There is much confusion over the origin of the fourths, and various competitions which had the name.
The Melbourne Boys League was reformed in 1933, and funded by the VFL in the 1940s. It had various grades but the widest age range was the 15-17 group. Teams of league clubs such as Footscray, North Melbourne, South Melbourne, Collingwood - as well as the Hawthorn thirds - played in the 40s. A Melbourne Under 16's side played in the D-Grade of the league in 1937 when the competitions was referred to as being for Under 16s.
In 1950 the league abandoned all grades for younger players and began concentrating solely on Under 17s. Melbourne FC fielded its first official Fourth XVIII in 1953, a reaction to being inundated with more recruits than their Thirds team could handle.
In 1970 and 1971 (at least) the Demons' fourths played at East Bentleigh/Bentleigh McKinnon Youth Club in the Melbourne Boys' League. At this point the side had a sister club called Moorabbin United. After the 1971 Grand Final against Port Melbourne descended into violence, Jim Cardwell was quoted as saying he'd recommend the club leave the Boys' League.
Some sources suggest 1977 was the last year the competition was played, but others have the Melbourne Fourths playing in the Metropolitan League in 1980. From the 70's onwards it was known as the Under 17's. Melbourne supported a Hawthorn motion that a league Under 17s competition be adopted in the late 1970s but it was not passed.
An Under 17 team is shown as playing against a touring Irish side in 1983, though this is likely to have one of the Demons' scholarship sides rather than a team from an organised league.
Seasons (incomplete
| 1950 | 1953 | 1954 | 1956 | 1959 | |||
| 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1968 | ||||
| 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 |
Honours (incomplete)
Premierships - 1957, 1958, 1959, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1977
Grand Finalists - 1956, 1962, 1970, 1975
Coaches
| Name | Years | ||||||
| Roy McKay | 1953-54 | ||||||
| Ray Hutchins | 1955-56 | ||||||
| Norm Cain | 1957-1964 | ||||||
| Frank Adams | 1965-1966 | ||||||
| Unknown | 1967 | ||||||
| Colin Coutts | 1968 | ||||||
| Colin Lobb | 1969 | ||||||
| John Osborne | 1970 | ||||||
| Gordon Duff | 1971-1977 | ||||||
Best and Fairest
| Year | Player | ||||||
| 1954 | Unknown | ||||||
| 1955 | Ron Dudley | ||||||
| 1956 | Neil Campbell | ||||||
| 1957 | Malcolm Innes | ||||||
| 1958 | Malcolm Innes | ||||||
| 1959 | Frank Leahy | ||||||
| 1960 | Herbie Matthews | ||||||
| 1961 | Graeme Jacobs | ||||||
| 1962 | M. Brodie and T. Date | ||||||
| 1963 | R. Sheers and W. Adams | ||||||
| 1964 | J. Sinclair | ||||||
| 1965 | Greg Smith | ||||||
| 1966 | K. Williams | ||||||
| 1967 | A. Hollings | ||||||
| 1968 | Jim Theodore | ||||||
| 1969 | L. Blackburn | ||||||
| 1970 | Ray McQueen | ||||||
| 1971 | Barry Lierich | ||||||
| 1972 | Robbie Flower | ||||||
| 1973 | Shane Young | ||||||
| 1974 | Steve Hilton | ||||||
| 1975 | Andrew McKaige | ||||||
| 1976 | Kelvin Richards | ||||||
| 1977 | Tony Elshaug | ||||||
Notes
May have been related to the Prahran City Football Club that was under Melbourne's control from 1936.
The Melbourne United and Melbourne Rovers clubs who played in the competition in the 1940s were not related to the MFC.
1957 Football Record shows Melbourne playing South Melbourne in the Grand Final on 24 August at Punt Road, but a later edition says the GF was Richmond vs South.
Some articles make reference to league sides fielding fifths (Under 16's) teams. It is not certain if Melbourne participated, but it has been confirmed there was no fifths side in 1970 or 1971.
Richmond joined in 1951, Fitzroy in 1963 and Hawthorn played until 1968.
26 June 1937 - Melbourne vs South Melbourne A at Yarra Park.
3 July 1937 - Melbourne vs North Melbourne
Media
Sporting Globe - 01/04/1933
Argus - 01/07/1937
Argus - 21/05/1942
Argus - 01/04/1950
Football Record R1 1953
Herald - 25/03/1953
Age - 08/04/1953
Bendigo Advertiser - 05/08/1960
Age - 23/08/1971
Inside Football 31/08/1978
Inside Football - 26/06/1980
Age 27/07/1983