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To claim the organisation dates back to 1884 is more than an inconsistency, it's an outright lie and fabrication. The 1880's body died out with the Depression of the early 1890's. When Harry Dockerty was instrumental in restoring the code in Melbourne in 1908, it was with a new association.
It would be a stretch to claim that was one of "several name changes". It is a downright lie, and a criminal one at that, to suggest the creation of the Victorian Soccer Federation in 1962 was merely a name change from the Victorian Amateur Soccer Football Association. The VSF was a breakaway from the established body, it was ugly split that went before the courts. It dishonours the VSF pioneers not to acknowledge this.
Such historic revisionism is particularly galling on a day in which Dawn Fraser's racial comments about Nick Kyrgios have made the headlines. Fraser harks back to an era where telling foreigners who did not fit in to return to their homeland was the norm. It cannot be denied there was a racial element to the VASFA/VSF battle. To pretend there wasn't disrespects the actions of the leaders of many ethnic clubs who stood up for themselves in rebelling and creating the VSF.
In fact, the main, genuine name change in the governing bodies history, from VSF to FFV is not mentioned at all! A further, shameful, insult.
The claim that the NPL brought "top flight football" to Geelong "for the first time" is a slap in the face of the North Geelong Warriors VPL Championship team of 1992. Rewriting history to suit a political agenda is pretty poor form, as is disrespecting a club and their achievements.
Maybe that's why they would prefer history not be researched? To allow it to be rewritten by themselves, unchecked?
Since this piece was published, the History section on the FFV website has been removed.
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