North Shore AFC

North Shore Australia Football Club, known informally as the North Shore Bombers is an Australian rules football club competing in the Sydney AFL Premier League and based out of the Sydney suburb of St Leonards, New South Wales. Formed in 1903 it remains one of only three foundation clubs still in existence and generally recognised as one of the more successful clubs of Sydney AFL. The club's current home ground is Mortgage Choice Oval (also known as Gore Hill Oval) in St. Leonards, next to the Royal North Shore Hospital. Gore Hill Oval was redeveloped in 2018 and re-opened in 2019; and is believed to be the first or second senior AFL ground to have a synthetic surface. Previously nicknamed the Bears, the club has the same playing strip and now logo as the Essendon Football Club in the AFL. In 2021, the Men's Senior coach is Lloyd Perris and the Women's Senior coach is Locky Pryor. The club's president is John Goode. The club fields 14 teams in the Sydney AFL league. The seniors compete in the Premier Division; the reserves are in the Premier Division Reserves. Under AFL Sydney's revised divisional structure, North Shore will field their third grade team in Division One, their fourths in Division Two, fifths in Division Three and sixths in Division Four. The Under 19s compete in the top Division One competition, in which they have appeared in four Grand Finals in a row from 2014 to 2017, winning premierships in 2015 and 2016; and in 2021 will defend their 2020 premiership. They also field a team in the Under 19s Division Two competition. North Shore fielded a Women's team for the first time in 2017, playing in the Women's Division One competition. Growth in the numbers of players in women's footy has seen the club nominate a second women's team in 2018, a third in 2019 and five teams in 2020 and 2021; with the Bombers promoted to Women's Premier Division. History The club formed in 1903, one of only three remaining foundation clubs, and since then has won thirteen senior premierships. The Bombers competed in 6 Grand Finals in a row from 2000 to 2005, winning premierships in 2001, 2004 & 2005. Although the Bombers failed to qualify for the finals in 2006, they bounced back in 2007 to take their 13th premiership. In 2008, after a slow start to the season, the Bombers finished strongly to qualify for the final five, but were eliminated in the first finals match.