AFL Wooden Spoon Awards

If you look back in history, you can find facts when not only winners but also losers were nominated. One such nomination is the Wooden Spoon. It is given to those who have achieved the lowest scores in their field. This could be in the academic field or sports games. The risk of becoming a Wooden Spoon winner is predominantly for residents of the United States and the British Commonwealth. 

There are certain criteria for awarding the Wooden Spoon. According to the rules, the recipient is the team that finishes in the lowest position in the standings. The indicator is two facts: the lowest number of points scored in the Premier League and the lowest percentage in terms of points. If the two teams have the same scores on this criterion, there will be no countdown. Next, consider the history of this mock nomination and its bearers in the history of Australian soccer. 

History

The Wooden Spoon was first awarded to students at Cambridge University in the early 19th century. The first nominees were students of the mathematics department of that university, who scored the minimum examination points in their studies. Why the Wooden Spoon? The name of the nomination comes from the unofficial name of the soccer team that took last place in the regular AFL season. 

The last spoon was awarded at Cambridge in 1909. After that, it began to be given out among athletes. In 1894, the South Wales Daily Post published an article suggesting that rugby teams be given a wooden spoon. The tradition then migrated smoothly to soccer.

AFL Wooden Spoon Records

The AFL Wooden Spoon winners record holder in Australia is the St. Kilda Club, nicknamed the Saints. It has been nominated for this title 27 times. The club itself was founded in 1873. In 1877 it grew out of it a team of the Victorian Football League VFL. The team later became known as the Australian Football League (AFL).

St. Kilda is known for having a reputation as a loser for many years. The club won the Premier League once in 1966. The last AFL Wooden Spoon won in 2014. Since then, the club has improved significantly. In 2004, he wins the club record, brilliantly playing 10 consecutive matches. In 2005, they already have 8 fewer losses to 14 wins on their record. But declines also occur regularly.

Another regular recipient of the Wooden Spoon AFL is North Melbourne. He has 14 spoons to his credit. The last one they received was in 2021. Following them is Carlton, who has 5 spoons to his credit. This is the last founding club to receive this nomination. Collingwood is also listed with its two wooden spoons. Another nominee on this list is the Essendon Club.

But unlike the others, Essendon and Collingwood were able to make it to the Grand Final after such an uninspiring nomination. True, neither team won the Grand Final. But Essendon is considered the team that quickly took off from the wooden spoon to the premier league.

There are other examples of AFL Wooden Spoon betting. These are Melbourne and Fitzroy. These teams did well at first, then slipped sharply to the wooden spoon. Fitzroy went even further: he managed to win both the Premier League and the wooden spoon in one season. This was during the First World War.

AFL betting guide among other teams is as follows: 

• Australian club Geelong received the wooden spoon in 1908. The team’s nickname is Cats. It is the second oldest AFL club after Melbourne. It is part of the Victorian Football Association.
• The University of Melbourne Football Club is also on the honorary list of AFL multi betting holders. The club was popular at the beginning of the last century. It is also one of the 13 clubs that make up the VFL. This team has won the Wooden Spoon 4 times in its history.
• Since 1925, Wooden Spoon Awardees List is updated with a new name – it is Hawthorn or Hawks, also a member of the AFL.
• Western Bulldogs is one of the oldest teams, consisting exclusively of professional players. But that hasn’t stopped them from getting Wooden Spoon four times.
• In terms of Wooden Spoon AFL odds, another famous team takes the honourable mention. It’s the Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers.
• Also on the list is the Brisban Bears team with two Wooden Spoon awards to their credit.
• The Brisbane Lions team boasts the same success. They, too, have two wooden spoons to their credit for 1998 and 2017.
• And the loser’s title in 2011 and 2019 was held by the Gold Coast team.
• AFL betting guide Wooden Spoon did not get past the Greater Western Sidney team. These guys were the Wooden Spoon winners in 2012 and 2013.
• “Modest” Wooden Spoon accomplishments are on the books of the Adelaide, West Coast Eagles and Fremantle. These teams received the wooden spoon once each between 2010 and 2020.
• If there’s anyone to congratulate for not getting the golden spoon, it would be Port Adelaide. That team has never once made the loser’s list, earning the AFL odds Wooden Spoon title.

Who has held this unflattering title the longest? Carlton is the longest, with 105 years. Essendon is next, leaving the title with a length of 83 years. Hawthorn, Geelong and Collingwood carried the nomination for 57, 64 and 79 years, respectively. Modest merit is noted in Freemantle, Footscray, Kilda, Melbourne. They carried their loser title for 21-23 years each.

The most active droughts AFL Wooden Spoon odds is Geelong. Sidney and Hawthorn come next. The lowest numbers for this part belong to North Melbourne.

Losers were noted among the women’s soccer side as well. The Greatest Western Sidney women’s soccer team earned the title in 2017. She was followed by the Carlton women’s soccer team in 2018. And in 2021, the title went to the Gold Coast women’s team.

By the way, if you want to see what the wooden spoon itself looks like, you can see it in the Cambridge University Museum. The spoon itself is made of wood and reaches five feet in length. It was not handed in the hands but was brought down from above.