The club formed in 1910 and began playing in the Box Hill Reporter DFA in 1911.
In its early years, the club had a habit of moving from competition to competition: they were a founding member of the Scoresby DFA in 1925 and won the last two premierships in 1929 and 1930, then in 1931, they joined the Federal FL and were premiers in 1932.
East Burwood then joined the Eastern Districts Football League in 1961 where it remains today.
Starting in Division 1, it maintained that position for many years, winning premierships in 1963–1965, 1967–1968, 1973, 1976, 1985, 1987, 1992, 1999 and 2000.
Following an exodus of players and financial problems, the club was demoted from Division 1 for the first time after the 2013 season, and played in Division 2 for three seasons before being demoted again.