The Kew Rovers football Club was established in 1971 by Father Kevin Nicholson who at the time was the Priest at local parish primary school, Sacred Heart to provide his students the opportunity to play football and have some fun. The club commenced with one team only all from the local school, some as young as five years old. Whilst the team trained at Sacred Heart, match games were always played at Stradbroke Park. The Guernsey the team played for then and still does today is the distinctive royal blue with the white sash.

The team was coached by Bryan “BJ” O’Shaughnessy who together with Father Nicholson founded the club. With no means of funding, the club relied entirely on canteen sales to meet it’s costs; it was very much a family affair as it still is today, with Bryan’s wife, Sally acting as secretary & canteen manager. His sons, Kevin and Tim assisted with the coaching, and even one of the O'Shaughnessy daughters ran the boundary!

The club commenced playing in the Hawthorn District Junior Football League. But by 1978, the club had expanded so much together with the desire to play in a higher standard of competition, Kew Rovers joined the larger and more powerful Doncaster and Yarra Junior Football League.By 1981 Kew Rovers was the strongest club in the competition, fielding eight teams from Under 11’s to Under 15’s. Nowadays, the club fields as many as 12 teams in all age groups as well as hosting Auskick.

Kew Rovers has had an enormous impact on the football community with many players going on to play at the highest level. For example, James Morrissey, went on to play in 3 premierships with AFL side Hawthorn fc.The influence of the club has also been felt in Associated Public Schools football, especially at Xavier College, as well as in the Victorian Amateur Football Association. Currently, the Old Xaverians Football Club train and play at Stradbroke Park.

BJ coached the Kew Rovers team for eleven years and had a significant impact on the development of hundreds of young boys, both on and off the field. The club recognises his pivotal role in the foundation of the Club, and its continued development by honouring in his memory a Perpetual Trophy. This trophy is awarded annually for Outstanding Contributions to the Club.

The Kew Rovers Football Club is a family orientated club. The focus is on having fun, developing some footy skills and reaping the benefits of participating in a team sport.The committee, coaches and managers mainly comprise of parents of Kew Rovers players. They are supported by parent volunteers who front up each week in various roles - goal umpires, boundary umpires, umpire escorts, time keeper & score board duties.