South Australian Football Association (1978–1995) Explained

The South Australian Football Association (SAFA) was a semi-professional Australian rules football competition based in Adelaide, South Australia from 1978^[1] to the end of the 1995 season.^[2]

Clubs

Final

Club	Colours	Nickname	Home Ground	Former League	Est.	Years in SAFA	SAFA Senior Premierships		Fate
							Total	Years
Adelaide Tigers		Tigers		–	1993	1993–95	0	-	Merged with TransAdelaide to form TransAdelaide Tigers in SAAFL in 1996
Athelstone		Raggies	Max Amber Sportfield, Paradise	NNFA	1904	1978–95	1	1995	Moved to South Australian Amateur FL in 1996
Edwardstown		Towns	Edwardstown Oval, Edwardstown	GSAFA	1919	1978–95	4	1982, 1984, 1987, 1988	Moved to South Australian Amateur FL in 1996
Flinders Park		Reds	Flinders Park Oval, Flinders Park	SAAFL	1927	1978–95	4	1978, 1979, 1981, 1983	Returned to South Australian Amateur FL in 1996
Payneham Norwood Union		Falcons	Payneham Oval, Payneham	–	1995	1995	0	-	Moved to South Australian Amateur FL in 1996
Plympton		Bulldogs	Plympton Oval, Plympton Park	SFL	1937	1990–95	0	-	Moved to South Australian Amateur FL in 1996
Pooraka		Bulls	Lindblom Park, Pooraka	NNFA	1920	1978–95	6	1984, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994	Moved to South Australian Amateur FL in 1996
Salisbury North		Hawks	Salisbury North Oval, Salisbury North	CDFA, NMFL	1953	1979-88, 1992–95	0	-	Moved to South Australian Amateur FL in 1996
Salisbury West		Tigers	Salisbury Downs Oval, Salisbury Downs	NMFL	1965	1995	0	-	Moved to South Australian Amateur FL in 1996

Former

Club	Colours	Nickname	Home Ground	Former League	Est.	Years in SAFA	SAFA Senior Premierships		Fate
							Total	Years
Brighton		Tigers	Brighton Oval, Brighton	SMFL		1987–90	0	-	Merged with Brighton High OS to form Brighton Districts and Old Scholars in SAAFL in 1991
Burnside			Bill Cooper Oval, Newland Park, Erindale	NNFA		1978	0	-	Merged with Kensington Gardens to form Burnside-Kensington in 1979
Burnside-Kensington			Bill Cooper Oval, Newland Park, Erindale	–	1979	1979–80	0	-	Moved to SAAFL in 1980
Campbelltown-Magill			Campbelltown Memorial Oval, Paradise	NNFA	1976		0	-	Moved to Northern Metropolitan FL in 1980
Elizabeth		Eagles	Elizabeth Oval, Elizabeth	CDFA	1956	1978–88	0	-	Moved to SAAFL in 1989
Ferryden Park		Lions	Ferryden Park Reserve, Ferryden Park	SAAFL	1964	1978–84	0	-	Returned to SAAFL in 1980
Gepps Cross		Rams	Duncan Fraser Reserve, Northfield	NNFA	1952	1978–83	0	-	Moved to SAAFL in 1984
Henley District and Old Scholars		Sharks	Henley Memorial Oval, Henley Beach	SAAFL	1978	1982–93	2	1992, 1993	Merged with Greek to form Henley Greek in SAAFL in 1994
Hope Valley		Demons	Hope Valley Sporting Club, Hope Valley	NNFA	1906	1978–79	0	-	Moved to Northern Metropolitan FL in 1980
Ingle Farm		Bulldogs	Rowe Park, Ingle Farm	NNFA	1968	1978–88	0	-	Moved to SAAFL in 1989
Mitchell Park		Lions	Mitchell Park Oval, Mitchell Park	SMFL	1969	1987–93	0	-	Moved to Southern FL in 1994
Modbury		Hawks	Modbury Oval, Ridgehaven	NNFA	1862	1978–87	0	-	Moved to SAAFL in 1988
Mount Lofty District		Mountain Devils	Heathfield Oval, Heathfield	–	1978	1979–85	0	-	Moved to Hills FL in 1986
Norwood Districts		Hounds	Daly Oval, Hectorville	NNFA	1961		0	-	Moved to SAAFL in 1990
Norwood Union			Brookway Park, Campbelltown	NNFA	1902	1978	0	-	Moved to Glenelg-South Adelaide FA in 1979
Para Hills		Big Reds	The Paddocks, Para Hills West	NMFL	1974	1992–94	0	-	Moved to SAAFL in 1995
Payneham			Payneham Oval, Payneham	SAAFL	1901	1980–1993	1	1986	Moved to SAAFL in 1994
Port District		Magpies	Largs Reserve, Largs Bay	–	1979	1979–83	0	-	Moved to SAAFL in 1984
Tea Tree Gully		Gullies, Wolves	Pertaringa Oval, Banksia Park	NNFA	1862	1978–87	0	-	Moved to SAAFL in 1988
Walkerville		Cats	Walkerville Oval, Walkerville	SAAFL	1901	1980–89	0	-	Returned to SAAFL in 1990
West Lakes		Lakers	Jubilee Reserve, West Lakes Shore	SAAFL	1930		0	-	Returned to SAAFL in 1988

