence of the Club’s ability to nurture talent.
A defining chapter began in 1991 when the Club joined the Moorabbin Saints Junior Football League (now the SMJFL), where it remains today. Over the decades, the Club has earned a reputation as one of the competition’s most professional and well-administered junior clubs.
In 2011, East Sandringham again demonstrated leadership and vision by helping establish the first AFL-sanctioned junior girls football competition in Victoria. The Club fielded four of the twelve teams in the inaugural Lightning Premiership — and fittingly claimed the title. That same year, the Club introduced netball, immediately securing an Under 17 premiership and expanding its commitment to junior sport beyond football. In 2026, the club received AFL Women & Girls Chartered Club certification.
The nickname “The Zebras” is shared with the proud Sandringham Football Club (VFL). Its origins date back to the opening round of the 1934 season, when Sandringham debuted a striking yellow and black striped guernsey. The following day, the Melbourne Sun News Pictorial declared that Richmond’s Tigers had a new rival in the animal kingdom — Sandringham, galloping away to victory, now resembled Zebras.
The name stuck! And so too has the spirit.

More than 75 years on, East Sandringham Junior Football Club continues to wear its stripes with pride — committed to developing young footballers, building community, and ensuring the future of the game remains strong.
Go the mighty Zebbies!
Our committee
President
Antony McCabe
Sponsorship
Gen Chatfield
Treasurer
Steve Sharratt
Secretary
Jane Barnes
Head of Football
Damian Lynch
Women's Football
Robbie Fallon
Our sponsors
Thank you to all our amazing sponsors.
Thanks to our amazing sponsors
Do you want to support your local junior footy club? We value our sponsors and invite you to become an important part of our community.
Please contact sponsorship@gozebs.com for further details.
Register today
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