History
The teams involved in the cup date back to the 1990s. Espy Rockdogs were founded in 1990 as a social footy team to play against Chasers. The team played in a charity match known as the "Footy Mouth Cup" against the Tote Hotel in 1993, raising $500.
The first "Community Cup" was held in 1997 when 3RRR Program Manager James Young proposed the creation of the 3RRR and PBS FM Megahertz to play against the Rockdogs and raise money for St Kilda's Sacred Heart Mission.
The first match organised was held at Ross Gregory Oval in St Kilda. Drawing a crowd of over 2,000 people it was successful in raising over A$6,000.
Due to the interest generated, Sacred Heart Mission assumed its organisation and a larger venue, Junction Oval, a former Victorian Football League stadium was chosen to accommodate the larger crowds.
The 2005 event packed the Junction Oval to capacity, attracting 23,000 people. In 2006, despite the installation of temporary fencing to accommodate more spectators, the stadium was once more packed to capacity.
The 2007 event introduced an entry charge $5 for the first time, previous events were by gold coin donation. Despite the entry fee, a similarly large crowd attended.
In May 2008 Sacred Heart Mission withdrew due to increased costs of running it. RRR tried to keep the event alive but there was not enough time to secure a charity partner to host the event on the planned date and much to the disappointment of the St Kilda community, the event was shelved.
The cup secured a new charity in 2009, Reclink, and it was moved to Elsternwick Park, held on the 21st June. A positive online feedback poll result saw news radio stations ABC Local Radio and Radio National cover the match for the first time. With the new venue, the event took a hit in its attendance, drawing just 8,000, however in 2010 attendances rebounded to over 10,000.
The 2011 match drew 12,000 people and raised over $120,000.
In 2012, the match was held outside of Melbourne for the first time, playing a match at Henson Park in Marrickville, Sydney.
Read more about this topic: Community Cup
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