Premierships

A1 (John Stevens Perpetual Trophy)

• 1978 Flinders Park^[3]
• 1979 Flinders Park
• 1980 Edwardstown
• 1981 Flinders Park
• 1982 Edwardstown
• 1983 Flinders Park
• 1984 Pooraka^[4]
• 1985 Pooraka
• 1986 Payneham ^[5]
• 1987 Edwardstown
• 1988 Edwardstown
• 1989 Pooraka
• 1990 Pooraka^[6]
• 1991 Pooraka
• 1992 Henley District and Old Scholars
• 1993 Henley District and Old Scholars
• 1994 Pooraka
• 1995 Athelstone^[7]

A2

• 1978 Modbury^[8]
• 1979 Port District^[9]
• 1980 Payneham ^[10]
• 1981 Mount Lofty District^[11]
• 1982 Gepps Cross^[12]
• 1983 Henley District and Old Scholars^[13]
• 1984 Ingle Farm^[14]
• 1985 Modbury
• 1986 Elizabeth
• 1987 Norwood Districts
• 1988
• 1989
• 1990
• 1991
• 1992
• 1993
• 1994 Edwardstown
• 1995 Athelstone

A3

• 1978 Edwardstown^[15]
• 1979 Edwardstown
• 1980 Edwardstown
• 1981 Edwardstown
• 1982 Edwardstown
• 1983 Flinders Park
• 1984 Edwardstown
• 1985 Flinders Park
• 1986 Flinders Park
• 1987 Henley District and Old Scholars
• 1988 Mitchell Park^[16]
• 1989 Brighton^[17]
• 1990 Mitchell Park
• 1991 Edwardstown
• 1992 Para Hills^[18]
• 1993 Henley District and Old Scholars
• 1994 Pooraka
• 1995 Athelstone

A4

• 1978 Athelstone
• 1979 Athelstone
• 1980 Walkerville^[19]
• 1981 Athelstone
• 1982 Athelstone
• 1983 Flinders Park
• 1984 Henley District and Old Scholars
• 1985 Elizabeth^[20]
• 1986 Elizabeth
• 1987 Henley District and Old Scholars
• 1988 Walkerville
• 1989 Edwardstown
• 1990 Plympton^[21]
• 1991 Edwardstown
• 1992 Salisbury North^[22]
• 1993 Athelstone
• 1994 Plympton
• 1995 Athelstone

Medallists

A1 - Harford Medal

• 1980 - Peter Munn (Ferryden Park)
• 1982 - John Eldridge (Ferryden Park)
• 1983 - Peter Munn (Ferryden Park)
• 1985 - Peter King (Athelstone)^[23]
• 1986 - Adrian Rocco (Athelstone)
• 1987 - Tim Valente (Athelstone)
• 1988 - Randall Wright (Brighton)
• 1989 - Gary Simpson (Pooraka)
• 1991 - Andrew Horsnell (Henley District and Old Scholars)
• 1992 - Matthew Wormald (Henley District and Old Scholars)
• 1993 - Errol Surman (Athelstone)^[24]
• 1994 - Chris Grigg (Athelstone)^[25]

