South Gawler Football Club

South Gawler Football Club
Names
Full name	South Gawler Football Club Inc.
2024 season
Leading goalkicker	Henry Bennison (A Grade), Cooper Gilchrist (Reserves)
Best and fairest	Jackson Press
Club details
Founded	21 March 1889; 135 years ago (21 March 1889)
Colours
Competition	Barossa Light & Gawler Football Association
President	Cosie Costa
Coach	Gavin Chaplin
Captain(s)	Josh Wittwer / Jackson Dare / Daniel Goulding / Jackson Press
Ground(s)	Eldred Riggs Reserve, Evanston
Uniforms
Home
Other information
Official website	southgawlerfc.com

The South Gawler Football Club is a country Australian rules football club, founded by James Fitzgerald in the Gawler South area of the town of Gawler, South Australia, in 1889. The Lions, who wear royal blue and white stripes, currently compete in the Barossa Light & Gawler Football Association. Their club and oval today situated at Eldred Riggs Reserve, Evanston, in Gawler.^[1]

On the evening of Thursday 21st March 1889, a meeting of people interested in the formation of a football club at Gawler South was held at the Mill Inn (that site today the corner of Seventh Street and Main North Road, just before the Murray Street Bridge). About 30 persons were present, with Fitzgerald elected to the chair. He explained the object of the meeting was to form a junior club in the locality for now, to join a senior association likely to be formed in Gawler in the near future; to then thereby "...increase interest in the game by endeavouring to get more matches on for juniors, so that by practice some useful players could be brought out". Fitzgerald was elected captain, George Sanderson vice captain, and Tom Willett would be the first secretary. The colors decided on were red-and-blue with white bands. ^[2] Although by 1890 Gawler South had changed their colours to blue and white.

On Saturday 30th March 1889, the first opening intraclub match of the new club was played at Para Para, starting at 3pm with 40 players turning out on a warm day.^[3] The first official competition game was against the Salisbury Football Club on 20th April 1889 at Salisbury. The final scores were Gawler South 2.7 defeating Salisbury 1.2. The goal scorers for Souths were Fitzgerald and Arthurs, who were also amongst the best players.^[4] Gawler South then became an inaugural member of the Gawler Junior Football Association (which eventually became the Gawler Football Association) formed on Tuesday 23rd April 1889 by delegates from the following three clubs - South, (Gawler) Centrals and Willaston. The GFA was renamed to the Gawler and Districts Football League in 1953. In 1955, Gawler South first adopted the Rampant Lion as its emblem. And in 1957, the original "Gawler South" name for the club taken from the suburb, was replaced by the title "South Gawler" – to describe the area.

The Lions (often also nicknamed "Southies") have produced some champion footballers, many who have played senior football in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and the Australian Football League (AFL) as well as representing South Australia. Sam Butler became South Gawler's first fully professional footballer with the AFL's West Coast Eagles in 2004 and a member of the Eagles' 2006 Premiership team. Defender Yves Sibenaler Jr played in seven SANFL Premierships (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) for Central District, while Alan Obst (a 2007 Premiership player also with the Bulldogs) was listed with AFL clubs Adelaide and North Melbourne. During the twentieth century, Walter "Winky" Price (a triple premiership player with West Adelaide), Ron May (who was at North Adelaide between 1924 and 1933; and a league premiership player in 1930), Lawrie Rusby (who played 172 league games for South Adelaide including premierships in 1935 and 1941) and Irishman Robin Mulholland (112 games for Central District) also represented South Australia in State-of-Origin during celebrated careers in the SANFL. While Stephen Officer played for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League between 1971 and 1975.

According to a number of forums covering country Australian Rules football, South Gawler is possibly one of the most successful football clubs in Australia. Following the 2023 BLGFA title, with 39 first-grade premierships recorded and verified,^[5] discussion since 2008 suggests that the Lions have accumulated the third-most premierships in South Australia^[6] and (as of October 2024) are the equal-eighth winningest Australian Rules club in Australia.^[7]

While success at senior level had initially eluded them in the new century, South Gawler remained buoyant with their junior development programs continuing to consistently produce success. The club's Junior Colts won the flag in 2012 and 2015, while the Senior Colts' completed a hat-trick of premierships from 2009 to 2011, again in 2013 and most recently were crowned back-to-back premiers again in 2019 and 2020.

In 2017, women's football began with the BLGW so South created the Lionesses – first entering a senior team in the following 2018 season. Despite humble origins, several excellent talents emerged; including Tegan Nottle – who was selected on the wing for state country in that inaugural season. And in 2022, Captain-Coach Aisha Thomas won the Lionesses' first ever Association best and fairest. In season 2023, the Under 16 Girls team would claim the club's first ever BLGW premiership (at any level) within only five years.

