Footy Trips in Australia: Carlton Football Club's 1919 End of Season Trip
Footy trips have been part of Australian football culture for over 100 years, and this remarkable photograph from 1919 shows just how far back the tradition goes.
Long before flights, party buses and organised Mad Monday packages, Carlton Football Club players were celebrating the end of their season with a road trip through Victoria.
Carlton's 1919 Footy Trip
In 1919, members of the Carlton Football Club packed into motor vehicles and headed north from Melbourne for an end of season outing to the Cascades at Whittlesea.
The journey took them through South Morang, where this historic photograph was taken outside A.G. Baldwin's Commercial Hotel on Plenty Road.
Among the touring party were Carlton premiership players Harry Haughton and Gordon Green, who had both been part of the club's 1914 and 1915 premiership teams.
The photograph captures players and members of the touring party posing alongside two early motor vehicles, a Belgian Minerva and a Lancia.
It was a very different era of footy trips, but the idea behind the weekend was remarkably familiar.
Get the team together, head away somewhere and celebrate another season of football.
The Best Footy Trip Carlton Had Ever Had
Carlton's official 1919 annual report provides a fascinating account of the outing.
At the conclusion of the football season, players, trainers and committee members were taken on a motor drive to the Cascades at Whittlesea.
The trip was organised by Messrs. Numa and Barrie, with dinner, tea and a program of sporting activities arranged for the travelling party.
The annual report recorded:
“It was unanimously voted as the best trip the Club had had.”
That one sentence tells us something important.
Even in 1919, Carlton Football Club had an established history of organising trips for its players, with this particular outing considered the best yet.
Over 100 Years of Australian Footy Trip Traditions
While we cannot say whether Carlton's 1919 outing was Australia's first footy trip, it provides a wonderful historical record of a tradition that continues today.
More than a century later, football clubs across Australia still organise end of season trips to celebrate the year, recognise their teammates and enjoy a weekend away together.
The destinations and transport have certainly changed.
Instead of travelling along country roads in open motor vehicles, today's football teams head to destinations including Cairns, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin and Melbourne.
Modern footy trips often include accommodation, custom team singlets, group activities, nightlife and the traditional end of season awards.
But the reason for going hasn't changed much.
It's about getting the team together and celebrating the season.
Keeping the Footy Trip Tradition Alive
At Mad Monday, we specialise in organising end of season footy trips for Australian sporting clubs.
From accommodation and group flights to custom singlets, awards and organised activities, we help teams celebrate the end of another season without the hassle of organising everything themselves.
Carlton's 1919 outing is a reminder that footy trips aren't a new idea.
They're a longstanding part of Australian football culture.
The vehicles have changed. The destinations have changed. But the tradition lives on.
Planning your club's next end of season celebration? Explore our Footy Trip packages and let Mad Monday organise the weekend.
Historical reference: Carlton Football Club's 1919 annual report and photograph of the touring party outside A.G. Baldwin's Commercial Hotel, South Morang.