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The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
league based in the Australian state of
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. It is also the state's
governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ge ...
for the sport. Originally formed as the South Australian Football Association on 30 April 1877, the SANFL is the oldest surviving football league of any code in Australia and is the 7th oldest club football league in the world. Consisting of a single division competition, since the admission of the Adelaide Crows AFL Reserves in 2014 the season, has been a 10-team, 18-round home-and-away (regular) season from April to September. The top five teams play-off in a final series culminating in the grand final for the Thomas Seymour Hill Premiership Trophy. The grand final had traditionally been held at
Football Park Football Park, known commercially as AAMI Stadium, was an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, South Australia, West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, Australia. It was built in 197 ...
in October, generally the week after the
AFL Grand Final The AFL Grand Final is an Australian rules football match to determine the premiers for the Australian Football League (AFL) season. From its inception until 1989, it was known as the VFL Grand Final, as the league at that time was the Victori ...
, though this was altered ahead of the 2014 season resulting in
Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby ...
hosting the grand final in the penultimate weekend of September. The league owned the sub-licences for South Australia's two AFL club—
Adelaide Football Club The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since ...
and
Port Adelaide Football Club Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed ...
—until March 2014, when South Australian Football Commission reached an agreement with the Adelaide and Port Adelaide football clubs—endorsed by the AFL—which will see the two AFL licences transferred to the clubs in return for payments totalling more than $18 million. The league is also responsible for the management of all levels of football in the state. This includes junior football, country football, amateur football and specific programs rolled out across schools, indigenous communities (including the APY Lands in the state's north) and newly arrived migrant communities. The SANFL owned
Football Park Football Park, known commercially as AAMI Stadium, was an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, South Australia, West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, Australia. It was built in 197 ...
, formerly the largest stadium in South Australia. The stadium, which opened in 1974, was primarily used for
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
matches up until 2013 and had a capacity of over 51,000 prior to being demolished. The stadium was the headquarters for the league from 1974 to 2013. The SANFL competition is the second highest attended Australian rules football league behind the AFL.


History


Before 1877

The first recorded game of any "football" in South Australia was that of 'Caid' played in Thebarton by people of the local Irish community in 1843 to celebrate St Patrick's Day. In 1844 there was debate amongst the South Australian Legislative Council whether it be allowed that "foot-ball" be played on Sundays, with arguments against preferring the quiet worship of God. In 1859 the Gawler Institute ran a rural fete which included a game of football being staged. The earliest recorded Australian rules football club in South Australia was
Adelaide Football Club The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since ...
(unrelated to the modern day
Adelaide Crows The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) sinc ...
), formed in 1860. The early years of football were poorly organised and dogged by argument over which set of rules to adopt. A meeting of three delegates from each of the three clubs—Adelaide, Kensington and Port Adelaide—held a meeting on 10 March 1873, with
Charles Kingston Charles Cameron Kingston (22 October 1850 – 11 May 1908) was an Australian politician. From 1893 to 1899 he was a radical liberal Premier of South Australia, occupying this office with the support of Labor, which in the House of Assembly wa ...
from Adelaide voted as Chair in an attempted to draw up a standard code of playing rules. However, after a match between
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
and Kensington in July 1873, it was remarked that neither side understood the rules clearly. As the years progressed, there became a growing push for uniformity and structure in South Australian football.


1877–1896: SAFA establishment and the early years

In 1877, following an initial meeting called by
Richard Twopeny Richard Ernest Nowell Twopeny (1 August 1857 – 2 September 1915) or Twopenny or Turpenny was an Australian rules footballer, journalist and newspaper editor/owner in New Zealand and Australia. Early life Twopeny was the son of Archdeacon ...
on Thursday 19 April 1877 at Prince Alfred Hotel delegates from 13 of South Australia's football clubs met to develop a uniform set of rules and establish a governing body. The South Australian Football Association was formed at a meeting called at the Prince Alfred Hotel in
King William Street, Adelaide King William Street is the part of a major arterial road that traverses the central business district, CBD and Adelaide city centre, centre of Adelaide, continuing as King William Road to the north of North Terrace, Adelaide, North Terrace and ...
on 30 April 1877, the first governing body of its type for football in Australia, and adopted rules similar to those used in Victoria upon the urging of
Charles Cameron Kingston Charles Cameron Kingston (22 October 1850 – 11 May 1908) was an Australian politician. From 1893 to 1899 he was a radical liberal Premier of South Australia, occupying this office with the support of Labor, which in the House of Assembly wa ...
. The use of an oval ball, bouncing the ball and pushing from behind forbidden amongst the rules agreed. The clubs that sent 2 delegates each to the meeting were: South Park, Willunga, Port Adelaide, Adelaide, North Adelaide, Prince Alfred College, Gawler, Kapunda, Bankers, Woodville, South Adelaide, Kensington, and Victorian. The inaugural
1877 SAFA season The 1877 South Australian Football Association season was the inaugural season of the top-level league of Australian rules football in South Australia. The clubs participating were South Adelaide, Victorian, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Woodville, S ...
was contested by 8 clubs. A number of games were played by Adelaide and Woodville against Gawler and Kapunda but these weren't counted in the premiership table at the end of the season. South Adelaide and Victorian were declared joint Club Champions. In 1878, a brand new club Norwood was formed following the entire collapse of Woodville by a number of former players and it joined the Association for the season. An end of season match on 31 August between a combined Adelaide Team from the Association against a combined team from the 3 country clubs – Gawler, Kapunda and Willunga was played on the Adelaide Ground. With the Adelaide team winning 5 goals to 1. Of the original clubs – Bankers (1877), Woodville (1877), Kensington (1881 after merging with Adelaide), South Park (1884), Victorian (1884) had all left the competition by 1884. Three new Clubs were admitted in 1887 – Hotham, Gawler Albion and West Adelaide but all only lasted for a few seasons. West Adelaide folded after just one season in 1887, Hotham which renamed to North Adelaide for 1888 merged with Adelaide for the 1889 season, and Gawler after its 4th season notified the Association in writing in April 1891 that it would no longer be joining (principally due to being given only 5 home games at Gawler and 10 away games in Adelaide for the 1890 season). In 1888 Medindie Football Club (nickname Dingoes) joined the SAFA. On 14 March 1893, at a meeting held at Temperance Hall, North Adelaide it renamed to
North Adelaide Football Club North Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Roosters, is an Australian rules football club affiliated with the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and SANFL Women's League (SANFLW). The club plays its home games at Prospect Oval, ...
. By 1894, Season with the demise of the
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
(which rejoined for the 1885 Season and became Premiers for the
1886 SAFA season The 1886 South Australian Football Association season was the 10th season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia. This was the first season in South Australia that quarters were played, allowing ends to be cha ...
) at the end of the 1893 Season, the Association had been reduced to just four clubs Port Adelaide, South Adelaide, Norwood and North Adelaide (originally called Medindie). In 1895, a newly formed 5th senior club called Natives was admitted which was formed from players from various districts and a group of periphery Port Adelaide players who wanted more playing time. In 1896, North Adelaide and the Natives were permitted to field 23 players (3 extra players).


