Footscray Club, 43 Paisley St, Footscray. Phone: 9687 2059
The Footscray Club started life in 1894, dedicated to cycling, making it one of Footscray’s oldest institutions and quite possibly its oldest “business”.
The club’s first 10 years saw it based in Nicholson St, before moving to its current premises in Paisley St.
A few years ago, the club sold the building … to the bloke who runs the bread shop on the ground floor.
As one member quipped to me: “He used to pay us rent, now we pay him rent!”
I am told the club’s future is assured for many years to come through a lease on favourable terms – and no doubt the Bread Shop Bloke is happy to have the space tenanted by some very nice folk.
I’d passed the Footcray Club many times, always found the street-level door closed, assumed the club was a private affair and moved on.
A few weeks back, however, I found the door unlocked, so up the stairs I went, eventually to be greeted by the week-day manager, Gary, a man whose moustache is even more preposterous than that of yours truly.
After getting the lowdown on how the club operates, and ascertaining positively that I’m very welcome, I vowed to return on another day.
Sadly, income requirements mean the lunches on Thursday and Fridays will have to wait.
On those days, the club serves a range of up to 10 different meals – $7, or $10 with a pot of beer.
Read about them here.
I am however, able to visit one of the Sunday Sipper sessions, run and catered for by the members themselves, with a more concise choice of fodder.
Finding the door locked, I press the intercom button, hear some muffled words and then a series of clicks as I continue to wiggle and waggle the door handle.
Eventually, I am let in by Lance, the club member who seems to be presiding over this particular Sunday Sipper outing.
Turns out, I should be pulling the door open …
I find a nice room done out in typical club style, with about a dozen members relaxing and enjoying, some of them, the flat-screen horse racing action or the flat-screen Bathurst action.
Meal of the day is roast beef with onion gravy and vegies – $5 for members, $7 for non-members but everyone pays the member price. Well, I did!
It’s a fine meal – and a ridiculous bargain for $5.
The spuds, carrots and gravy are tops, the beef is nicely chewy and flavoursome.
The club’s standard price for a pot is a remarkable-for-these-days $3 – $2.20 on Sundays!
The club also runs a Christmas in July bash for $15.
And a Christmas at Christmas bash – also for $15.
Club membership costs $22 a year – bargain!
As I depart a happy man, a bunch of recently arrived members are merrily setting up for that afternoon’s presentation function to wrap up another year of footy tipping.
You won’t get a bowl of pho or a cafe latte at the Footscray, but you will get a heaping serve of Footscray soul.
Check out the club’s website or Facebook page.
consider the sauce 
Wow – I have lived here in Footscray for 8 years and had no idea this place exists! I just had a quick look at their website and now I’m confused…is it for men only??
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Hi Girl! No, not at all. The crew that came in for the footy tipping party was about half female. Nice vibe, very old-school. Worth checking out!
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Ugh, I’m Amy. That’s a really old blog that I deleted yonks ago but the stupid thing won’t let me leave comments on yours or Footscray Food Blog without signing into it.
Yay for girls being allowed these days!
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Hi Amy!
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Heh! Misleading title led me to a very interesting read! Thought I had left the world of clubs like this back in Canberra a decade ago. No photo of the rival ‘tache tho! cheers
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Shell, I planned to take a pic of it, but he doesn’t work on Sundays!
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There’s a great pic here! A ripper mo indeed.
http://www.footscrayclub.com/Club%20Committee%20and%20Constitution/index.htm
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Yes, that’s him!
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Thanks Juz! That is truly sensational!!
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Hi Kenny, so there’s no need to be a member?
I dropped in a couple of years ago – they were very friendly and it was no problem, but they said I had to get to know people so someone could nominate me to become a member.
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James, no mention was made of such on my two visits. That rule IS on the website, but I’m unclear just how essential it is to become a member.
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Lovely work! I’ve caught the bus from right out front in Paisley St countless times, and have always wondered what went on up those stairs. Forgive the uncouth question, but do they have pay TV? Could be a good place to watch a footy game instead of having to brave one of the local beer barn pubs.
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Yes, they do, Juz! Which games they watch you’ll have to discover for yourself, as we pay the $15 per week. In the end I found it was cheaper and healthier than the “braving the beer barns”. 🙂
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Hmmm, not expecting I’d see many ITM Cup games there but my AFL team (North Melbourne) is generally relegated to pay tv due to our small supporter base. Reckon that AFL games would be a given to be shown.
Interesting point you make though about the cost per week of Foxtel… Guess I never really think about how much money I can spend at the pub while watching the game “for free”!
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Yes, exactly. In the end, what with All Blacks, Socceroos and so on, I figured I was spending WAY more in pubs than a Foxtel subscription costs. And I’m always bemused by folks who say they resent paying for something that’s always been free. That’s true on one level … But but but, for mine there’s very little about the so-called “free to air” channels that’s actually free. e.g. shamelessly manipulated starting and finish times of programs, tabloid trash at 6.30, “live” sports events that aren’t live, Tony Grieg, Channel 9’s disgusting treatment of Storm/NRL fans, endless promos for naff programs and on and on. As well, just about all the talk shows on Fox Sports across the codes are better than, um, The Footy Show and its ilk.
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Hi there, we now have a Facebook page for the club, search for Footscray Club on Facebook to stay up to date with the latest news.
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