Its senior side competed in the VFA from 1878 through 1908, its peak as a club coming after it won the 1906 premiership.

After disbanding at the end of the 1908 season, its identity was essentially overtaken by the North Melbourne Football Club, whose uniform briefly reflected the acquisition in the years following.

[1][2] The West Melbourne Football Club was formed on the evening of 10 April 1874, at the James Watt Hotel on Spencer Street, with Thomas McPherson appointed its inaugural president.

After winning the premiership with an undefeated record in 1898 in the Victorian Junior Football Association,[6] the club returned to senior level in the VFA in 1899, enjoying a longer stint at a higher grade.

[10] The combined North Melbourne/West Melbourne application was rejected by the VFL, and the VFA expelled both clubs for their disloyalty and the merger never formally took place.