The township of Trafalgar was first established in 1876, with land sales commencing in 1879. By 1881, the population had grown to just over 200 people and, in 1888, George Munro and Charles Tempest established the Trafalgar Football Club.

George Munro introduced the club’s iconic red and white colours after supplying jumpers from South Melbourne Football Club, where he had played between 1884 and 1885, to outfit the local players. Other reports suggest his sisters knitted the first jerseys worn by the “Bloods” a nickname long associated with South Melbourne.

First Match:
The first recorded match in 1888 saw Trafalgar defeat the previously unbeaten Thorpdale side. During the late 1800s, the club competed intermittently as the township’s population declined to around 140 residents by 1901.

Football in Trafalgar truly gained momentum during the “boom years” at the turn of the century, following the draining and cultivation of the Moe Swamp district.

West Gippsland Football League:
The club joined the West Gippsland Football League in 1900 and secured its first premiership in 1901. Finals were introduced in 1906, with Trafalgar claiming its second premiership after defeating Traralgon in both the final and grand final.

Central Gippsland Football Association:
In 1909, the club joined the Central Gippsland Football Association, competing in five consecutive grand finals from 1910 to 1914 and winning premierships in 1911 and 1913. Football went into recess between 1916 and 1918 due to World War I. After two more runner-up finishes, Trafalgar claimed another premiership in 1923 with a victory over Warragul. Over the following decade, the club finished runner-up on four occasions.

Winning Premierships:
In 1926, the Trafalgar Rovers and Trafalgar Meadows clubs were formed to compete in the Trafalgar & District Football League, with the Meadows winning premierships in both 1926 and 1927. By 1932, the two clubs had merged, before eventually disbanding at the conclusion of the 1934 season.

The Central Gippsland Football League was established in 1934 and proved to be a difficult period for Trafalgar. Over the next twenty years, the club’s highest finish was third.

Football again went into recess from 1941 to 1943 due to World War II. A wartime league was formed in 1944 and, by 1946, Central Gippsland football had resumed, with a reserve grade competition introduced. The thirds (Under 16s) competition commenced in 1952, with Trafalgar becoming the inaugural premiers.

Latrobe Valley Football League:
In 1954, the Latrobe Valley Football League was formed and Trafalgar finally broke a 35-year premiership drought by winning the 1958 flag. Another premiership followed in 1962 before the club again faced challenging times.

By 1968, Trafalgar joined Yarragon, Thorpdale and Mirboo North in recognising the growing difficulty of competing against larger regional centres such as Traralgon, Morwell and Moe. After nearly seventy years in major competitions, the club sought affiliation with a smaller league.

Mid Gippsland Football League:
In 1969, Trafalgar joined the Mid Gippsland Football League, where the club continued to compete for many years. Premiership success followed in 1975 and again in 1984, when the club completed an undefeated season. Between 1988 and 1996, Trafalgar appeared in an extraordinary nine consecutive grand finals, securing premierships in 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995.

Football Netball amalgamation:
Fourths football was introduced in 1970, while the Mid Gippsland Football League netball competition commenced in 1976, following the formation of the Trafalgar netball club in 1971. In 1997, the junior football club merged with the senior body and, after considerable discussion, the football and netball clubs officially amalgamated in 1998.

The junior netball club joined the organisation in 1999, and further senior premierships were added in 2009, 2010 and 2012, during a period that included five successive grand final appearances.

By the conclusion of the 2013 season, the Trafalgar Recreation Reserve had undergone significant redevelopment and the club was fielding seven football teams and ten netball teams, reflecting the strong growth and development of the Trafalgar community.

After a difficult 2016 season, the seniors rebounded strongly to secure the 2018 senior premiership — our last senior flag in the Mid Gippsland Football League.

Ellinback & District Football Netball League:
Sport was again disrupted in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with multiple pauses and recess across both seasons. Following this challenging period, the club made the decision to transition to its current home in the Ellinbank & District Football Netball League in 2021, and 1 year later, Traf junior football club also made the decision in 2022 to leave the Central Gippsland Junior Football League after 49 year and join the Warragul District Junior Football League as the leagues affiliated clubs aligned closely to that of the ENFNL .

In 2025, Trafalgar hosted its first grand final in more than 70 years and proudly had representation in three grades, with C Grade netball, Reserves football, and Seniors football all reaching the big dance. While the results did not fall our way on the day, the achievement reflected the strength and progress of the club across multiple programs.

Currently across junior and senior clubs we now have representation in eight football grades and eight netball grades.