1897–1900: Introduction of Electorate District Zoning and other Changes

1897 saw a number of changes, District football was introduced optionally in 1897 with the aim of zoning players to a SAFA club (and became compulsory in 1899). On 5 April 1897, The Association approved the application of the current
West Adelaide Football Club West Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Commonly known as The Bloods and Westies, the club's home base is Richmond Oval (South Australia), Richmond Oval (current ...
to join the SAFA from the Suburban Association and The Native Football Club (1895–1896) altered its name to
West Torrens Football Club West Torrens Football Club was an Australian rules football club that competed in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) from 1897 to 1990. In 1991, the club merged with neighbouring Woodville Football Club to form the Woodville ...
, which meant the Association comprised six clubs until the turn of the century. The
1897 SAFA season The 1897 South Australian Football Association season was the 21st edition of the top level of Australian rules football to be played in South Australia. Port Adelaide won its 3rd premiership. This was the first season of football in South Aus ...
was the first season of football in South Australia where behinds contributed to the total score, not just goals. The 3 newer clubs continued to struggle against the older 3 clubs. In the 1st Round both West Adelaide (vs Norwood) and West Torrens (vs Port Adelaide) failed to score for the whole game. There was also a number of walkovers throughout the season when the newer clubs failed to field a team. In 1898, the
Magarey Medal The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by field umpires. The award was created by Willia ...
was awarded to the fairest and most brilliant player for the first time. In 1899, after a period of declining public interest in football due to the long term inequality between the 3 traditional clubs (
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
, South Adelaide and Norwood) and the 3 younger clubs (West Adelaide, West Torrens and North Adelaide), the SAFA introduced electorate football, meaning that players were allocated to clubs based on the district in which they resided. and the playing teams were reduced from 20 to 18. At a meeting held on Monday 8 May 1899 with a large number of delegates present the Secretary was instructed to write to the Gawler and Port Pirie Associations to inform them that their applications to join the SAFA would not be entertained this year as purely electorate football was being tried. In mid- to late 1900 there was growing interest to form a senior club in the Sturt Electoral District based around Unley to join the SAFA. In 1900, North Adelaide won the Grand Final against South Adelaide breaking the dominance of the 3 old traditional Clubs – Norwood (11), South Adelaide (8) and
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
(3) which together had won 22 of the first 23 premierships (1877–1899). File:South_Adelaide_1877_premiership_team.png, was a strong club in early years winning 8 premierships in the 19th century (1885 South Adelaide team pictured). File:Norwood_premiership_team_1878.png, The Football Club won six premierships in a row from its establishment in 1878 to 1883 (1878 Norwood team pictured). File:AlfredTopsyWaldron.JPG, Alfred Waldron was an early star. File:Albert_Green_Norwood.jpg,
Alby Green Albert Green (28 January 1874 – 1913) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Norwood Football Club, Norwood in the South Australian National Football League, SAFA and first-class cricketer who played for Southern Redbacks, South A ...
won the competition's first
Magarey Medal The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by field umpires. The award was created by Willia ...
in 1898.


1901–1913: Pre war years

The competition expanded to 7 teams when a new club Sturt joined the Association in
1901 Events January * January 1 – The Crown colony, British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Western Australia Federation of Australia, federate as the Australia, ...
, but it performed poorly initially, finishing last in its first four seasons. In 1902, Port Adelaide adopted its now famous black and white colours. In 1907, the Association changed its name to the South Australian Football League. Norwood and
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
continued their domination of the league, and were joined by West Adelaide and North Adelaide; between them, the four clubs won all premierships between 1901 and 1913. West Adelaide followed three straight wooden spoons from 1904 to 1906 with four out of the five premierships from 1908 to 1912 (including
Championship of Australia The Championship of Australia was an Australian rules football tournament which was contested between football clubs from the Victorian, South Australian, Western Australian and Tasmanian football leagues. The Championship took place three ti ...
in 1908 and 1913), the most successful period in West Adelaide's history. In 1910
Adelaide University The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...
made an application to enter the competition. This led to players such as
Jack Londrigan John William Londrigan (3 February 1890 – 22 August 1937) was an Australian rules football player from South Australia. Sturt (1907–1910) Initially Londrigan played for the Sturt Football Club but after strong rumours that University w ...
leaving league clubs such as Sturt in anticipation for a University league team. However the application was ultimately rejected by the competition out of fear a University side would compromise the electorate system, also referred to as zones, introduced to equalise the state competition. File:1908_West_Adelaide_premiership_team.jpg, won four SAFL premierships and two Championships of Australia between 1908 and 1912. File:PortAdelaide1914.jpg, went through the 1914 SAFL season undefeated. File:PortAdelaideOval.JPG, was Champion of Australia 3 times between 1910 and 1914.


1914–1918: World War I years

The SAFL maintained competition for the first two years of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, 1914 and 1915, with Sturt winning their first premiership in 1915, but from 1916 the competition was suspended and did not resume until 1919. However, a league competition was formed in 1916 called
South Australian Patriotic Football League The South Australian Patriotic Football League or Patriotic League was a short lived Australian rules football wartime competition formed during World War I in South Australia to fill the void left by the South Australian Football League (SAFL) w ...
by the SAFL Clubs and a number of non-AFL Clubs. The league existed for 3 seasons (
1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...
,
1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...
and
1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...
) and Games held were used to raise funds for the war effort. The SAFL was opposed to the formation of the Patriotic League and refused to recognise it during and after World War I.


1919–1941: Inter war years

Sturt won the first premiership of the post-World War I era, beating North Adelaide in the Challenge Final replay after a Draw occurred in the 1919 SAFL Grand Final. Glenelg was admitted to the B Grade for 1920 and became 8th club in the senior league in 1921 but started poorly with five consecutive wooden spoons. In 1927, the South Australian Football League was renamed the South Australian National Football League. Everyone of the 8 clubs won at least one premiership during the 9 years from 1927 to 1935, including Glenelg which their first premiership in 1934 would be the only success in their first 52 years. Prior to World War 2 Port Adelaide won three premierships in the period 1934–1939, appearing in 6 successive grand finals. File:Norwood_vs_Port_Adelaide,_1929_SANFL_Grand_Final,_Adelaide_Oval.jpg, Pictured above is the
1929 SANFL Grand Final The 1929 SANFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football competition. Norwood beat Port Adelaide 110 to 69. References SANFL Grand Finals SANFL Grand Final, 1929 {{AFL-competition-stub ...
between and who by this time had well and truly become the leagues premier rivals.
See
Port Adelaide-Norwood SANFL rivalry A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...
. File:Ken Farmer SANFL.jpg,
Ken Farmer Kenneth William George Farmer (25 July 1910 – 5 March 1982) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the North Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Dubbed the ' Bradman of football' in So ...
kicked a record 1,417 goals. File:Ian_McKay_Spectacular_Mark.jpg,
Ian McKay Ian John McKay, VC (7 May 1953 – 12 June 1982) was a British Army soldier and a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Bor ...
leaps for a spectacular mark in the 1952 SANFL Grand Final


