In the first decade of the 20th century, the Victorian Football Association was strategically determined to field a club based in inner Melbourne to boost its patronage; the Association had mostly represented outer and suburban Melbourne since the majority of its central clubs had formed the breakaway Victorian Football League in 1897, and had further lost its most central club, Richmond, to the League in 1908.

[2] The club wore a dark red coloured guernsey (described as "claret" in contemporary sources) with white shoulders.

[4] Both clubs retained their name, colours and home ground, although the VJFA dropped the requirement for a reserves alignment in 1913.

It finished last in both seasons, losing all thirty-six premiership games it played; a loss by seven points against Port Melbourne in 1913 was its best result.

[7][8] The club was in the heart of League territory, so it was competing more directly with the League than any other Association club; as such, it struggled to draw fans or players from its local area, resulting in low interest and an uncompetitive playing list.