Battle of Bell Street

Battle of Bell Street
Coburg
Preston
First meeting7 June 1926
(Preston 69−112 Coburg)
Latest meeting27 July 2025
(Northern 70−85 Coburg)
Statistics
Meetings total163
All-time series (seniors only) Northern: 81 wins
 Coburg: 79 wins

The Battle of Bell Street is an Australian rules football rivalry, contested by the Coburg Football Club[a] and the Preston Football Club.[b] It is one of the oldest rivalries in the Victorian Football League (VFL), which was known as the Victorian Football Association (VFA) until 1996.[3][4]

The clubs have met 163 times as July 2025, with Preston winning 81 times since the first clash in 1926.[5] Preston's VFL licence was revoked at the end of the 2025 season, excluding it from the league from 2026.[6]

History

Coburg and the Bullants are closely located, with their respective home grounds of Coburg City Oval and Preston City Oval divided by Bell Street in Preston (hence the name of the rivalry).[7]

The first clash was on 7 June 1926, with Coburg defeating Preston by 43 points. Preston's first win was a 29-point victory on 6 July 1929.[5][8]

No match between the clubs occurred in the cancelled 2020 season, nor in the 2022 season.[9]

Results

Seniors

# Year Rd Home Away Ground Date Winner M H2H Ref
Team Score Team Score
1 1926 6 Preston 10.9 (69) Coburg 16.16 (112) Preston City Oval 5 Jun COB 43 +1
2 15 Coburg 17.18 (120) Preston 7.9 (51) Coburg City Oval 7 Aug COB 69 +2
3 1927 6 Coburg 13.22 (100) Preston 10.16 (76) Coburg City Oval 4 Jun COB 24 +3
4 15 Preston 13.21 (99) Coburg 22.7 (139) Preston City Oval 6 Aug COB 40 +4
5 1928 1 Preston 7.15 (57) Coburg 11.12 (78) Preston City Oval 21 Apr COB 21 +5
6 10 Coburg 14.11 (95) Preston 6.11 (47) Coburg City Oval 23 Jun COB 48 +6
7 1929 2 Preston 7.9 (51) Coburg 8.12 (60) Preston City Oval 27 Apr COB 9 +7
8 13 Coburg 10.13 (73) Preston 14.12 (96) Coburg City Oval 6 Jul PRE 23 +6
9 1930 6 Coburg 11.14 (80) Preston 10.20 (80) Coburg City Oval 3 May DRAW 0 +6
10 13 Preston 17.10 (112) Coburg 11.11 (77) Preston City Oval 19 Jul PRE 35 +5
11 19 Preston 9.15 (69) Coburg 13.13 (91) Preston City Oval 30 Aug COB 22 +6
12 1931 2 Preston 13.16 (94) Coburg 14.7 (91) Preston City Oval 2 May PRE 3 +5
13 18 Coburg 6.11 (47) Preston 7.11 (53) Coburg City Oval 19 Jul PRE 6 +4
14 1932 2 Coburg 13.12 (90) Preston 13.13 (91) Coburg City Oval 30 Apr PRE 1 +3
15 SF Coburg 11.9 (75) Preston 8.20 (68) Coburg City Oval 10 Sep COB 7 +4
1995 5 Coburg 13.9 (87) Preston 18.13 (121) Coburg City Oval 21 May PRE 34
14 Preston 10.13 (73) Coburg 4.3 (27) Preston City Oval 30 Jul PRE 46
1996 6 Coburg 15.9 (99) Preston 8.19 (67) Preston City Oval 11 May COB 32
2000 2 Northern Bullants 7.12 (54) Coburg-Fitzroy 23.21 (159) Preston City Oval 26 Mar COB 105
16 Coburg-Fitzroy 11.10 (76) Northern Bullants 17.9 (111) Coburg City Oval 9 Jul NBLU 35
2014 13 Northern Blues 9.15 (69) Coburg 12.6 (78) Preston City Oval 3 May COB 9
156 2018 19 Northern Blues 15.6 (96) Coburg 12.8 (80) Preston City Oval 11 Aug NBLU 16 +3 [10]
157 2019 10 Northern Blues 14.15 (99) Coburg 13.4 (82) Preston City Oval 9 Jun NBLU 17 +4 [11]
N/a 2020 12 Coburg — Northern Blues — Highgate Reserve 20 Jun — — +4 [12][13]
158 2021 13 Coburg 12.10 (82) Northern Bullants 12.11 (83) Coburg City Oval 11 Jul NBUL 1 +5
159 2023 8 Coburg 12.8 (80) Northern Bullants 12.15 (87) Coburg City Oval 13 May NBUL 7 +6 [14]
160 2024 13 Coburg 10.12 (72) Northern Bullants 8.11 (59) Coburg City Oval 23 Jun COB 13 +5 [15]
161 20 Northern Bullants 13.10 (88) Coburg 13.13 (91) Preston City Oval 11 Aug COB 3 +4 [16]
162 2025 8 Coburg 15.9 (99) Northern Bullants 10.9 (69) Coburg City Oval 18 May COB 30 +3
163 18 Northern Bullants 9.16 (70) Coburg 13.7 (85) Preston City Oval 27 Jul COB 15 +2 [17]

