About ESJFC

About us

To this day, the East Sandringham Junior Football Club proudly remains what it has always been at heart — a junior football club dedicated to developing young players, building character, and fostering a lifelong love of the game. For more than seven decades, the Club has focused on giving local boys and girls the opportunity to learn, compete and grow in a supportive community environment. Many of whom have gone onto have incredible professional careers at AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFA levels.

Today, represented by 17 football teams — including five junior girls sides — the Club is almost unrecognisable from its humble beginnings at Chisholm Reserve. In 1948, there were no change rooms, no toilets, no running water, and not even a fence around the oval. Players who ran over the boundary risked landing in boxthorn bushes that ringed the ground. Thankfully, the clubs facilities have been vastly modernised over the years; especially at the now named Shane Warne Oval. What has never changed, however, is the Club’s spirit, resilience and dedication to its young players.

Zebbies Name

The nickname “The Zebras” is shared with the proud Sandringham Football Club (VFL). Its origins date back to the opening round of the 1934 season, when Sandringham debuted a striking yellow and black striped guernsey. The following day, the Melbourne Sun News Pictorial declared that Richmond’s Tigers had a new rival in the animal kingdom — Sandringham, galloping away to victory, now resembled Zebras.

The name stuck! And so too has the spirit.

The ESJFC transitioned from the original green jumper with yellow cuffs in the mid 1950s to also adopt the Zebbies name. 70 years later and the stripes are still worn with pride — as is the commitment to developing young footballers, building community, and ensuring the future of the game remains strong.

Go the mighty Zebbies!