In 2021 the Lions finally broke their longest senior men's premiership drought (since 1993) in the club's 135-year history. After 28 years (an interim during which they finished runners up in 1996, 2014 and 2020) South came back from a 57 point deficit halfway through the second quarter to overturn arch-rivals Willaston by one goal in the 2021 Grand Final at Elliott Goodger Park. The Lions at last would claim their fourth BLGFA title and 38th senior premiership.^[8] It is one of the greatest comeback victories in SA country football Grand Final history, and quite likely the greatest turnaround in any BLGFA final ever. 2021 was further punctuated by the club winning the first ever inaugural BLGFA Under 13s premiership for a new junior grade, while the Reserves were gallant runners-up.

Season 2022 saw both the A Grade and Reserves make the Grand Final once again, however with a reversal of fortunes. While the second senior team were crowned Premiers; their first title since 2012, the A Grade who had dominated all season to be favourites were upset by Nuriootpa.

In 2023, at their fourth Grand Final in a row, the A Grade achieved redemption – rebounding after a 1 point defeat by Nuriootpa in the First Semi Final to then overcome the Tigers by 12 points in the Grand Final, before a record crowd at Lyndoch Oval. South Gawler's 39th senior men's title since 1889. While the Reserves and Under 13s were upset in their Grand Finals after finishing top at the end of the minor round.

In 2024 South Gawler Under 15s claimed the Lions' eleventh Junior Colt premiership overall while the Reserves were runners up.

Gawler Football Association
1891, 1893, 1894, 1899, 1901, 1902, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1952
Gawler and District Football League
1954, 1955, 1960
Adelaide Plains Football League
1961
Gawler and District Football League
1963, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1979, 1986
Barossa, Light and Gawler Football Association
1990, 1992, 1993, 2021, 2023

Peter Swift – South Adelaide, South Australia
Cecil Adcock – South Adelaide, South Australia
Charlie Waters – South Adelaide, South Australia
E.H. Cockram – South Adelaide, South Australia
"Winky" Price – West Adelaide, South Australia
Lawrie Rusby – South Adelaide, South Australia
Robin Mulholland – Central District, South Australia

Stephen Officer – South Melbourne
Sam Butler – Central District, West Coast, East Perth, Perth
Alan Obst – Central District, Adelaide, North Melbourne, North Adelaide

Aisha Thomas – Central District

1986 – Brett Riggs
1994 – Eddie Schwerdt
1995 – Eddie Schwerdt
2022 – Patrick White
2022 – Steve Burton
2022 – Flynn Pisani
2023 – Patrick White
2023 – Flynn Pisani
2024 – Patrick White
2024 – Steve Burton

2019 – Tegan Nottle

1951 – Brenton Nottle
1985 – Brett Riggs
1989 – Darren Joyce
1997 – Aaron Bevis
2003 – Sam Butler
2005 – Alan Obst
2024 – Jermaine Miller

Gawler Football Association
1912 Mail Medal – Winky Price
1923 P.J. Broderick Medal – H. Bentley / A.R. May
1927 P.J. Broderick Medal – P. Baldwin
1936 Mail Medal – Eddie Mahoney
1937 Mail Medal – Eddie Mahoney
1938 Mail Medal – Eddie Mahoney
1941 W. Wiles Trophy – M. Williams
1947 Page Trophy – Bob Gordon
1948 Page Trophy – Bob Gordon
Gawler and District Football League
1954 Mail Trophy – Stan Edmonds
1957 Mail Trophy – John Nottle
1963 Mail Trophy – Dean Clark
1970 Mail Trophy – Xavier Sibenaler
1975 Mail Trophy – Mick Daly
1976 Mail Trophy – Kym Stoddard
1983 Bunyip Medal – Graham Schultz
Barossa, Light and Gawler Football Association
1989 Linke and Mail Medals – Eddie Schwerdt
1992 Linke and Mail Medals – Eddie Schwerdt
1995 Linke and Mail Medals – Eddie Schwerdt
2002 Linke and Mail Medals – Ben Halliday
2022 Schluter Medal – Steve Burton
2023 Schluter and Mail Medals – Steve Burton

BLGW
2022 Central District Football Club BLGW Trophy – Aisha Thomas

A Grade (39)
1891, 1893, 1894, 1899, 1901, 1902, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1979, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2021, 2023

Reserves (32)
1905, 1906, 1907, 1915, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1930, 1951, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1999, 2012, 2022

Colts / Senior Colts (18)
1960, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1988, 2009, 2020, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2020

Junior Colts (11)
1959, 1975, 1985, 1993, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2024

Mini League - boys (1)
2021

Senior Women (-)

Under 16 - girls (1)
2023

Under 13 - girls (-)

Heinrich, David and Hurst, Garry. The history of the South Gawler Football Club 1889–1989, [Gawler, S. Aust. : The South Gawler Football Club], c1990
Laidlaw, Robert. The History of the Gawler and District Football League. Bunyip Press. 2008
Lines, Peter. Encyclopedia of South Australian Country Football Clubs. 2008
Laidlaw, Robert. The Central District Football Club 30 Year Almanac
Argent, Peter. The (BLGFA) Barracker

• Official website