Before real money could be made playing football, players with a turn of speed could supplement their income through professional foot-running, especially in the summer months.

From World Professional Sprint Champion Austin Robertson, to the depth of footballer talent at the Stawell Gift, and to the grudge sprint at the 1950 ANFC Football Carnival, this article looks at some of the key names and moments in the history of sprinting footballers.

Football has always been more than what happened on the field. Ken's story about memories from 1950's Camberwell shows just how much life has changed. Today with TV, magazines and the Internet, we are bombarded with images and choices, but the 1950's were a different time, and the value of Footy cards was much more than the dollars. They were a direct connection into another world.

The Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB) attempts to provide biographies of prominent Australians who have contributed to Australia.

This article provides a brief overview of who the Australian Dictionary of Biography regard as the most important footballers, as well as identifying a substantial number of other prominent Australians with links to Australian Rules Football.

In 1940, in the week set aside for the cancelled interstate football carnival, (which was to be held in Tasmania), the VFL ran a 12-team, one-day lightning carnival. St Kilda received a good draw, but still had to defeat 1940 Grand Finalists Richmond to win their first ever VFL Premiership, 26 years before the more famous occasion in 1966.

The advertisements in the Football Record provide an insight into the period. Unlike the 1930's where there was advertising for dance halls, the early 1950s advertising includes many of the new consumer products of the time such as portable radios, washing machines, radio shows and due to the high employment levels, even employment advertisements.

Attitudes have changed and a number of examples would not be used today. Cigarette advertisements also stand out as unusual as they are banned in modern advertising.

While researching information for this website I often come across odd football stories. The stories vary from funny, to odd, to 'what the..?' moments.

I have seen many variations on a theme. There are many stories of stolen goal posts or of kicking a ball into a moving train. I have tried to include a list that is not repetative.

St Kilda scored the most meritorious victory by any league side for some years. It was not so much the brilliance of the football, but rather the dogged determination and real Aussie fighting spirit that enabled them to see it out and win a glorious victory with only 15 men.- Football Record - Round 6 (June 5) 1933 p12

ANFC Interstate Football Carnivals had been held since 1908. These events were widely reported and provided many rare opportunities. Players had a chance to travel, The game of football was promoted and celebrated, scouts were able to measure players in other competitions and important rivalries could be revisited.

The 1933 Carnival was won by Victoria.

The earliest known Boyles football photos were also published in major newspapers in 1928 and 1929. This leads to a number of questions about Boyles's work in the 1920's.

The State Library of Victoria's digitized version of the VFL Football Record is a useful primary source for football research. The Football Record was sold at grounds on match day. During the Second World War, football continued and so did the record. The record included less advertising during the war years than at other times. There were many appears to support the war effort by attending charity events, or purchasing war bonds.

The selection of advertisements that appear here is not exhaustive and is a selection of the 'most interesting' advertisements during the 1941 to 1943 period. The advertisements provide a small insight into wartime Melbourne.

The State Library of Victoria's digitized version of the VFL Football Record is a useful primary source for football research.

As I searched the Football Record for other purposes, the advertisements kept catching my eye. After a while I began to collect them. Below I have reproduced the most interesting advertisements of the 1929-32 period. Many of the advertisements in the Football Record incorporated a football theme, and I hope you find them of similar interest.