A2 - Ardill Medal

• 1983 - Ian Berry (Henley District and Old Scholars)^[26]

Figallo Medal

Awarded for Best on Ground in an A1 Grand Final

• 1989 - Barclay Mathews (Pooraka)
• 1990 - Gary Simpson (Pooraka)
• 1991 - Gary Simpson (Pooraka)

Notes and References

1. Web site: SAAFL History – 1978 . 5 July 2013 . South Australian Amateur Football League.
2. Web site: SAAFL History – 1996 . 5 July 2013 . South Australian Amateur Football League.
3. Web site: Flinders Park Football Club/Flinders Park Methodist Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20081120133200/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20081121-0032/www.footypedia.com/00002987.html. dead. 20 November 2008. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
4. Web site: Pooraka Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070520140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20070521-0000/www.footypedia.com/00002989.html. dead. 20 May 2007. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
5. Web site: Payneham Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070520140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20070521-0000/www.footypedia.com/00002991.html. dead. 20 May 2007. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
6. Web site: Dodd. Karen. SAFA - Pooraka [B 72235/15] • Photograph]. SA Memory. State Library of South Australia. 27 November 2015.
7. Web site: Athelstone Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070520140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20070521-0000/www.footypedia.com/00000677.html. dead. 20 May 2007. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
8. Web site: Modbury Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070520140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20070521-0000/www.footypedia.com/00002992.html. dead. 20 May 2007. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
9. Web site: Port Districts Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070520140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20070521-0000/www.footypedia.com/00002993.html. dead. 20 May 2007. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
10. Web site: South Australian Football Association (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20081120133200/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20081121-0032/www.footypedia.com/00000678.html. dead. 20 November 2008. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
11. Web site: Mount Lofty Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070520140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20070521-0000/www.footypedia.com/00002271.html. dead. 20 May 2007. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
12. Web site: Gepps Cross Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20081120133200/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20081121-0032/www.footypedia.com/00002994.html. dead. 20 November 2008. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
13. Web site: Henley District And Old Scholars Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20030910140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20030911-0000/www.footypedia.com/00002990.htm. dead. 10 September 2003. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
14. Web site: Ingle Farm Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070520140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20070521-0000/www.footypedia.com/00002901.html. dead. 20 May 2007. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
15. Web site: Edwardstown Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20030910140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20030911-0000/www.footypedia.com/00002988.htm. dead. 10 September 2003. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
16. Web site: Mitchell Park Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070520140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20070521-0000/www.footypedia.com/00002380.html. dead. 20 May 2007. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
17. Web site: Brighton Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070520140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20070521-0000/www.footypedia.com/00003877.html. dead. 20 May 2007. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
18. Web site: Para Hills Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070520140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20070521-0000/www.footypedia.com/00002909.html. dead. 20 May 2007. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
19. Web site: Walkerville Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070520140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20070521-0000/www.footypedia.com/00000577.html. dead. 20 May 2007. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
20. Web site: Elizabeth Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20081120133200/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20081121-0032/www.footypedia.com/00002977.html. dead. 20 November 2008. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
21. Web site: Plympton Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070520140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20070521-0000/www.footypedia.com/00000880.html. dead. 20 May 2007. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
22. Web site: Salisbury North Football Club (SA). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070520140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34349/20070521-0000/www.footypedia.com/00000881.html. dead. 20 May 2007. Footypedia. 6 July 2013.
23. Web site: Association Medal Winners . Athelstone Football Club . 24 August 2022.
24. Web site: Surman, Errol . Athelstone Football Club . 24 August 2022.
25. Web site: Past Players G. Athelstone Football Club. 2 March 2017.
26. 1983 Premiership . 6 August 2011 . 6th & 7th August 2011 . 6 . 25 April 2020. Sharkbite Newsletter.