Following the formation of the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1877, Geelong joined the association as one of its foundation clubs. The club relocated to Corio Oval as its main home ground in time for the 1878 season, coinciding with the club's first VFA premiership in the VFA's second season. The club continued to excel over the following twenty years in the VFA, and established itself as one of the dominant clubs in the association by winning a total of seven premierships up to the birth of the (Victorian Football League) (VFL) in 1897. Geelong was the only non-Melbourne-based team to regularly play matches against metropolitan teams. Notable was Geelong's success in "The Match of the Century" in 1886. This first grand final in the VFA between two previously undefeated teams, Geelong and South Melbourne, stimulated unprecedented public interest. It was alleged that saboteurs attempted to destroy one of the special trains carrying Geelong supporters to the match in South Melbourne. Following the victory team was an impromptu public parade in South Melbourne. Geelong helped form the new VFL with other foundation clubs, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Melbourne, South Melbourne and St Kilda. For many years the Geelong Football Club were known as the Pivotonians, after the city's nickname 'The Pivot'. Seagulls was also an earlier nickname. The dark blue and white hooped uniform still worn today represents the blue water of Corio Bay and the white seagulls so numerous in the Bay. Geelong was nicknamed the 'Cats' in 1923 after a run of losses prompted a local cartoonist to suggest that the club needed a black cat to bring it good luck. Soon after, during a match a black cat ventured on to the ground. Geelong won that match, breaking the losing streak. Geelong has ever since been known as the Cats. Despite dominating in the VFA, Geelong found the premiership harder to win in the VFL. Geelong finished second to Essendon in its inaugural season after a round-robin finals system was used to determine the premier instead of the traditional Grand Final. Geelong performed poorly early on in the 1923 season. In the lead-up to the club's Round 9 clash against favourites Carlton, the "Herald Sun" published a depiction of the match by cartoonist Sam Wells, featuring a black cat wandering onto the field to give Geelong good luck.