Australian rules football in South Australia

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Australian rules football in South Australia
AFL football at AAMI Stadium in Adelaide featuring the Port Adelaide Power against the West Coast Eagles
Governing body South Australian National Football League
Representative team South Australia
First played 1873, Adelaide
Registered players 72,971 (total)
14,825 (adult)
Competitions
Club
 - South Australian National Football League
Audience records
Single match 66,987 (1976). SANFL Grand Final. Sturt vs Port Adelaide. (Football Park, Adelaide)
Flag of South Australia

Australian rules football in South Australia has a history dating back to the 1870s, and it has long been the most popular sport in the state.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-1877

The earliest recorded football club in South Australia was Adelaide Football Club, formed in 1860.[1] One of the earliest games played was against the Modbury Football Club[citation needed] in 1862. The early years of football were poorly organised and dogged by argument over which set of rules to adopt. In fact, after a match between Port Adelaide and Kensington in 1873, it was remarked that neither side understood the rules clearly, and there was uncertainty over which team had won. However, as they years progressed, there became a growing push for uniformity and structure in South Australian football.

[edit] 1877-1900

Port Adelaide's magenta uniform (c.1896)
Port Adelaide's magenta uniform (c.1896)

In 1877, 12 of South Australia's football clubs met to develop a uniform set of rules and establish a governing body. They formed the South Australian Football Association, the first governing body of its type for football in Australia, and adopted rules similar to those used in Victoria. The inaugural 1877 season was contested by those 12 clubs: South Park, Willunga, Port Adelaide, Adelaide, North Adelaide, Prince Alfred College, Gawler, Kapunda, Bankers, Woodville, South Adelaide and Victorian.

South Adelaide have worn blue and white since establishment (c.1890)
South Adelaide have worn blue and white since establishment (c.1890)

Norwood joined the Association the following season in 1878, and went on to win the next six premierships. Norwood, along with South Adelaide and Port Adelaide, dominated the early years, winning 23 of the first 24 premierships between them. However, club numbers were diminishing. South Park, Willunga, North Adelaide, Prince Alfred College, Gawler, Kapunda, Bankers, Woodville, and Victorian all left the Association within the first 10 years. By 1886, the Association had been reduced from 12 to four clubs.

But the Association experienced a resurgence in the late 1880s and early 1890s. The addition of West Adelaide (1887), North Adelaide (1893), West Torrens (1897) and only the demise of Adelaide (1893), meant the Association was six clubs by the turn of the century. In 1898, the Magarey Medal was awarded to the fairest and most brilliant player for the first time (see #Magarey Medal).

[edit] 1901-1913

The Sturt Football Club joined the Association in 1901, but performed poorly initially, finishing last in its first three seasons. In 1902, Port Adelaide adopted its now famous black and white colours, and the competition was beginning to take a more familiar form. In 1907, the Association changed its name to the South Australian Football League.

Heavyweights Norwood and Port Adelaide continued their domination of the league, and were joined by West Adelaide and North Adelaide and between them, the four clubs won all premierships between 1901 and 1913. Amazingly, West Adelaide followed three straight wooden spoons from 1904-06 with four out of the five premierships from 1908-1912. This was to be the most successful period in West Adelaide's history.

Port Adelaide v Sturt, 1914 Grand Final
Port Adelaide v Sturt, 1914 Grand Final

[edit] World War I

The SAFL managed to maintain competition for the first two years of World War I, 1914 and 1915, with Sturt winning their first premiership in 1915. But by 1916, clubs were sustaining high losses to war and competition was suspended and did not resume until 1919.

[edit] 1919-1938

Sturt won the first premiership of the post-WWI era, beating North Adelaide in the Challenge Final replay. Glenelg became the newest addition to the league in 1921 and started poorly with five consecutive wooden spoons. In 1927, the South Australian Football League changed its name for a third time, adopting the now familiar, South Australian National Football League. Meanwhile, Port Adelaide celebrated a golden era during the inter-war years, with 12 grand finals yielding five premierships.

