[5][6] It is the oldest district club in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) and has played in all seven senior divisions since joining the competition in 1914.

[12] The club had a substantial supporter base and player availability at this time, meaning it was able to field a second team (sometimes referred to as Elsternwick B) in the MAFA's newly-formed B Section between 1923 and 1926.

[11] Elsternwick won a third senior premiership in B Section in 1939, but when the competition resumed in 1946 after World War II, the club began to struggle.

[11] This was attributed to European migrants settling in Melbourne after the war, many of whom preferred soccer, which made it hard for Elsternwick to continue recruiting local players.

[11] In July 1980, the VAFA discovered that Elsternwick had fielded a player under an assumed identity, which resulted in the club's secretary being suspended for five years and the coach having his permit revoked.