1942–1945: World War II war years

The SANFL continued normal competition for the first few years of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, but from 1942 to 1944 for 3 seasons the clubs merged on a geographical basis. The competing teams were:
Port-Torrens (Port Adelaide and West Torrens), wearing Port Adelaide colours and known as the Magpies
Norwood-North (Norwood and North Adelaide), wearing North Adelaide colours and known as the Redlegs
Sturt-South (Sturt and South Adelaide), wearing Sturt colours and known as the Blues
West-Glenelg (West Adelaide and Glenelg), wearing Glenelg colours and known as the Tigers


1946–1969: Post World War 2 Port Adelaide and Sturt rivalry

In 1954, the tradition of painting the chimney of the West End brewery in
Hindley Street Hindley Street is located in the north-west quarter of the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street and West Terrace. The street was named after Charles Hindley, a British parliamentarian and soc ...
, then owned by the
South Australian Brewing Company The South Australian Brewing Company, Limited is a brewery located in Thebarton, South Australia, Thebarton, an inner-west suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is a subsidiary of Lion (Australasian company), Lion, which in turn is owned by ...
, with the team colours of the SANFL premier and runner-up began, when a West Adelaide player and employee Clarrie Cannon suggested painting the chimney in the West Adelaide colours, red and black, as the brewery was located in their territory. General manager C. R. Aitken agreed, but only if West Adelaide was the winning team that year. However
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
coach and captain,
Fos Williams Foster Neil "Fos" Williams AM (21 February 1922 – 1 September 2001) was a leading Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the Port Adelaide and West Adelaide Football Clubs and coached South Adelaide in the South Australian ...
, said that he expected his team to win, and the men agreed that if Port Adelaide won, their colours would be painted on the chimney. Port Adelaide won that year, so the chimney was painted in black and white vertical stripes, but Williams suggested that a red stripe be painted below the black to honour the runners-up. Straight after the War Sturt won their Second Premiership. The next three years were dominated by Norwood.
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
, led by
Fos Williams Foster Neil "Fos" Williams AM (21 February 1922 – 1 September 2001) was a leading Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the Port Adelaide and West Adelaide Football Clubs and coached South Adelaide in the South Australian ...
, dominated the 1950s winning seven premierships, including a record setting six Grand Final wins in a row from 1954 to 1959. This record also matched Norwood's six in a row in 1883, set before the advent of regular Grand Finals.
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
continued their dominance of the competition in the early 1960s with three more premierships by 1965. A resurgent Sturt under coach Jack Oatey won five straight premierships from 1966 to 1970, sharing a fierce rivalry with Port Adelaide whom they met in four consecutive Grand Finals (1965–1968).


1959–1964: Expansion to 10 Teams

From the early 1950s there was some discussion about expanding the competition and in particular a team from the outer northern Adelaide area joining the SANFL. Previously a team from Gawler had competed for 4 seasons from 1887 to 1890. On 20 March 1950
Salisbury Football Club The Salisbury Football Club, nicknamed the ''Magpies'', is an Australian rules football club based in the northern suburb of Salisbury, South Australia and plays its home games at Salisbury Oval. History The history of football being played ...
made an application to join the SANFL. Applications by Burnside and Woodville were also rejected by the SANFL in June 1950. In February 1953, The Mayor of Woodville again raised the issue of having a team admitted. Citing a large number of players from West Torrens and Port Adelaide actually resided in the
City of Woodville The City of Woodville was a local government area in South Australia from 1875 to 1993, seated at the inner north west Adelaide suburb of Woodville. History The District Council of Hindmarsh, covering the north west suburbs of Adelaide, had b ...
. In 1959 the SANFL finally admitted two new clubs Central District and Woodville. The new Clubs would play 5 years in the Reserves before joining the A Grade in 1964. 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 Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
and West Torrens.


1970–1979: Golden Era

Sturt began the 1970s by defeating Glenelg in a rain-affected Grand Final by 21 points. North Adelaide secured back-to-back premiership victories over
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
in 1971 and 1972 and defeated VFL premier Carlton by one point in the end-of-season
Championship of Australia The Championship of Australia was an Australian rules football tournament which was contested between football clubs from the Victorian, South Australian, Western Australian and Tasmanian football leagues. The Championship took place three ti ...
match. Glenelg won their 2nd premiership, and first since 1934, defeating North Adelaide by 7 points in 1973 in the highest scoring Grand Final 21.11 (137) to 19.16 (130).
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
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). On 4 May 1974, Central District and North Adelaide played the first game at newly opened Football Park at
West Lakes West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...
. SANFL moved its administration to the new stadium, and 58,042 attended the first Grand Final at the ground later that year, with Sturt defeating Glenelg by 15 points despite kicking into a stiff breeze in the last quarter after leading by 5 points at three-quarter time. The 1975 season was highlighted by Glenelg's score of 49.23 (317) against Central District, with a winning margin of 238 points which 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 Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
by 41 points in front of a record ticketed Football Park crowd of 66,897. Norwood won the 1978 premiership in their centenary year by beating Sturt in the Grand Final by one point after Sturt had lost just one game for the entire season. During the 1970s, an increasing number of SANFL players moved to Victoria to play in the VFL competition.


1980–1989: VFL leaves ANFC and expands whilst SANFL struggles

Four clubs
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
(Premiers 1980,1981,1988,1989 RU 1984), Norwood (Premiers 1982,1984 RU 1980), North Adelaide (Premiers 1987, RU 1985, 1986 & 1989) and Glenelg (Premiers 1985,1986 RU 1981,1982,1987,1988) dominated the SANFL in the 1980s, accounting for nine premierships. The only year being the exception was 1983 when West Adelaide defeated Sturt in the Grand Final for their first premiership since 1961. In the decade between 1979 to 1989 only three clubs, Central District, Woodville, both admitted to the SANFL in 1964, and West Torrens were the only clubs not to reach at least one grand final. The exodus of high quality players to the VFL accelerated in the 1980s. In this same decade only Hawthorn (1979, 1984, 1988 & 1989), Carlton (1980, 1982, 1983, & 1987), Richmond (1981), and Essendon 1985, & 1986) were successful in the VFL. Only Collingwood (1979, & 1980), Melbourne (1988) and Geelong under first year expat coach and former Woodville player Malcolm Blight (1989) would reach a VFL grand final. In 1981 the VFL rejected a SANFL bid to enter a composite South Australian team to its competition. The SANFL introduced a player retention scheme in 1988 in an attempt to maintain the quality of the competition in the face of falling attendances. Night football was introduced in 1984 after floodlights were installed at Football Park. The tradition of painting the colours of the premier and runners-up was maintained at the Hindley Street premises of SA Brewing until its closure in 1980, before transferring to the Thebarton site, which was rebadged "West End".


