Hawthorn Football Club
the hawks
The Hawks' origins are in the inner-eastern Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn, based at Glenferrie Oval, the club's former administrative and training base and social club.
The official club history books and many supporters strongly believe that the club's origins date back to its founding in 1873 at a meeting at the Hawthorne Hotel.
Founded
1873
Nickname
The Mayblooms
The Hawks
Motto
Spectemur Agendo
let us be judged by our acts
In March 1902 a club was formed from the various district clubs under the banner of Hawthorn Football Club to compete in the Metropolitan Junior Football Association.
The club is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the league and has won thirteen premierships.
It is renowned as the only club having won premierships in each decade since the 1960s.
Prior to adopting Glenferrie Oval as the club's traditional home the club had a nomadic history, playing home games at whatever the most suitable obtainable ground was for that season.
Upon entering the VFA they adopted the colours brown and gold which have remained to this day, although the design has changed a few times.
In 1957 the senior team broke through for their first finals appearance, defeating Carlton in the first semi-final long remembered for the freak hailstorm after half-time. It was a surreal look of the MCG covered in golfball-size hailstones. They were outclassed by Melbourne in the preliminary final.
In 1961 they won their first premiership by defeating Footscray. In 1963 the club finished on top of the ladder only to lose the grand final to Geelong by 49 points.
Playing Uniform
Club Song
We're a happy team at Hawthorn
We're the Mighty Fighting Hawks.
We love our Club, and we play to win,
Riding the bumps with a grin
(at Hawthorn).
Come what may, you'll find us striving
Team work is the thing that talks,
One for all and all for one
Is the way we play at Hawthorn.
We are the Mighty Fighting Hawks!
To the tune of
The Yankee Doodle Boy
Hawthorn Football Club has had four mainstay home grounds (Glenferrie Oval, Princes Park, Waverley Park and the MCG).
Glenferrie Oval
Princes Park
Waverley Park
M.C.G.
As a Melbourne Cricket Ground tenant, Hawthorn is among the top 5 crowd drawing clubs in the league.
York Park
Since 2007 Hawthorn have played four games a year at their second ground of York Park in Launceston, Tasmania.
1971 Grand Final
The 1971 Grand Final was between the Hawks, coached by John Kennedy, and St Kilda, coached by Allan Jeans.
The match was played before 118,192 people at the MCG on a cool and wet Melbourne day. It was a hard and tough game, with the Saints leading the Hawks by 20 points going into the last quarter.
The Hawks slammed on seven goals in the final quarter to run out winners 12.10.82 to the Saints 11.9.75.
The final term saw ten goals being scored.
