The first Camperdown club was formed in 1877 but it disbanded within an few years with accumulated debts. A second attempt in 1883 is the club that continues today. The late 1880s and 1890s the club usually participated in a four team competition that a wealthy patron would donate a shield as a prize. Usually it was four clubs, Camperdown, Cobden, Mortlake and Terang. This arrangement continued until 1901. In August 1901, local soldier Trooper Lawrence was killed in action during the Boer War. There is a memorial to the west of the town's clocktower. The Moran trophy consisted of four teams,in order of finish, Camperdown, Cobden, Mortlake and Terang. Now because of poor receipts, the delegates wanted a grand Final to cover the outstanding costs incurred that season. Camperdown who were undefeated voted against the proposal but were overruled by the other three clubs who were all in the red. A Grand Final was organised between Camperdown and Mortlake, because Cobden had already wound up for the year. News came through that Trooper Lawrence had been killed in South Africa and the town of Camperdown wanted to have a memorial service for a favourite son on the same day as the grand final. Camperdown asked for a postponement of the match but Mortlake refused. A team from Mortlake turned up on the day and claimed a forfeit. As Mortlake already had the trophy because they won it the previous year and kept it for good. Acrimony because of Mortlake's actions, Camperdown refused to play Mortlake for five years. Camperdown decided to look east and they joined a Colac based competition. In 1909 the Corangamite Football Association was formally founded with matches between the four towns. Camperdown was the strongest team winning the pennant in 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1914. After WWI success continued with flags in 1921 and 1923. When the Warrnambool DFA decided to merge with the Corangamite FA to form the Western District FL in 1924, this created an eight team competition. South Warrnambool merged with Warrnambool City to form the Warrnambool Football Club. A dispute over finals allocation caused Camperdown to withdrew and join a Colac based competition. The club won the Grand Final in 1926 and lost the flag the following year. After two season Camperdown returned to the Western District FL playing in the Eastern Zone. For a while the league played zone football, a fixture for eastern clubs and one for the western clubs, with finals between the tops clubs at the end of the year. The admission of Hamilton caused additional traveling costs and problems with extra timeaway from home. The Hampden Football League was formed in 1930, when the three eastern clubs clubs broke away from the Western District FL. Terang and Camperdown did not want to continue to travel to Hamilton because their players were farmers who could not spend all day away from the farm to play football, as they had cows to milk. Mortlake agreed with Camperdown and Terang and resigned from the WDFL. Cobden was left with a predicament, and requested admittance to the new league. In 1933, South Warrnambool and Warrnambool joined the league, as takings at the gate had been greater when playing Camperdown or Terang that against any team in the WDFL. Camperdown won their first flag in 1938, during that season Cecil Bateman kicked a league record of 21 goals in a game against Cobden. It is a record that still stands to this day. After WWII Camperdown was one of the stronger teams in the competition but only once, in 1951, was it successful in claiming the flag. In 1965 Camperdown managed to lure premiership playerStewart Lord as captain coach, under his leadership the team improved to win the 1968 and 1970 Grand Finals. Camperdown has the ability to make the Grand Final but have only won in 6 of 19 occasions The Magpies' most recent premierships, won back to back, in 1999 and 2000 were under the coaching of local football star, Ken Hinkley.
