The Southern Saints are an Australian rules football club playing in the VFL Women's (VFLW), the major state-level women's Australian rules football league in Victoria. It is affiliated with the Sandringham Football Club, which competes in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[2]
| Southern Saints | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Names | ||
| Full name | Sandringham Football Club | |
| Nickname(s) | Saints, Sainters | |
| 2024 season | ||
| Home-and-away season | 13th | |
| Club details | ||
| Founded | October 2017 | |
| Colours | Red White Black | |
| Competition | VFL Women's | |
| Coach | Michelle 'Alpha' Densley[1] | |
| Uniforms | ||
| ||
| Other information | ||
| Official website | sandringhamfc.com.au | |
History
editThe Southern Saints entered the VFLW in 2018, after the Seaford Football Club opted to transfer its licence to the St Kilda Football Club.[2]
In its first season, the club had an agreement with the Frankston Football Club. It finished 8th on the ladder at the end of the season.[3]
In 2019, St Kilda and its VFL affiliate, Sandringham, moved to co-manage the club. Since St Kilda entered the AFL Women's competition in 2020, Sandringham took over the Southern Saints team licence and full responsibility for the commercial and operational management of the team.[4]
The club's best season came in 2022, when it finished fifth on the home-and-away ladder. They lost in the grand final to Essendon, going down by 35 points.[5]
Before 2018, the St Kilda Sharks competed in the VFLW, and before that, in the now-defunct Victorian Women's Football League.[6]
Since 1 November 2024, the club has been known as the Sandringham Zebras and wears the same uniform as the Sandringham men's team, consolidating the club's identity with the Sandringham Football Club.[7]
Seasons
edit| Premiers | Grand Finalist | Minor premiers | Finals appearance | Wooden spoon | VFLW leading goalkicker | Lambert–Pearce Medal |
| Year | League | Finish | W | L | D | Coach | Captain | Best and fairest | Leading goalkicker | Goals | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | VFLW | 8th | 5 | 9 | 0 | ||||||
| 2019 | VFLW | 2nd | 11 | 3 | 0 | ||||||
| 2020 | VFLW | (No season) | (No season) | ||||||||
| 2021 | VFLW | 6th | 7 | 7 | 0 | Dale Robinson | Frankie Hocking | Tara Bohanna[8] | 19 | [9] | |
| 2022 | VFLW | 5th | 9 | 4 | 1 | Dale Robinson | Deanna Jolliffe[10] | Olivia Flanagan[11] | 10 | [12] | |
| 2023 | VFLW | 7th | 8 | 6 | 0 | Michelle 'Alpha' Densley | Ali Hynes; Tayla Kearns |
Gabriella De Angelis[13] | 10 | [14] | |
| 2024 | VFLW | 13th | 4 | 10 | 0 | Michelle 'Alpha' Densley | Chloe Hunt[15] | 18 | [16] | ||
References
edit- ^ "Sandringham Football Club is pleased to announce Michelle 'Alpha' Densley as Head Coach of the Southern Saints for the 2023 VFLW season". Sandringham Football Club. 13 September 2023. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Southern Saints to join VFL Women's". St Kilda Football Club. 10 October 2017.
- ^ "Current Ladder". MyGameDay.
- ^ "Southern Saints VFLW". Sandringham Football Club.
- ^ "Bombers fly to VFLW premiership". AFL Women's.
- ^ "2018 Coaching Opportunities". St Kilda Sharks.
- ^ "Southern Saints to become Sandringham Zebras". sandringhamfc.com.au. 28 October 2024.
- ^ "Season 2021 Coleman". VFLW Stats. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "Southern Saints' Captain and Coach Q&A". Sandringham Football Club. 25 February 2021. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "Deanna JOLLIFFE". St Kilda Football Club. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
Another season as captain of the Southern Saints and a VFLW Grand Final berth to boot made it quite memorable
- ^ "Season 2022 Coleman". VFLW Stats. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ Rhodes, Brendan (29 June 2022). "VFLW Grand Final: Stability the key to Saints' march". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022.
Southern Saints captain Deanna Jolliffe and coach Dale Robinson would love nothing more than to get their hands on the silverware again on Sunday.
- ^ "Season 2023 Coleman". VFLW Stats. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "Seven is Heaven - meet the Southern Saints Leadership Group". Sandringham Football Club. 16 March 2023. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "Season 2024 Coleman". VFLW Stats. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "The Southern Saints are excited to reveal our VFLW Southern Saints coaching panel for season 2024". Sandringham Football Club. 1 February 2024. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.