1990–1999: Adelaide and Port Adelaide AFL entry

On 31 July 1990,
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
surprised the SANFL by making an independent bid to join the AFL. 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. While
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
had by far the largest supporter base in South Australia, it could not compete with the SANFL's offer of a composite club, dismantling of the SANFL player retention scheme, dropping of court action against Port Adelaide and the use of Football Park, and in November 1990, following a legal battle (dropped), the AFL announced the Adelaide Football Club had been granted a license and would enter the competition in 1991. 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 suffered substantially. In 1994 after a tender process put to all the SANFL clubs, the
Port Adelaide Football Club Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed ...
secured a licence to enter the AFL. Port Adelaide chose the nickname of 'Power' since 'Magpies' was already used by Collingwood.
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
wished to maintain its presence (as the Magpies) in the SANFL, which was agreed to on the basis that Port Adelaide's SANFL and AFL entities operate independently. The club in the SANFL was renamed "Port Adelaide Magpies Football Club" to reflect this separation. Port Adelaide dominated the SANFL in this time, contesting 10 Grand Finals in 12 years between 1988 and 1999 – winning 9 premierships 1988–1990,1992,1994–1996,1998–1999) and losing just the one Grand Final in 1997 to Norwood (their 27th Flag). This Port Adelaide dominance in the period is somewhat of an aberration. It should be kept in context with the hasty formation of the Adelaide Crows in 1991. (ref: https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sahistorians.org.au%2F175%2Fbm.doc%2Fendangered-species-2a.doc&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK) During this period many of the remaining SANFL clubs' best players were seconded to the Adelaide Crows, whereas the Port Adelaide list was largely left intact due to the conflict that ensued around the Port Adelaide rank-breaking bid to join the expanded VFL competition as a stand alone club. The Woodville and West Torrens Clubs merged at the end of the 1990 Season and won their first premiership in 1993 against Norwood. Between 1900 and 1999 Port Adelaide contested a total of 59 Grand Finals – winning the Flag 33 times to bring their total to 36.


2000–2010: Central District domination

There was a changing of the guard as the new century started. For more than 100 years one of
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
, Norwood, North Adelaide or Sturt appeared in every Grand Final. The year 2000 saw the two newest teams Central District and
Woodville-West Torrens Woodville-West Torrens Football Club is an Australian rules football club playing in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). It was formed in 1990 from an amalgamation of the neighbouring Woodville and West Torrens football clu ...
played off in the Grand Final. Central District appeared in 12 Consecutive Grand Finals from 2000 to 2011, collecting nine premierships (2000–2001, 2003–2005, 2007–2010). Only Sturt (2002) and Woodville-West Torrens (2006 & 2011) interrupted Centrals' run during this period. Centrals played in 28 Finals games between 2000 and 2011 for a total of 25 wins (which included 12 consecutive 2nd Semi Final wins) and just 3 losses (2002,2006,2011 Grand Finals). Under-age divisions were restructured, with under 17 and under 19 competitions dissolved in favour of under 16 and under 18 leagues, the latter coming into line with Victoria's TAC Cup competition and under the sponsorship of McDonald's would be known as the Macca's Cup. The former would become the Macca's Shield, the season length is around half that of the other levels of competition. Night games would become a feature at Elizabeth Oval, with Central District hosting Saturday night matches from 2006.


2011–2019: Independence for AFL clubs; league returns to Adelaide Oval

Central District finished minors again in the 2011 SANFL season and defeated Norwood in the Second Semi-Final for their 12th Consecutive Grand Final appearance but suffered a narrow 3 point loss to Woodville-West Torrens, despite after outscoring the Eagles 4–4 to 1–1 in the last quarter, which brought an end to their dominance in the Grand Finals. The
2012 SANFL season The 2012 South Australian National Football League season was the 133rd season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia. The season opened on Friday 23 March with a night match between Woodville-West Torrens a ...
saw Centrals exit the finals for the first time since 2000 without contesting in the Grand Final, this time after finishing 2nd at the end of the minor round with defeats by West Adelaide in the Qualifying and then North Adelaide in the 1st Semi-Final. The 2012 and 2013 premierships were both won by Norwood, firstly defeating West Adelaide by 49 points to win their 28th flag and then subsequently defeating North Adelaide by 40 points for their 29th flag. This was the first time Norwood had won back to back flags for 90 years when coincidentally they also beat West Adelaide (1922) and North Adelaide (1923). With Norwood and Elizabeth's night match experiment largely successful and popular, West Adelaide (2010), South Adelaide (2011) and Glenelg (2012) would follow suit by installing their own lighting systems at their respective grounds while Woodville-West Torrens had hoped to play under lights at Thebarton Oval, which to date have only done so once in 2012 during their premiership defence. In 2011, AFL-based Port Adelaide and SANFL-based Port Adelaide Magpies merged to address losses at both clubs, however, in 2013 the club announced that the Magpies would officially become the reserves team for Port's AFL players, joining the Adelaide Football Club in fielding a reserves team in the SANFL in time for the 2014 season. These moves caused some furore in some fan circles. The 2013 Grand Final was the last SANFL match at AAMI Stadium, with SANFL league headquarters to remain at AAMI but the finals to return to the new and improved Adelaide Oval from 2014. Ahead of the 2014 season, the AFL-based
Adelaide Football Club The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since ...
were granted a licence to field a
reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...
in the competition, increasing the number of teams in the league to 10. As a result of the Magpies becoming the Power's reserve team, and the inclusion of the Crows reserves team in the SANFL in 2014, the other SANFL clubs will lose their AFL contracted players as those contracted to the Crows or Power will move to play exclusively for those clubs in either league. Norwood defeated arch-rivals Port Adelaide Magpies by 4 points in the 2014 Grand Final to secure their 30th Flag and 3rd in a row (2012–2014) for the first time since 1887–89. Norwood's dominance of the competition would end in the 2015 season, eliminated at the first week of the finals as West Adelaide ended a 32-year premiership drought with their five-goal defeat of Woodville-West Torrens in the Grand Final. The 2016 and 2017 premierships were both won by Sturt their 14th and 15th Flags and first since 2002. The 2018 premiership was won by North their 14th Flag and first since 1991. North Adelaide were fined $10,000 and docked four premiership points for next season but allowed to play in the Grand Final against Norwood after a controversial 5 point win in the Preliminary Final against Woodville-West Torrens when they had 19 players on the field during the early stages of the fourth quarter. The 2019 premiership was won by Glenelg their 5th Flag and first since 1986 ending a 33-year premiership drought. This meant within the last 10 seasons 7 different clubs had won a premiership. Only the two original clubs of the competition South Adelaide (last flag in 1964) and Port Adelaide (last flag in 1999) had not won a premiership flag in at least the last 20 years (excluding the Adelaide Crows reserves team).


