page_title: North Melbourne Football Club
section_title: Disregarded by the VFL
hierarchical_section_title: North Melbourne Football Club / Club history / Disregarded by the VFL
caption_attribution_description: English: 1906 series of Valentine's Day postcards
context_page_description: The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos or less formally the Roos, the Kangas or North, is an Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League, the sport's premier competition. Founded in the suburb of North Melbourne in 1869, it is based at its traditional home ground, Arden Street Oval, and currently plays its home matches at both the nearby Docklands Stadium and Blundstone Arena in Hobart, Tasmania.
  The club's mascot is a grey kangaroo donning the club uniform, and its use dates from the mid-20th century. The club is also unofficially known as "The Shinboners", a term which dates back to its 19th-century abattoir-worker origins. The club's motto is Victoria amat curam, Latin for "Victory Demands Dedication". Aside from their representation in the AFL, the Kangaroos also field teams in the following competitions; AFL Women's, VFL Women's and Victorian Football League.
context_section_description: The VFA grew to 13 senior clubs in the 1890s. Led by Geelong and Essendon, the largest clubs of the VFA formed their own break away league, the Victorian Football League (VFL), in 1896. Despite finishing 6th in 1896, North Melbourne was not invited to the breakaway competition. The main reasons for being excluded were:
  North had not won a premiership yet, and thus was not considered a powerful club
  The industrialisation of the locality had drained the club's income streams
  The club had a strong reputation for hooliganism from their fans
  There was a lot of bad blood between Collingwood and North following a torrid engagement in the previous season
  Essendon felt threatened by the proximity of North Melbourne
  A court case against the North Melbourne Cricket Club had damaged the Football Club's status
  North continued on in the depleted VFA, emerging as a powerhouse, finishing 2nd in 1897, 1898 and 1899. In 1903, after 34 years of competing, the club won its first premiership, defeating Richmond in the final. The club became back to back premiers in 1904 after Richmond forfeited the grand final due to the appointment of an umpire whose performance when the two teams met earlier in the year was severely criticised by Richmond players and officials.
  North merged with fellow VFA football club West Melbourne in 1907, which at the time had lost its home ground. The joint venture saw a chance of promotion, and the club applied for admission to the more prestigious VFL in 1908, but Richmond and University were admitted instead. North was kicked out of the VFA during the 1907/08 offseason as a result of applying to join the VFL, before the local community reestablished the North Melbourne Football Club under a new committee, successfully enabling the club to play in the VFA in the 1908 season.
caption: A VFA cigarette card from 1906
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