A game under lights - arc lights contained in glass and suspended from poles, as used outside the State Library - had taken place in early August 1879, between Collingwood Artillery and East Melbourne.
It was followed a week later by a meeting between Melbourne and Carlton, then part of the Victorian Football Association - the forerunner to the VFL.
The difference between this and the first game a week earlier was the number of lights - six instead of five were used, but by the time they were ready and fully illuminated, it was almost 8.30 at night.
The crowd was a healthy one for the times, around 7000, with The Argus describing the occasion - ‘The circle was ringed round by a dense throng, and the grand stand was filled. Allen’s City Band played a selection of music during the evening.’
Once the game had started, an obstacle soon presented itself, as ‘After five minutes play it was announced that the ball had burst, and the players decided to go on with an ordinary ball until the white ball was put right again. The play with the dark ball was the only amusing part of the evening’s business.’
A disgruntled reporter described how the lights produced bands of light, which faded away into the night. It was difficult for both players and spectators to see what was happening - the lighting provided was certainly not at the brilliant level of today’s game.
Despite this, however, Carlton set up a winning lead, and with the legendary George Coulthard scoring three goals for the Blues to Melbourne’s single, it was a bleak night all round.
But the venture had long term benefits for the Melbourne Football Club and the game as a whole, far removed from the opinion of the Argus reporter that ‘so far as two attempts have shown us, football by the electric lights is a failure’.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground had permitted the game with many reservations, but the gate takings of £500 more than made up for the nervousness. The way was hereafter cleared for more permanent use of the MCG as a football field, at least for half the season, and up to six weeks before the opening of the cricket season.
Now, of course, night football, particularly on a Friday, is a very attractive part of the regular fixture, and it is hard to imagine our game without it.