[edit] World War II

As with World War I, the SANFL managed to continue competition for the first few years of World War II. However, by 1942, the war forced all clubs to merge in order to field a side. Mergers were geographically determined with Port Adelaide merging with West Torrens, West Adelaide merging with Glenelg, Sturt merging with South Adelaide and Norwood merging with North Adelaide. This wartime competition continued from 1942-44.

[edit] 1946-1959

Norwood began the post-war era in superb style winning three premierships by 1950. However, this period was dominated by Fos Williams' Port Adelaide, winning seven premierships, including an amazing six in a row from 1954-59 (although the 1959 premiership was won under the stewardship of Geoff Motley as Captain-Coach).

[edit] 1960-1969

Port Adelaide continued their dominance of the competition with three more premierships by 1965. In 1964, for the first time in 60 years, the SANFL admitted two new clubs, Central District and Woodville. Both clubs performed poorly, and many questioned the purpose of introducing two more teams, in particular Woodville, who were closely surrounded by existing clubs, Port Adelaide and West-Torrens. Meanwhile a new power, Sturt, hit the competition, winning five straight premierships from 1966-70. Sturt shared a fierce rivalry with Port Adelaide whom they played in four consecutive Grand Finals.

[edit] 1970-1979

Sturt began the 1970s by defeating Glenelg in a rain-effected Grand Final by 21 points. North Adelaide secured back-to-back premiership victories over Port Adelaide in 1971 and 1972 and defeated VFL premier Carlton by one point in the end-of-season Champions of Australia match. Port Adelaide continued their success, winning two premierships themselves (1977, 1979), and finishing lower than 3rd only once for the decade. Other premiership winning clubs in the 1970s were Sturt (1970, 1974, 1976), Glenelg (1973), and Norwood (1975, 1978). The SANFL made the biggest shift in its history, moving all operations to the new Football Park in 1974. Central District and North Adelaide played the first ever match at the ground on May 4, 1974. The first SANFL Grand Final was played at the Ground the same year, the first away from Adelaide Oval (Sturt versus Glenelg). In front of a crowd of 58,042 people, Sturt won by 15 points despite kicking into a stiff breeze in the last quarter after leading by just 5 points at three-quarter time. The 1975 season was highlighted by Glenelg's score of 49.23 (317) against Central District. In fact, the winning margin of 238 points was larger, at that time, than the previous highest score ever recorded by a side in a single game. In 1976, Sturt defeated Grand Final favourites Port Adelaide by 41 points in front of a record Football Park crowd of 66,897. Norwood won the 1978 premiership in their centenary year by beating Sturt in the Grand Final by the narrowest of margins - one point - after Sturt had lost just one game for the entire season. During the 1970s, football in South Australia experienced an increase in players moving across the border to play in the higher standard VFL competition.

[edit] 1980-1989

The exodus of quality players to the VFL continued in the 1980s and inevitably the quality of competition began to drop. Sensing the change, in 1981 the SANFL submitted a bid to enter a composite South Australian team in the VFL, but were rejected. Following this failed attempt, the SANFL introduced a Player Retention Scheme in 1988. The aim of the Scheme was to provide financial incentives to top players to remain in South Australia. While this Scheme saw a short-term increase in the quality of the competition, attendances soon began to drop again.

Meanwhile, on-field, night football came to the SANFL in 1984 with floodlights installed at Football Park following a long battle with nearby residents. The heavyweights Port Adelaide, Norwood and Glenelg dominated the competition, winning eight premierships between them.

[edit] 1990-1999

AFL football at AAMI Stadium in Adelaide featuring the Port Adelaide Power against the West Coast Eagles
AFL football at AAMI Stadium in Adelaide featuring the Port Adelaide Power against the West Coast Eagles

The 1990s was the most turbulent decade in the history South Australian football. The SANFL continued to resist the temptation to enter a side in the AFL. However matters came to an abrupt head on July 31, 1990, when the Port Adelaide Football Club, feeling it was subsidising the other SANFL clubs, made an independent bid to the join the AFL. The shock announcement took everyone by surprise and instigated the most controversial period in South Australian football.

