Eastern Suburbs Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in East Brisbane, Queensland. The club is the most centrally located of all the semi-professional clubs in Brisbane, situated approximately from the city centre. Easts competes in the National Premier Leagues Queensland, in both the men's and women's competitions, and play their home games at Heath Park, East Brisbane.
History
Eastern Suburbs / Merton-Easts (1973 to present) The club's published history asserts the club was formed in 1922. With the various mergers stretching back into the club's early history it is possible to support an earlier foundation date. Irrespective, the club's statement on its official website that it is 'one of the oldest and most established clubs in Queensland' holds true.
The current Eastern Suburbs FC was formed as the Merton-Easts Soccer Club at the end of the 1969 season when Easts-Aston Villa, a successful Division Two competitor consisting mainly of young players who had advanced through their junior ranks, amalgamated with Merton Rovers from Division One. It was the blend of experience and youth that ensured the newly founded Merton-East continued success.
The club assumed its current name Eastern Suburbs FC in September 1980, and the club was incorporated under this name in the same year. The name change was made to identify the club with a specific area of Brisbane, as well as to promote sponsorship and to differentiate the club for its prospective entry into the Queensland State League which it joined for the 1981 season.
Eastern Suburb has been a mainstay of the Brisbane Premier League, featuring in 27 of its 34 season from 1983 to 2016. During this period, the club's greatest success on the field occurred in 1989 when the club won the Brisbane Premier League championship from fifth place, beating Brisbane Lions 3–2 in the grand final. In their final season as Merton-Easts, the club also won the 1980 Division One championship with a 3–1 grand final win over Mitchelton.
In May 2017, Football Queensland announced Eastern Suburbs FC were among the 14 clubs accepted to form the Football Queensland Premier League for its initial season in 2018.
Merton Rovers (1915 to 1972) The earliest reference to Merton Rovers was in 1915 when it competed as a junior club. Merton Rovers continued at a junior level, occasionally playing in Brisbane's Second Division until it won Division Two in 1934. Promoted to Division One and based at Yeronga Park, the club completed three season in Division One from 1935 to 1937.
After competition resumed following the World War II, Merton Rovers played 16 seasons in Division Two until finishing second in 1961 and winning promotion to the top tier of Brisbane soccer. Merton Rovers achieved much success over the next 11 seasons in Division One, reaching six grand finals and winning four of them: 1962 Won 2–0 vs Hellenic (scorers: L. Petersen pen., K. Melville) 1964 Won 1–0 vs Latrobe (scorer: J. Anthony) 1968 Won 4–2 vs Hollandia-Inala (scorers: E. Pattison 2, L. Willett, T. Catchpole) after a 1–1 draw (scorer: T. Catchpole) 1970 Lost 0–3 vs Azzurri 1971 Lost 1–2 vs Azzurri (scorer: B. Bohan) 1972 Won 1–0 vs Hellenic (scorer: B. Bohan)
While the club achieved grand final success, it failed to win the premiership, finishing runners-up on the final league table five times, including three time consecutively from 1970 to 1972.
Merton Rovers qualified for the Australia Cup in 1963 and 1964 but failed to get past the first round on each occasion.
Merton's Rovers achieved a 3–0 cup final victory over Hellenic to win the 1972 Qantas Cup. At the end of the 1972 season, Merton Rovers merged with Easts-Aston Villa to form Merton-Easts.
Eastern Suburbs / Easts United / Easts-Aston Villa (1938 to 1972) The original Eastern Suburbs Soccer Club was formed in November 1938 following the amalgamation of two First Division clubs, Shafston United and Pineapple Rovers Shafston United had formed itself only months earlier in March 1938 upon the merging of the Shafston Rovers and United Rangers clubs. Eastern Suburbs took over Heath Park as their home ground from Pineapple Rovers and have played there ever since.
Eastern Suburbs won the Tristram Shield in 1945, winning the final 3–1 after two periods of extra time against the YMCA club.