Balmain & District Football Club is an Australian soccer club. It was the successor of the defunct Balmain Tigers Football Club was an Australian semi-professional football club based in the Inner West suburb of Balmain in Sydney, New South Wales. The club played at the historic Birchgrove Oval, just west of Balmain. Later, they played their home games at Callan Park, but continued to train at Birchgrove Oval.
History
Balmain DFC
In 1970 The Balmain & District Football Club (BDFC) as we know it today looks very different from when it first came into being. As lifetime member Craig Hawkins remembers, it began because his father, the ex-navy man Frank Hawkins and his friend Wal Gourlie ‘had a disgruntled with the Balmain RSL soccer club’. One fine day in the late sixties, they decided to walk down to the Balmain Police Citizens Boys Club (BPCBC), which was only a mile down the road from the RSL, and have a chat with Sergeant George B. Stone, who ran the BPCBC at the time.
Balmain Tigers FC
In 1986 Roy Lawrence, an English migrant living in Sydney and Steve Hendrick formed a six-a-side football competition, inviting all Brits living in Australia to play in the competition. Following significant interest from dozens of players, Lawrence and Hendrick formed Balmain Tigers Soccer Club and entered it into the Canterbury District Premier League. The first season in the CDSFA was a huge success, finishing runners up and reaching the grand final. This early success saw the club promoted to the NSW Soccer Federation Division Seven in 1989. The next season, they continued their successful run, finishing runners-up and grand finalists. Ultimately they were promoted and continued to be promoted yearly all the way up into Division Six. In 1991, the club won Division Six, losing only two games.
In 1992 the club moved from Easton Park (Rozelle) to Lambert Park (Leichhardt) where the club promoted in Division Four.
In 1995 Lawrence retired as coach, manager and secretary. The following year, the club moved to Birchgrove Oval and reformed under new coach Bruce Allen.
In 1997 Lawrence came out of retirement and took up role of assistant coach to Bruce Allen. In 1998, ten years after the club was founded, two new coaches were appointed. Tony Dunn from Concord SC, and former Balmain SC player Jimmy Campbell, with the latter taking Balmain into Division Three, after winning the 1999 Grand Final.
The 2000 season saw Balmain finish runners up in Division Three and gained promotion to Division Two. Their remarkable rise from Division Seven culminated in 2001 with an astonishing Grand Final win on penalties after finishing runners up in the minor premiership.
In 2002 the club was invited into Division One but with mounting debts, the club found itself in dire financial straits. It was forced to sell its position to The Northern Tigers and drop down to Division Four. President Dave Grill vowed that if the club was ever presented with this opportunity again they would be ready.
A year later, the returning Jimmy Campbell led Balmain Tigers FC to second place in Division Four and promotion back to Division Three. In 2004 Balmain claimed the Minor premierships in both grades and two grand final appearances, with the reserves taking out the double and the firsts losing out on penalties. With three out of four titles secured, this was Balmain's most successful season to date.
Jimmy Campbell left the club in 2005 and the following two seasons saw a mid-table finish and a disappointing exit in the semi-finals. The Under-21s, coached by Alex Kaltenegger and his exciting brand of football, won their championship in 2006.
In 2007, Kalteneffer was promoted to the first team, his first point of business was to stun the footballing world with the signing (on a free) of Johnny Buonavoglia the ex-NSL and Sydney FC forward and by 2008 they had won the Division title and beat Camden in the Grand Final on Penalties. True to his word Dave Grill along with his committee saw that the club was ready to be promoted to Division One, where it rightfully took its place in 2009.
After a number of mid-table finishes in Division One, the 2012 squad secured 5th spot in the league, enabling Balmain to participate in the Division One final's series for the first time, where they progressed to the qualifying final.