Our HISTORy
Western Suburbs Australian Football Club was formed in 1926, but with the onset of the depression, folded in 1930. A keen group of enthusiasts met at St Pauls Church Hall, Burwood in October 1947 and re formed the Club.
After playing the initial season in 1948 at Henson Park, Marrickville the club then moved to St Luke's Oval, Concord. The teams first Premiership was won in 1951.
In 1956 a decision was made to transfer from St Luke's Oval to Croydon Park. A clubhouse was built and ground prepared inside the horse training track owned by Mr Picken. The club members and volunteers worked tirelessly to bring the oval and facilities up to the required standard and it was not long before Picken Oval hosted both football and cricket and was the venue for representative and junior interstate carnivals.
In 1960 on the 16th August the Western Suburbs Australian Football Club Ltd was incorporated. On May 1st 1962 the Club was granted a licence and began operations in the newly built licensed premises alongside Picken Oval in Hampton St Croydon Park. This was the first ever licensed Australian Football Club in NSW and remains the only licensed Australian Football Club in Sydney.
On the 27th June 1967 the Club received approval from Canterbury Council for the erection of additions to the premises and this now gives us the splendid facilities which we now utilize.
The licensed club boasted over 2000 members and has not only been an important part of the success of the football club but has played an integral role in the propagation of sport and community enterprise within the Croydon Park area.
WSAFC Ltd has been a tower of strength within the NSW AFL and has hosted many and varied on and off field functions. The construction of W. H. Wagener Oval, Ashbury was achieved by the joint efforts of football and Licensed Club members when the pressing need for a new venue was realized. This oval is now the home of Wests Juniors and is one of the very few dedicated Australian Football grounds in Sydney.
The Football and Licensed Club have been interdependent for over half a century and when finances permitted grants were given to propagate the sport at all levels with not only Western Suburbs but a number of NSW AFL clubs and indeed the League itself supported with funding over the decades.
The 50th anniversary celebrations of the Football Club in 1997 were one of the very memorable events as was the celebration of the Licensed Clubs 50 years in 2012.
In 2009 it was decided to give the Club a more modern image and the club became known as Magpie Sports in keeping with the magpie tradition of nearly all Western Suburbs sporting emblems.
After many years of successful trading the fortunes of the Club began to suffer during the early 2000's. After many attempts at turning around the club's fortunes it was realized by the Directors of the Club that a more extreme measure of action was needed to guarantee the Club's future.
Fortunately the very strong stewardship by the Board of Directors and management lead by Mr Bill Hart and Russell Lockett had placed the Club well to weather some difficult times.
It was decided to seek an amalgamation partnership with a larger Club which had similar interests and community spirit as our own. After many months of negotiations and meetings the successful amalgamation of WSAFC Ltd and the thriving neighbouring club, Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL was sanctioned in July 2013.
Magpie Sports is now a proud member of the CHPRSL group of clubs. The Club looks forward with great excitement to a fabulous future with one of the leading hospitality groups in NSW which also now gives access to our club for over 30,000 members.