Footscray Baseball Club paid tribute to the past on the weekend as part of the club’s 100th year celebrations.
The club held a heritage round on the weekend with all their sides wearing tops that took inspiration from the club’s original colours.
Bulldogs treasurer and event coordinator Lee Cole-Hayhow said it was a big weekend for the club.
“We hosted all games at home,” he said. “This round is about acknowledging the club is now and where it has come from since the first team 100 years ago.
“We want to acknowledge the part each player has played and the contribution that everyone has had on the club.”
The club now has tee ball through to premier women’s teams, a long way from when they started with one team.
The Bulldogs played out of Yarraville Gardens before moving to McIvor Reserve.
When the club first started, there was no women’s baseball.
“It’s grown from there,” Cole-Hayhow said. “We’ve had women’s baseball for close to 30 years now.
“We’ve had quite a few play in state sides. We’ve got one player that is playing for Australia.
“We have really grown as a club and we have nine teams now.”
Cole-Hayhow said it was a luxury to have a strong women’s program, one of the top in the state.
He said they had put a lot of effort into growing the program.
“We’ve been in premier grade or division 1 every year for the last 10 to 12 years,” he said.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs premier women’s side had an 8-5 loss to Springvale.
Springvale opened up a 3-0 lead after two innings and increased the lead to 5-1 in the fourth innings.
The Bulldogs came home hard late with four runs in the seventh innings but couldn’t get the job done.
Saya Turnley scored two runs for the Bulldogs, with Ruby Benne, Felicity Clissold and Caitlin Hoy the other run scorers.
The Bulldogs sit in fifth spot.
The club’s women’s reserves and state league teams both had losses as well.
Footscray’s men’s state league 1 west side had a 12-4 win against the North Western Titans.
The celebrations don’t end here for the Bulldogs, who are hosting a gala night on March 29 in Williamstown.
Cole-Hayhow said they were hoping to get as many people as possible who have been involved in the club to attend.
“We want to get everyone back together,” he said. “We’re putting a call out to anyone who had a connection with the club the last 100 years.
“We want to celebrate and acknowledge the life members, and look at what the club has been along the way, what it is now and what it will look like in the future..”
Details: treasurer@footscraybulldogs.com.au