Harold Martin Medal

Since 2021, the Harold Martin Medal has been awarded to the player judged best on ground in the Battle of Bell Street. It is named after Harold Martin, who was the captain-coach of Preston before moving to Coburg as its coach in 1982.[18]

Winners

Year Rd Winner Ref
2021 13 Daniel Hughes [19]
2023 8 Cam Wild [14]
2024 13 Deacon Kalpakis [15]
20 Joel Trudgeon [20]
2025 8 Jack Bytel [21]
18 Sam Donegan [22]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Competed as Coburg-Fitzroy from 1999−2000; affiliated with the Richmond Football Club from 2001−2013.[1]
  2. ^ Known as the Northern Bullants from 2000−2011 and 2021−2025; affiliated with the Carlton Football Club from 2003−2020; known as the Northern Blues from 2012−2020.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Tigers to endanger Coburg's survival". The Age. 13 February 2011.
  2. ^ "Carlton and Northern Blues forced to cease alignment". Carlton Football Club. 26 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Historic VFA rivalry between Coburg and Preston returns to Piranha Park". Herald Sun.
  4. ^ Amy, Paul (24 July 2025). "VFL: Northern Bullants and Coburg face off in most meaningful Battle of Bell St in years". CODE Sports. Retrieved 26 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. ^ a b "Old foes set for Battle of Bell Street". afl.com.au. 11 May 2023.
  6. ^ Amy, Paul (6 October 2025). "Game over: Historic Victorian club Preston Bullants kicked out of the VFL". CODE Sports. Retrieved 6 October 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ^ McCormick, Michael (8 June 2015). "Blues fall short in Battle of Bell Street". Carlton Football Club.
  8. ^ "1926 VFA Premiership Season". Australian Football.
  9. ^ "2022 VFL fixture: Round one locked in, remaining match-ups confirmed". afl.com.au. 22 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Northern Blues 15.6-96 def. 12.8-80 Coburg". GameDay. VFL / VFLW. 11 August 2018. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  11. ^ "Northern Blues 14.15-99 def. 13.4-82 Coburg". GameDay. VFL / VFLW. 9 June 2019. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  12. ^ Filippo, Cristian (18 December 2019). "2020 VFL fixture announced". Carlton Football Club. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  13. ^ "Coburg vs Northern Blues". GameDay. VFL / VFLW. 20 June 2024. Archived from the original on 29 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  14. ^ a b Rhodes, Brendan (15 May 2023). "REVIEW: Smithy's VFL Round 8". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 July 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  15. ^ a b Rhodes, Brendan (24 June 2024). "REVIEW: Smithy's VFL Round 13". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  16. ^ "Australian Football - Match Details: 2024 R20 Northern Bullants vs Coburg". australianfootball.com. Retrieved 2025-03-12.
  17. ^ "Northern Bullants v Coburg Lions". AFL.com.au. 27 July 2025. Archived from the original on 28 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  18. ^ Amy, Paul (20 June 2024). "'Tribalism on steroids': Inside Coburg v Northern Bullants, the mighty Battle of Bell Street". CODE Sports. Retrieved 27 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  19. ^ Kelly, Daniel (11 May 2022). "PFC Returns Home". Northern Bullants. Archived from the original on 22 March 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  20. ^ Amy, Paul [@PaulAmy375] (11 August 2024). "And Lion Joel Trudgeon wins the Harold Martin Medal as best-afield" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 July 2025 – via X (formerly Twitter).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  21. ^ "Lions Roar at Barry Plant Park as Bytel Claims Harold Martin Honours". Coburg Football Club. 22 May 2025. Archived from the original on 22 May 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  22. ^ Amy, Paul [@PaulAmy375] (28 July 2025). "Forgot to mention that Northern Bullant Sam Donegan won the Harold Martin medal as best-afield in the Battle of Bell Street" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 July 2025 – via X (formerly Twitter).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
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