VJFA and Sub-Districts South Melbourne Districts was formed in 1912, although its origins can be traced back to the
Pembroke Juniors that played in the mid-1890s. The club entered the
Victorian Junior Football Association (VJFA) in
1914, finishing fourth on the ladder before being defeated by
Port Melbourne Railway United by 51 points in the grand final. The club made its second grand final in 1922 after another fourth-placed home-and-away finish, where it lost to
North Melbourne Juniors by 22 points. In 1924, the club won its first premiership with a 33-point victory over
Hawthorn Juniors. The club did not have a home ground for the 1925 season, and did not find a permanent home ground until the mid-1930s. The Districts had a close relationship with the
South Melbourne Football Club (now
Sydney Swans) from its formation, with many players going on to play for both clubs. In the late 1920s, the Districts donated 40
guineas to South Melbourne to stop the club folding, and often provided assistance payments to players when needed. In the 1920s and 1930s,
MLC Robert Williams served as the club's president, while
senator Joseph Hannan served as vice-president. Williams died in a car crash at
Wagga Wagga in March 1938, and his son − Alf Williams − took over as acting president until officially becoming club president in February 1939. South Melbourne Districts' last season in the VJFA was in 1926, where it made the semi-finals. By this point, the VJFA had started to formally become the reserves competition for the
Victorian Football Association (VFA), and South Melbourne Districts left the VJFA to join the
VFL Sub-Districts in 1927. The club made a grand final in its second Sub-Districts season in 1928 under captain-coach Joe Russell, before winning a premiership in 1930 against
Sunshine. At some stage in the 1930s, it moved to the
VFA Sub-Districts and continued in that competition until at least the end of the 1936 season. South Melbourne Districts joined the
Metropolitan Football League (MFL), the successor to the VFL Sub-Districts, when the competition was formed in 1950.
SESFL/SFL In 1974, South Melbourne Districts left the struggling MFL to join the
South East Suburban Football League (SESFL). The club won its first SESFL premiership in 1976 with a 15-point victory over
Carnegie in Division 2, and a second premiership came in 1983 against
North Kew. The SESFL became the
Southern Football League (SFL) in 1992, and merged with the
Eastern Suburbs Churches Football Association (ESCFA) in 1993 to become an expanded SFL. At the end of the 1999 season, South Melbourne Districts left the SFL to join the
Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA).
VAFA South Melbourne Districts joined the VAFA for the
2000 season, entering D4 Section. The club started strong, winning a
premiership in its inaugural VAFA season after defeating
Bentleigh (who also joined the VAFA in 2000) by 27 points in the grand final. The club went back-to-back with a Division 3 premiership in
2006 and a Division 2 premiership in
2007. In 2024, the club was the subject of controversy after being asked by
animal rights activist Sheena Chhabra to cut ties with Ralphs Meat Company and to end its
Auskick sausage sizzle "on the grounds of animal cruelty, the impact of farming livestock for meat and the negative health effects of red meat". ==AFL/AFLW players==