2020–present

The 2020 season was originally scheduled to run from April until September; however its commencement was delayed to June 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. The number of clubs participating in the season was reduced to eight, as Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Magpies AFL Reserves were barred from fielding their reserves teams by the Australian Football League. This is the first time in its history that Port Adelaide hadn't competed in the SANFL. The season was conducted with 14 rounds and a Final Four. Woodville-West Torrens defeated North Adelaide in the Grand Final. This was the last time that the top two teams' colours were painted on the West End brewery's chimney, before that site's closure. The Woodville West Torrens Eagles were the 2021 SANFL Premiers, after they defeated Glenelg. The tradition of painting a chimney in the two teams' colours continues at the Hoffmann Kiln at the
Brickworks Marketplace Torrensville is a western suburb west of the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. It was named after Irish-born economist and chairman of the South Australian Colonisation Commission, Robert Torrens. Torrensville is in the City of West Torre ...
in nearby
Torrensville Torrensville is a western suburb west of the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. It was named after Irish-born economist and chairman of the South Australian Colonisation Commission, Robert Torrens. Torrensville is in the City of West Tor ...
from 2021, with the cost of the painting continuing to be borne by Lion. but the colours had to be temporarily placed on a replica chimney, as due to high winds it was deemed to unsafe to climb the chimney on the day of the ceremony.


SANFL Clubs

( R = Reserves for AFL Seniors)


Venues

Games are generally hosted at suburban grounds throughout Adelaide.


Former venues

* Gawler Oval (1887–1890) * Glanville Hall Estate (1870–1879) *
Kensington Oval The Kensington Oval is a stadium located to the west of the capital city Bridgetown on the island of Barbados. It is the pre-eminent sporting facility on the island and is primarily used for cricket. it has hosted many important and exciting c ...
(1875–1897) *
Jubilee Oval Jubilee Stadium, also known as Kogarah Oval or by its sponsored name Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, is a multipurpose stadium in Carlton, New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The stadium is mainly used for rugby league and the A-League, and is o ...
(1898–1906) * Hindmarsh Oval (1905–1921) *
Thebarton Oval Thebarton Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia currently used for a variety of sports including Australian rules football. It was the home ground of South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club West Torrens Football Clu ...
(1922–2012) * Wayville Showground (1927–1939) *
Football Park Football Park, known commercially as AAMI Stadium, was an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, South Australia, West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, Australia. It was built in 197 ...
(1974–2013) *
Bice Oval The John Bice Memorial Oval is a public park in the Australian state of South Australia located within the suburb of Christies Beach and which is used by the Christies Beach Football Club and Southern District Cricket Club as their home grou ...
(1992–1993)


League administration

The league's revenue is derived from its paid attendance, media and payments from both the
Adelaide Crows The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) sinc ...
and
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
AFL clubs for use of Adelaide Oval. The SANFL is classed as a semi-professional competition. In 2008 the league had a
salary cap In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...
of $400,000 (excluding service payments). This is the second highest in Australia for an Australian rules football competition, after the AFL. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the SANFL is Darren Chandler, who replaced Jake Parkinson in the role in 2020.


SANFL Ladder

South Australian leagues (including the SANFL) award two points for a win, and one for a draw. Elsewhere in Australia generally four points are awarded for a win and two for a draw. In addition, percentage is calculated as "For" ÷ "For and Against" × "100". Elsewhere in Australia it is generally calculated as "For" ÷ "Against" × "100".


Audience

The SANFL match-day program is called the '' Football Budget'' and is sold at all SANFL matches. A special edition is produced for the grand final. The SANFL competition's "match of the round" was broadcast weekly in South Australia on ABC Southern (
ABC1 ABC TV, formerly known as ABC1, is an Australian national public television network. It is owned and operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is the flagship ABC Television network. The headquarters of the ABC TV channel an ...
South Australia). Until early 2008, it was also broadcast nationally on
ABC2 ABC TV Plus (formerly ABC2 and ABC Comedy) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television network. The channel broadcasts a range of general entertainment progra ...
television. In 2012, nationwide SANFL match replays resumed on
ABC2 ABC TV Plus (formerly ABC2 and ABC Comedy) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television network. The channel broadcasts a range of general entertainment progra ...
. Match replays are also available nationally on
ABC iView ABC iview is a video on demand and catch-up TV service run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Currently iview video content can only be viewed by users in Australia. As of 2016, ABC iview attracts around 50 million plays monthly and ac ...
. In 2007, the SANFL measured a record 1,415,000 total television viewers.2008 SANFL Match Program announced
, 29 November 2007, SANFL website
The SANFL competition is covered by local radio stations Life FM (live) and 5RPH (live).
ABC Local Radio ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites. Its programm ...
and 5AA broadcast the SANFL Finals Series. In 2013, the SANFL signed a three-year deal with the
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
to broadcast weekly matches on
7mate 7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a c ...
from the start of the 2014 season. Popular Mix102.3 radio host and Seven News Adelaide sports presenter
Mark Soderstrom Mark Soderstrom (born September 15, 1970) is an Adelaide television presenter on SAS Seven and former footballer. He hosted the 2017 Carols by Candlelight, and is a regular sports reporter on Seven News and Australian Rules football reporter on ...
, former Port Adelaide Magpies captain and 5AA breakfast show personality Tim Ginevar, and former
Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...
commentator John Casey (who spent time with Seven Adelaide during the 1980s and 1990s) will be the chief callers for the 2014 SANFL season. This marks the leagues return to commercial television for the first time since Channel 9 broadcast the SANFL in 1992.


Attendance

Although SANFL crowds now competes heavily with the two AFL national league clubs, the SANFL still has the second highest attendance of any Australian rules football league and the highest attendance for any regional league of any football code. It continues to publish attendance figures. The record attendance for an SANFL fixture was set at the 1976 SANFL Grand Final between Sturt and Port Adelaide at Football Park which saw 66,987 crammed into the stadium, though some estimate the crowd to have been as high as 80,000 with thousands turned away at the gates. The largest attendance for a minor round fixture was set in Round 19, 1988 for a double header at Football Park. 38,213 fans saw Sturt play Port Adelaide in the early game while reigning premiers North Adelaide faced ladder leaders Central District in the late game. The record suburban ground attendance was an estimated 24,000 who saw Sturt and Norwood at
Unley Oval Unley Oval (also known as Wigan Oval under a naming rights agreement), is a multi-use stadium in Unley, an inner southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is used for lower-grade South Australian Grade Cricket League matches, but its ma ...
on 9 June 1924. A verified attendance of 22,738 saw Port play Norwood at Alberton in Round 11, 1977*. * South Adelaide played Port Adelaide in front of 30,618 at the
Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby ...
in Round 2, 1965. At the time the Adelaide Oval doubled as both league headquarters and South Adelaide's home ground. South Adelaide would move to
Hickinbotham Oval Hickinbotham Oval (currently known as Flinders University Stadium due to naming rights, and originally Noarlunga Oval) is an Australian rules football stadium in Noarlunga Downs, an outer-southern suburb of Adelaide. It has been the home of S ...
in 1995. The Unley Oval record is for current SANFL team home grounds, though the figure was only an estimated amount. Unley Oval's confirmed record attendance of 22,015 was set in Round 9, 1968 for Sturt vs Port Adelaide.
The following are attendance figures since 1991.