The SANFL was left with little option but to submit its own bid to enter the AFL. In a thirty-minute meeting the SANFL formed the Adelaide Football Club, a composite side made up of players from all SANFL clubs. While Port Adelaide had by far the largest supporter base in South Australia, they could not compete with the SANFL's offer of a composite club and the use of Football Park.

In November 1990, following a vicious legal battle, the AFL announced the Adelaide Football Club had been granted the licence and would enter the competition in 1991.

After a tumultuous summer, the Adelaide Crows debuted in 1991 wearing the state colours of navy blue, red and yellow. While the Adelaide Crows enjoyed crowds of over 40,000 every week and dominated local media coverage, crowds at local SANFL matches plummeted. The 1990s was the first decade in the SANFL's history that it was not South Australia's premier football event every weekend.

In 1997, Port Adelaide finally achieved their goal of joining the Australian Football League under a new name, the Power. After just missing out on the finals in their first season, the Power finally made their first finals series in 1999.

The Crows were the first of SA's two clubs to taste premiership success in the big league, winning back-to-back cups in 1997 and 1998.

Locally, Port Adelaide Magpies dominated the competition winning seven premierships in the 1990s.

[edit] Participation

In 2007, with 14,825 senior players in SA and a total participation of 72,971[2], South Australia has the second most players of any state in Australia. With a participation rate of around 4% per capita, makes it the equal third most supported state (with Victoria and South Australia). [1]

[edit] Audience

[edit] Attendance Record

[edit] Major Australian Rules Events in South Australia

[edit] Great South Australian Footballers

Great players from SA to participate in elite football include: Barrie Robran, Malcolm Blight, Russell Ebert, John Platten, Neil Kerley, Stephen Kernahan, Craig Bradley, Tony Hall, Tony McGuinness, Andrew Jarman, Darren Jarman, Gavin Wanganeen, Fos Williams, Mark M. Williams, Andrew Payze, Garry McIntosh, Michael Aish, Bruce Lindsey and Mark Ricciuto.

[edit] Notable South Australian Players in the AFL

[edit] Governing Body

The governing body for Aussie Rules in SA is the South Australian National Football League. South Australia is the only state governing body for Australian Football in Australia that is also a league.

[edit] Leagues & Clubs

[edit] Professional Clubs

[edit] Open

[edit] Adelaide Metropolitan Leagues

[edit] Regional Leagues

Each year the South Australian Country Football Championships showcase the best regional football talent from around the State. In 2006 the Central zone was the premier side.[2]. The competition is made up of the following representative sides:

  • Central (comprises the Barossa Light and Gawler, Adelaide Plains, Northern Areas, North Eastern and Yorke Peninsula Football Leagues)
  • Southern Districts (River Murray, Great Southern, Hills, Southern and Kangaroo Island Football Leagues)
  • South East (Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara, Mid South Eastern and Western Border Football Leagues)
  • Eyre Peninsula (Port Lincoln, Great Flinders, Easterm Eyre, Mid West and Far West Football Leagues)
  • Northern Cities (Whyalla, Woomera & Districts and Spencer Gulf Football Leagues)
  • Murray Mallee Barrier Zone (Riverland, Mid Murray, Broken Hill and Mallee Football Leagues)

[edit] Junior

[edit] Masters

[edit] Women's

[edit] Representative Team

The South Australian representative team is known as the Croweaters and have played State of Origin test matches against all other Australian states. The side had a particular rivalry against Victoria, defeating them on many occasions despite Victoria having the bigger population and arguably stronger league. In the 1980s, Kick a Vic was a popular catchcry. The SA representative teams still play at Under 16 and 18's level.

See Also Interstate matches in Australian rules football

[edit] Principal Venues

[edit] Sources

  1. ^ Full Points Footy
  2. ^ More chase Sherrin than before - realfooty.com.au
  • South Australian National Football League
  • Adelaide Crows
  • Port Adelaide Magpies
  • Port Adelaide Power

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Australian rules football in South Australia
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