Editing Sydney Swans (section)

====VFA success====
[[File:Southmelbourne_fc_1888.jpg|thumb|left|The Bloods and the [[1888 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia|touring British Lions]] in front of the grandstand at the South Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1888. South Melbourne won 7 goals to 3]]
Over its first decade as an amalgamated club, South Melbourne won five VFA premierships – in 1881, 1885 (undefeated) and three-in-a-row in 1888, 1889 and 1890 – and was runner-up to the provincial [[Geelong Football Club]] in 1880, 1883 and 1886. The 1886 season was notable for its [[South Melbourne vs Geelong (1886 VFA season)|4 September match]] against Geelong, which generated unprecedented public interest as both clubs had entered the match undefeated.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-08 |title=On This Day: First VFL game |url=https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/689691/on-this-day-first-vfl-game? |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=sydneyswans.com.au |language=en}}</ref>

The club was the second Victorian club to visit New South Wales in 1883 travelling to Newcastle where it also defeated the Northern Districts League by a goal before travelling to Sydney where it defeated [[Sydney Football Club (NSWAFL)|Sydney]] by just a single goal in front of a large crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13538663 |title=FOOTBALL. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=14,127 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=9 July 1883 |accessdate=13 May 2022 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and  East Sydney Football Club by a goal in front of 600 spectators.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13538888 |title=FOOTBALL. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=14,129 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=11 July 1883 |accessdate=14 May 2022 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

In May 1889, the Swans lost narrowly to a [[List of 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team matches|touring Maori team from New Zealand]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/nz-natives-rugby-tour/matches-played |title=Matches played—New Zealand Natives' rugby tour, 1888/89 |publisher=nzhistory.net.nz |access-date=1 June 2013 |archive-date=15 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215141348/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/nz-natives-rugby-tour/matches-played |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:VFA_Grand_Final_1896_between_Collingwood_vs_South_Melbourne_at_East_Melbourne_Cricket_Ground_Weekly_Times_10_October_1896.png|thumb|South Melbourne played in the first Victorian Grand Final, the [[1896 VFA Grand Final]]]]
At the end of the 1896 season, [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] and South Melbourne finished equal at the top of the VFA's premiership ladder with records of 14–3–1, requiring a [[1896 VFA season#Playoff match|playoff match]] to determine the season's premiership; this was the first time this had occurred in VFA history.<ref name="rd20">{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|location=Melbourne|date=28 September 1896|title=Football Notes|page=6}}</ref> The match took place on 3 October 1896 at the [[East Melbourne Cricket Ground]]. Collingwood won the match, six goals to five, in front of an estimated crowd of 12,000.<ref name="argusplayoff">{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|location=Melbourne|date=5 October 1896|title=The Football Premiership|page=5}}</ref>

This grand final would be the last match South Melbourne would play in the VFA, as the following season they would be one of eight founding clubs forming the breakaway [[Victorian Football League (1897–1989)|Victorian Football League]] joining [[St Kilda Football Club|St Kilda]], [[Essendon Football Club|Essendon]], [[Fitzroy Football Club|Fitzroy]], [[Melbourne Football Club|Melbourne]], [[Geelong Football Club|Geelong]], [[Carlton Football Club|Carlton]] and [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}