The South Adelaide Story

The first mention of football being played in South Australia comes from a newspaper report in 1843 seven years after the colony was first settled.

This was probably some version of Gaelic football, as it was played between Irish colonists on St. Patrick's Day. However, the new version of football, which we have come to know as Australian Rules, began in Melbourne in 1858 and one of its founders, Henry Harrison, visited Adelaide to promote the game in 1860. At a meeting at the Globe Inn (where Myer now stands in Rundle Mall) a local football club was formed, known as the Adelaide Football Club.

This new club arranged matches between its members, who lived north and south of the River Torrens, and with another group known as Collegians, whose members attended one of Adelaide's private colleges. Other clubs were soon formed at Modbury (1862), Port Adelaide (1870), Gawler, Woodville, Kensington, and Willunga.

In 1875/76, a number of players broke away from the old Adelaide Football Club to form what became known as the South Adelaide Football Club.

The team we now know as the Panthers had its beginning at a meeting in the Draper Memorial schoolrooms.

From its very beginning, it wore blue and white, colours which it has carried right through the 140 years of its history to the present day. South Adelaide was credited with the premiership of the newly formed South Australian Football Association in its first year of operation in 1877, and then won another six premierships (and finished runner-up seven times) in the next twenty years.

Characters from those early years included its first secretary, Charles Cameron Kingston (pictured above top-right wearing his trademark top hat).

Kingston played for the club during its first two seasons. He then took on the role as the clubs first secretary, a position he held until 1879. He was also President of the club from 28 consecutive years until 1904, during which time he was also Premier and Attorney-General of South Australia, a member of the committee responsible for drafting the constitution for the Commonwealth of Australia, and Minister of Trade in the very first Federal Government.

A fiery character both on and off the field, he once got arrested in Victoria Square when he challenged another politician to a duel with a set of pistols he had sent to him!

Another standout during the club’s early years was Dinny Reedman, who was captain of South Australia in both football and cricket, and represented Australia in cricket as well. A ruckman and defender, he captained South Adelaide for 11 years (including five premierships) and is an inaugural member of both the AFL and SANFL Halls of Fame, as well as being captain of The Greatest South Adelaide Team.

In 1899, new boundaries were enforced which meant that South lost many of its best players to rival clubs.

And while in the early twentieth century the premierships may not have been so regular, the players made their presence felt, like Jack Tredrea.  Jack played league football between 1903 and 1922, and interstate football continuously from 1905 to 1920. He captained South Australia, was an amazingly fit and agile player, who missed only two club games throughout the whole of his career, and a great stab pass. A great admirer of Tredrea was legendary Collingwood ruckman Dick Lee, who arranged to have a photo of Jack hung in the Collingwood rooms, where it remained right up until the Second World War.

Frank Barry became the club's first Magarey Medallist, winning the league's highest honour in 1915. Shortly after claiming the medal, Barry headed off to the war claiming he "hoped to do as well at Gallipoli as on the football field, and if VC's were about he would be a trier". Sadly, upon his return from the war he would never return to the football field for South Adelaide .

In the post War period, one of South Adelaide's greatest players, Jim Deane made his mark. Deane was a gifted and elegant midfielder with a devastatingly accurate dropkick. He won Magarey Medals in 1953 and 1957, as well as claiming a then record six Knuckey Cups.Deane was captain and coach of South Adelaide for many years, as well as playing two seasons for Richmond in the VFL. Today the clubs Bistro and Grandstand at Flinders University Stadium are named in his honour.

In 1964 South won its third premiership for the century under the fierce leadership of captain-coach Neil "Knuckles" Kerley.

Kerley took the team from bottom to top in a historic win for the club, defeating the mighty Port Adelaide in the Grand Final, one of the great games in SANFL history. 

During its early years, the club’s matches were played at the old Jubilee Oval, which was located next to Frome Road in what is now the University of Adelaide. Prior to this, in the 1890's, they had made use of a ground in the South Parklands close to Hutt Street and the old Arab Steed Hotel, where players often used to go for half-time drinks! Other ovals which the club has used for home matches include the Kensington Oval (which was right next to the tram), the Adelaide Oval (which was a real favourite for both players and spectators), and now the new oval at Noarlunga.

The SAFC now provides a focus for football in the Fleurieu area.  Its recruiting "zone" spans from the metropolitan suburbs of Happy Valley and Reynella, down the southern coast through McLaren Vale and Victor Harbor and also includes Kangaroo Island.

In 2002 the SAFC named its Greatest Ever Team, and all 21 players were inducted into its inaugural Hall of Fame. Additions to the Hall of Fame have been made every few years since. 

Many South players have gone on to become part of the AFL national competition, including AFL premiership players Mark Bickley, Clay Sampson, Nigel Smart, Kym Koster, Caleb Daniel, Beau McCrerry, Simon Goodwin and Tom Sparrow who was coached by Goodwin in Melbournes drought breaking Premiership in 2021. 

Many others  have gone on to have successful AFL careers in SA or interstate. While this has been great for the individual players, it has also meant that a lot of talent has been lost, arguably more so than from other SANFL clubs. 

Some have returned to play with South, notably Mark Naley (Carlton) Clay Sampson  (Melbourne, Adelaide & Richmond) Jason Torney  (Richmond & Adelaide) , Kym Koster (Western Bulldogs & Adelaide) and Keegan Brooksby (Gold Coast, West Coast & Hawthorn) 

After a reasonably successful period in the second decade of the new Century, senior coach Jarrad Wright built on this, taking the senior team to consecutive preliminary finals in 2020 and 2021, the first time in over 50 years this had been achieved by the SAFC. In Round 9 2023, Jarrad Wright became just the fourth senior coach to read the 100 game milestone. 

South Adelaide secured the services of ex-AFL player Bryce Gibbs for the 2021 season, and he immediately stamped his mark on the SANFL competition, dominating games from the midfield and winning the Magarey Medal. 

In the memorable 2021 SANFL finals, when South defeated North Adelaide and Norwood before ultimately losing to Glenelg, the exciting Jason Horne-Francis produced his own highlights reel in last appearances for the Panthers before being drafted into the AFL.

From 2020-2022, all clubs had to contend with restrictions due to the COVID pandemic,  losses of revenue and reduced salary caps. During the 2021 season the Port Adelaide Magpies and Adelaide SANFL teams dropped out of the SANFL competition due to COVID restrictions but resumed in 2022. 

South Adelaide has a long and rich story, and the club is entering a new chapter is being written at Flinders University Stadium. The Club will celebrate its 150-year milestone in 2026 with the release of a commemorative history book. 

Original written by former Club Historian John Althorp and periodically updated by the SAFC Heritage Committee .