Awards


Overview of History of Premiers, Runners-up and Wooden Spooners 1877–2022

See also
List of SANFL Premiers This page is a chronological listing of the premiership winners in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) – the premier Australian rules football competition in the state of South Australia. Chronological list Number of ...
and
List of SANFL wooden spoons The wooden spoon is the imaginary and ironic "award" which is said to be won by the team finishing in last place in the South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is ...
ImageSize = width:720 height:550 PlotArea = width:620 height:500 left:92 bottom:50 AlignBars = late BarData= bar:Wd text:Woodville (1877) bar:Wo text:Woodville bar:Wt text:West Torrens bar:Ww text:WWT Eagles bar:Wa text:West Adelaide bar:We text:West Adel. (1887) bar:Vi text:Victorian bar:St text:Sturt bar:SP text:South Park bar:Sa text:South Adelaide bar:RP text:Royal Park bar:PA text:Port Adelaide bar:No text:Norwood bar:Na text:North Adelaide bar:Ke text:Kensington bar:Ho text:Hotham bar:Gl text:Glenelg bar:Ga text:Gawler bar:Cd text:Central District bar:Ba text:Bankers bar:Ar text:Adelaide (Crows) bar:Ad text:Adelaide (original) Colors = id:grey value:gray(0.4) id:lgrey value:gray(0.8) id:vlgrey value:gray(0.95) id:premier value:rgb(0,0,1) legend:Premier id:runnerup value:rgb(0,1,1) legend:Runner_Up id:spoon value:rgb(1,0,0) legend:Last_place # id:rup value:powderblue legend:Runner_Up # id:minor value:orange legend:Minor_Premier # id:rup&minor value:lightpurple legend:R-Up&Minor_Premier id:future value:rgb(0.94,0.92,0.92) DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1876 till:2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:1880 gridcolor:lgrey ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1877 gridcolor:vlgrey PlotData= color:lgrey width:12 bar:Wt from:1897 till:1915 bar:Wt from:1919 till:1941 bar:Wt from:1945 till:1990 at:1924 mark:(line,premier) at:1925 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1930 mark:(line,spoon) at:1933 mark:(line,premier) at:1939 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1941 mark:(line,spoon) at:1945 mark:(line,premier) at:1948 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1949 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1953 mark:(line,premier) at:1975 mark:(line,spoon) at:1976 mark:(line,spoon) at:1986 mark:(line,spoon) bar:Wo from:1964 till:1990 at:1965 mark:(line,spoon) at:1967 mark:(line,spoon) at:1971 mark:(line,spoon) at:1980 mark:(line,spoon) at:1981 mark:(line,spoon) at:1982 mark:(line,spoon) at:1983 mark:(line,spoon) at:1984 mark:(line,spoon) at:1985 mark:(line,spoon) bar:Wd from:1877 till:1878 bar:RP from:1882 till:1882 at:1882 mark:(line,spoon) bar:SP from:1877 till:1884 bar:Vi from:1877 till:1884 at:1877 mark:(line,premier) at:1880 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1883 mark:(line,spoon) at:1884 mark:(line,spoon) bar:Ga from:1887 till:1890 at:1890 mark:(line,spoon) bar:Ho from:1887 till:1888 bar:Ke from:1877 till:1881 at:1878 mark:(line,spoon) at:1879 mark:(line,spoon) at:1881 mark:(line,spoon) bar:Ba from:1877 till:1877 at:1877 mark:(line,spoon) bar:Ad from:1877 till:1881 at:1880 mark:(line,spoon) at:1881 mark:(line,spoon) bar:Ad from:1885 till:1893 at:1886 mark:(line,premier) at:1885 mark:(line,spoon) at:1891 mark:(line,spoon) at:1892 mark:(line,spoon) at:1893 mark:(line,spoon) bar:Ar from:2014 till:end at:2018 mark:(line,spoon) bar:Cd from:1964 till:end at:1964 mark:(line,spoon) at:1977 mark:(line,spoon) at:1995 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1996 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2000 mark:(line,premier) at:2001 mark:(line,premier) at:2002 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2003 mark:(line,premier) at:2004 mark:(line,premier) at:2005 mark:(line,premier) at:2006 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2007 mark:(line,premier) at:2008 mark:(line,premier) at:2009 mark:(line,premier) at:2010 mark:(line,premier) at:2011 mark:(line,runnerup) bar:Gl from:1921 till:1941 bar:Gl from:1945 till:end at:1921 mark:(line,spoon) at:1922 mark:(line,spoon) at:1923 mark:(line,spoon) at:1924 mark:(line,spoon) at:1925 mark:(line,spoon) at:1934 mark:(line,premier) at:1935 mark:(line,spoon) at:1937 mark:(line,spoon) at:1938 mark:(line,spoon) at:1939 mark:(line,spoon) at:1940 mark:(line,spoon) at:1946 mark:(line,spoon) at:1950 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1954 mark:(line,spoon) at:1960 mark:(line,spoon) at:1966 mark:(line,spoon) at:1969 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1970 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1973 mark:(line,premier) at:1974 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1975 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1977 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1981 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1982 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1985 mark:(line,premier) at:1986 mark:(line,premier) at:1987 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1988 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1990 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1992 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1998 mark:(line,spoon) at:2000 mark:(line,spoon) at:2000 mark:(line,spoon) at:2001 mark:(line,spoon) at:2002 mark:(line,spoon) at:2008 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2013 mark:(line,spoon) at:2014 mark:(line,spoon) at:2019 mark:(line,premier) at:2021 mark:(line,runnerup) bar:Ww from:1991 till:end at:1993 mark:(line,premier) at:1994 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2000 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2001 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2004 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2005 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2006 mark:(line,premier) at:2011 mark:(line,premier) at:2015 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2016 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2020 mark:(line,premier) at:2021 mark:(line,premier) bar:We from:1887 till:1887 at:1887 mark:(line,spoon) bar:Wa from:1897 till:1915 at:1908 mark:(line,premier) at:1909 mark:(line,premier) at:1911 mark:(line,premier) at:1912 mark:(line,premier) bar:Wa from:1919 till:1941 bar:Wa from:1945 till:end at:1922 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1954 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1956 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1958 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1959 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1962 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1983 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1991 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2003 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2012 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2015 mark:(line,premier) at:1897 mark:(line,spoon) at:1898 mark:(line,spoon) at:1904 mark:(line,spoon) at:1905 mark:(line,spoon) at:1906 mark:(line,spoon) at:1920 mark:(line,spoon) at:1931 mark:(line,spoon) at:1933 mark:(line,spoon) at:1936 mark:(line,spoon) at:1972 mark:(line,spoon) at:1973 mark:(line,spoon) at:1974 mark:(line,spoon) at:1979 mark:(line,spoon) at:2005 mark:(line,spoon) at:2006 mark:(line,spoon) at:2007 mark:(line,spoon) at:2008 mark:(line,spoon) at:2016 mark:(line,spoon) at:2019 mark:(line,spoon) at:2020 mark:(line,spoon) at:2021 mark:(line,spoon) at:2022 mark:(line,spoon) at:1927 mark:(line,premier) at:1947 mark:(line,premier) at:1961 mark:(line,premier) at:1983 mark:(line,premier) bar:No from:1878 till:1915 at:1878 mark:(line,premier) at:1879 mark:(line,premier) at:1880 mark:(line,premier) at:1881 mark:(line,premier) at:1882 mark:(line,premier) at:1883 mark:(line,premier) at:1887 mark:(line,premier) at:1888 mark:(line,premier) at:1889 mark:(line,premier) at:1891 mark:(line,premier) at:1894 mark:(line,premier) at:1899 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1901 mark:(line,premier) at:1904 mark:(line,premier) at:1907 mark:(line,premier) at:1908 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1913 mark:(line,spoon) at:1914 mark:(line,spoon) at:1915 mark:(line,spoon) bar:No from:1919 till:1941 bar:No from:1945 till:end at:1919 mark:(line,spoon) at:1920 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1921 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1922 mark:(line,premier) at:1923 mark:(line,premier) at:1925 mark:(line,premier) at:1928 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1929 mark:(line,premier) at:1933 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1941 mark:(line,premier) at:1946 mark:(line,premier) at:1947 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1948 