Football and the pandemic
- Ebony Hughes
- Mar 25
- 3 min read
Is the pandemic virus being spread through football matches? You're likely thinking of COVID-19, but this was being asked in June 1919.
You may or may not know about the Spanish Flu, the virus that began tearing through populations in the final year of WWI. It is believed that the Spanish Flu, a subtype of Influenza A, started in the US in early 1918 and was then transferred to the battlefields of Europe by American soldiers. The virus spread throughout Europe and upon the conclusion of the war was brought home with soldiers. Worldwide it is estimated that over 21 million people died due to the pandemic. Due to Australia's distance from Europe the virus did not arrive in Australia, with the returning soldiers, until 1919.
The actions taken to combat the pandemic sound very familiar to us. All "entertainments", like cigar nights, were banned in Berwick and Beaconsfield and masks were to be warn to stop the spread of the virus. However, football continued.
1919 was the first year that the Berwick and District Football Association had been active since the 1915 season, which was abandoned in order to not interfere with military recruitment. The Association this year was comprised of Pakenham, Cranbourne, Berwick, Dandenong, Clayton and Springvale. The resumption of the footy was soon made difficult by the influenza.
The first round was held in the last weekend of April, and saw Berwick and Pakenham play in front of a decent crowd. A commentator remarked upon how well both sides played considering no senior football had been played in four years. Both sides had no more than half a dozen of their 1914 players in their side. The war years had left their mark even on footy.
By the end of the next month the newspapers were remarking upon how many changes were necessary in most local teams due to the number of players sick with the flu. In particular, Dandenong was missing several of their best players.
In early June when Berwick played Pakenham, both sides struggled due to the number of players sick with the virus. The following week Berwick played Dandenong but was forced to play short even with juniors filling some of the gaps in the side.
The same month the newspaper reports that people were beginning to wonder if the virus was being spread through football matches, due to entire football sides coming down with it.
By July Berwick was considering withdrawing from the competition due to the consistent difficulty putting together a side and the resulting crushing defeats. The team continued on and saw some improvement, still losing but by far smaller margins. By the end of the season they managed to rise to 4th position in the 5 team competition, with Dandenong winning the premiership. Perhaps the continuing return of soldiers bolstered the side.
Sources:
PAHO. Purple Death: The Great Flu of 1918. https://www.paho.org/en/who-we-are/history-paho/purple-death-great-flu-1918
Berwick. (1919, June 19). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 2 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved January 12, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66196263
Pakenham Gazette and Berwick Shire News - Fri 9 May 1919
Pakenham Gazette and Berwick Shire News - Fri 13 June 1919
Pakenham Gazette and Berwick Shire News - Fri 20 June 1919
Football. (1919, July 3). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 3 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved January 12, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66196316
Football. (1919, July 17). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 3 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved January 12, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66196434
Football and Influenza. (1919, May 29). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 2 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved January 13, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66196140
Football. (1919, May 8). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 3 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved January 12, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66196015
Football. (1919, March 20). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 3 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved January 12, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66195764
Nation Museum Australia. (9 January 2024). Influenza pandemic.
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