The club entered the Yarra Junior Football League and fielded under 11s and under 13s teams in 2001. Our first year resulted in an early wake up call as the gap between Auskick and fair dinkum footy competition was highlighted. While victories were few and far between, the club set about reviewing its operations and determined a plan for the future which would see the club grow successfully and provide an environment respected throughout the competition. This resulted in the two teams fielded in 2002, under 10s and under 11s, both winning premierships. From its inception the PBJFC’s home ground has been the Cramer Street Oval, home of the Northern Bullants VFL team from which the baby Bullants derived their playing strip and name. Home games at Cramer Street and Northcote Park, when the former was unavailable, allowed the children to play on two exceptional grounds. Since 2001, the club has added one new team each year fed largely by girls and boys who received their introduction to football through the Auskick program and in 2009 fielded teams in Tackers, under 10s, under 11s, under 12s, under 13s, under 14s, under 15s and two teams in Colts. From those early days when the club had about 25 eager footballers registered the number of registered players has grown to over 200. Nine teams entered in the Yarra Junior Football League has also meant some logistical problems, not the least of which is ground availability. While Preston City Oval remains the spiritual heart of the Bullants, the club has recently adopted H.P. In conjunction with the Darebin Council, the club has commenced a redevelopment program which will result in a permanent base for training and overflow home games in 2009. A measure of the club’s continuing success has been several premierships: 2002 for the under 10 green and under 11 brown, 2005 for under 10 green, 2006 for under 12 green, 2007 for Colts in Division 3, Colts Division 1 in 2008, Under 15 Division 2 and Colts Division 1 again in 2009, and Under 11 Blue and Under 14 Green in 2010. Other highlights include competition in the highest divisions of their age groups and the number of older age players who have won selection in representative Yarra Junior Football League teams and Northern Knight’s development squads competing in the TAC Cup. All of those early morning Auskick days, years of training at Cramer Street, hard work by committees and coaches and miles of travel to and from games will reach full circle when our young men start to win AFL selection!