mark:(line,premier) at:1950 mark:(line,premier) at:1952 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1955 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1957 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1960 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1961 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1968 mark:(line,spoon) at:1975 mark:(line,premier) at:1978 mark:(line,premier) at:1980 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1982 mark:(line,premier) at:1984 mark:(line,premier) at:1993 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1997 mark:(line,premier) at:1999 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2004 mark:(line,spoon) at:2010 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2012 mark:(line,premier) at:2013 mark:(line,premier) at:2014 mark:(line,premier) at:2018 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2022 mark:(line,premier) bar:St from:1901 till:1915 bar:St from:1919 till:1941 bar:St from:1945 till:end at:1901 mark:(line,spoon) at:1902 mark:(line,spoon) at:1903 mark:(line,spoon) at:1907 mark:(line,spoon) at:1908 mark:(line,spoon) at:1949 mark:(line,spoon) at:1952 mark:(line,spoon) at:1956 mark:(line,spoon) at:1958 mark:(line,spoon) at:1961 mark:(line,spoon) at:1989 mark:(line,spoon) at:1990 mark:(line,spoon) at:1991 mark:(line,spoon) at:1992 mark:(line,spoon) at:1993 mark:(line,spoon) at:1994 mark:(line,spoon) at:1995 mark:(line,spoon) at:1996 mark:(line,spoon) at:2011 mark:(line,spoon) at:2012 mark:(line,spoon) at:1910 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1924 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1931 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1936 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1941 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1965 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1978 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1983 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1998 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2009 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1915 mark:(line,premier) at:1919 mark:(line,premier) at:1926 mark:(line,premier) at:1932 mark:(line,premier) at:1940 mark:(line,premier) at:1966 mark:(line,premier) at:1967 mark:(line,premier) at:1968 mark:(line,premier) at:1969 mark:(line,premier) at:1970 mark:(line,premier) at:1974 mark:(line,premier) at:1976 mark:(line,premier) at:2002 mark:(line,premier) at:2016 mark:(line,premier) at:2017 mark:(line,premier) bar:Sa from:1877 till:1915 bar:Sa from:1919 till:1941 bar:Sa from:1945 till:end at:1877 mark:(line,premier) at:1885 mark:(line,premier) at:1892 mark:(line,premier) at:1893 mark:(line,premier) at:1894 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1895 mark:(line,premier) at:1896 mark:(line,premier) at:1898 mark:(line,premier) at:1899 mark:(line,premier) at:1900 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1902 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1903 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1909 mark:(line,spoon) at:1910 mark:(line,spoon) at:1911 mark:(line,spoon) at:1926 mark:(line,spoon) at:1927 mark:(line,spoon) at:1928 mark:(line,spoon) at:1929 mark:(line,spoon) at:1932 mark:(line,spoon) at:1934 mark:(line,spoon) at:1935 mark:(line,premier) at:1937 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1938 mark:(line,premier) at:1940 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1945 mark:(line,spoon) at:1947 mark:(line,spoon) at:1948 mark:(line,spoon) at:1950 mark:(line,spoon) at:1951 mark:(line,spoon) at:1953 mark:(line,spoon) at:1955 mark:(line,spoon) at:1957 mark:(line,spoon) at:1959 mark:(line,spoon) at:1962 mark:(line,spoon) at:1963 mark:(line,spoon) at:1964 mark:(line,premier) at:1969 mark:(line,spoon) at:1970 mark:(line,spoon) at:1979 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1987 mark:(line,spoon) at:1988 mark:(line,spoon) at:1997 mark:(line,spoon) at:2009 mark:(line,spoon) at:2010 mark:(line,spoon) bar:Na from:1888 till:1915 bar:Na from:1919 till:1941 bar:Na from:1945 till:end at:1894 mark:(line,spoon) at:1899 mark:(line,spoon) at:1900 mark:(line,premier) at:1902 mark:(line,premier) at:1905 mark:(line,premier) at:1906 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1912 mark:(line,spoon) at:1913 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1914 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1919 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1920 mark:(line,premier) at:1923 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1926 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1927 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1930 mark:(line,premier) at:1931 mark:(line,premier) at:1932 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1949 mark:(line,premier) at:1951 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1952 mark:(line,premier) at:1960 mark:(line,premier) at:1963 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1971 mark:(line,premier) at:1972 mark:(line,premier) at:1973 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1978 mark:(line,spoon) at:1985 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1986 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1987 mark:(line,premier) at:1989 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1991 mark:(line,premier) at:1999 mark:(line,spoon) at:2003 mark:(line,spoon) at:2007 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2013 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2017 mark:(line,spoon) at:2018 mark:(line,premier) at:2020 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2022 mark:(line,runnerup) bar:PA from:1877 till:1915 at:1884 mark:(line,premier) at:1886 mark:(line,spoon) at:1889 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1890 mark:(line,premier) at:1896 mark:(line,spoon) at:1890 mark:(line,premier) at:1897 mark:(line,premier) at:1898 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1900 mark:(line,spoon) at:1901 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1903 mark:(line,premier) at:1904 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1905 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1906 mark:(line,premier) at:1907 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1909 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1910 mark:(line,premier) at:1911 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1912 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1913 mark:(line,premier) at:1914 mark:(line,premier) at:1915 mark:(line,runnerup) bar:PA from:1919 till:1941 bar:PA from:1945 till:2019 at:1921 mark:(line,premier) at:1928 mark:(line,premier) at:1929 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1930 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1934 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1935 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1936 mark:(line,premier) at:1937 mark:(line,premier) at:1938 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1939 mark:(line,premier) at:1945 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1946 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1951 mark:(line,premier) at:1953 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1954 mark:(line,premier) at:1955 mark:(line,premier) at:1956 mark:(line,premier) at:1957 mark:(line,premier) at:1958 mark:(line,premier) at:1959 mark:(line,premier) at:1962 mark:(line,premier) at:1963 mark:(line,premier) at:1964 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1965 mark:(line,premier) at:1966 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1967 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1968 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1971 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1972 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1976 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1977 mark:(line,premier) at:1979 mark:(line,premier) at:1980 mark:(line,premier) at:1981 mark:(line,premier) at:1984 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1988 mark:(line,premier) at:1989 mark:(line,premier) at:1990 mark:(line,premier) at:1992 mark:(line,premier) at:1994 mark:(line,premier) at:1995 mark:(line,premier) at:1996 mark:(line,premier) at:1997 mark:(line,runnerup) at:1998 mark:(line,premier) at:1999 mark:(line,premier) at:2014 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2017 mark:(line,runnerup) at:2019 mark:(line,runnerup) color:future width:12 bar:Wa from:2020 till:end bar:St from:2020 till:end bar:Sa from:2020 till:end bar:PA from:2020 till:end bar:Na from:2020 till:end bar:No from:2020 till:end bar:Gl from:2020 till:end bar:Cd from:2020 till:end bar:Ar from:2020 till:end bar:Ww from:2020 till:end Legend = left:50 top:20 columnwidth:90


Club

The Grand Final winners each season are presented the Thomas Seymour Hill Premiership Trophy, named after administrator
Thomas Seymour Hill Thomas Seymour Hill (21 February 1893 – 1 August 1977), invariably referred to as T. S. Hill, was a leading Australian rules football administrator in the SANFL between 1926 and 1963. History Hill was born at Beulah road, Norwood, close to N ...
. The Stanley H. Lewis Memorial Trophy, awarded annually since 1962, recognises the best combined record in all levels of SANFL competition. The trophy is awarded to the best performed club across five grades of the competition – Men's League, Women's League, Reserves, Under 18 and Under 16, with 100 points allocated for a men's league win, 100 points for a women's league win, 50 points for a reserves win, 50 points for an Under 18 win, and 25 points for an Under 16 win. In the event of a draw, half of the points allocated for a win in that grade are awarded to each club involved. Prior to the creation of the women's league, the trophy was awarded on the basis of performances in the men's league, reserves league and under-18 league.


Individual

The
Magarey Medal The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by field umpires. The award was created by Willia ...
is awarded to the fairest and most brilliant player in the SANFL each season and is the oldest individual football award in Australia. The medal was originated by and is named after
William Ashley Magarey William Ashley Magarey (30 January 1868 – 18 October 1929) was a lawyer, sportsman and sports administrator. He was the first chairman of the South Australian Football Association (SAFA) (later named South Australian National Football League ...
who, in 1897, was the inaugural chairman of the South Australian Football Association (as the SANFL was then known). In 1898, in an effort to stamp out rough play and improve respect of umpires, Magarey instituted the medal to be awarded to the player deemed by umpires to be the fairest and most brilliant for that season. The inaugural winner of the medal was Norwood's
Alby Green Albert Green (28 January 1874 – 1913) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Norwood Football Club, Norwood in the South Australian National Football League, SAFA and first-class cricketer who played for Southern Redbacks, South A ...
. Magarey presented every medal until he died in 1929, with West Adelaide's
Robert Snell Robert Snell (born 15 February 1903 in Collie, Western Australia – died April 1983 in Adelaide, South Australia) was an Australian rules footballer who played for East Perth in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), West Adelaide in th ...
the last to receive the medal during Magarey's life. The
Magarey Medal The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by field umpires. The award was created by Willia ...
is still awarded to the fairest and most brilliant SANFL player each season. The
Reserves Magarey Medal The Reserves Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1906 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Reserves competition, as judged by field umpires. The a ...
recognises the standout performers in the seconds or Reserves. It is not unusual for the Reserves Magarey winner to play only half a season in the 'seconds' and the rest of the season in their club's league team. The
Ken Farmer Medal The Ken Farmer Medal is named in honour of the Australian rules footballer, North Adelaide Football Club full forward Ken Farmer. The medal is awarded to the South Australian Football League The South Australian National Football League, or ...
, much like the Coleman Medal in the
AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...
, is awarded to the league player with the most goals in a season. Named after North Adelaide and South Australia's most prolific goal-kicker
Ken Farmer Kenneth William George Farmer (25 July 1910 – 5 March 1982) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the North Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Dubbed the ' Bradman of football' in So ...
who ended his SANFL career with a still record 1,417 goals, the medal was introduced in 1981 after Farmer's death, with Port Adelaide's Tim Evans winning the inaugural award. Evans kicked 1,019 goals in premiership matches for the Magpies between 1975 and 1986, and is the only player other than Farmer who has kicked over 1,000 goals in the SANFL. There are also the McCallum and Tomkins Medals, which up until the 2008 season were awarded to the best and fairest players of the U-17 and U-19 divisions respectively. These awards were merged in 2009 when the two under-age competitions were replaced with an U-18's league, similar to those adopted in the
West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September, ...
and the VFL's
TAC Cup The NAB League Boys (also referred to as simply the NAB League and formerly known as the TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition held in Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victo ...
. The first winner of the newly created McCallum-Tomkins Medal was South Adelaide's Luke Bowd. The
Jack Oatey Medal The Jack Oatey Medal is awarded to the best player during the SANFL Grand Final. It has been awarded since 1981. In 2018, Mitch Grigg of Norwood became the first player to win the Jack Oatey Medal on a losing team, after his team were defeated b ...
is awarded to the player voted best on ground in the SANFL Grand Final, first awarded in the 1981 premiership decider to
Russell Ebert Russell Frank Ebert (22 June 1949 – 5 November 2021) was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He is considered one of the greatest players in the history of Australian rules football in South Australia. Ebert is the only player to have ...
of Port Adelaide. In the same year, the
Fos Williams Medal The Fos Williams Medal has been awarded since 1981 to the best Australian rules football player from South Australia during Inter-State or Inter-Competition matches. The medal is named in honour of legendary South Australian National Football Le ...
was also commissioned to recognise the standout performer for South Australia in interstate football, the first of which was awarded to Peter Carey of Glenelg. Despite State of Origin football disappearing from the AFL calendar in 1999, the medal continues to be awarded to the best player for the SANFL representative team in interstate football. The R.O. Shearman Medal, since its inception in 2000, is awarded to the player voted by the League's senior coaches on a 5–4–3–2–1 basis each game of the home-and-away season. The Bob Quinn Medal is awarded to the player voted best afield in the
Anzac Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...
matches between the Grand Finalists of the previous year. Commissioned in 2002, the medal was first won by James Gowans of Central District. Also in 2002, the SANFL created the
South Australian Football Hall of Fame The South Australian Football Hall of Fame enshrines those who have made a most significant contribution to the game of Australian Football. The Hall of Fame was established in 2002 when 114 outstanding individuals became inaugural inductees. S ...
to recognise the players, coaches, umpires, administrators and journalists who had made a significant contribution in the SANFL. The inaugural class of 2002 saw 113 inductees into the Hall of Fame and included such greats as Russell Ebert, Ken Farmer,
Barrie Robran Barrie Charles Robran MBE (born 25 September 1947 in Whyalla, South Australia) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) from 1967 to 1980. He won South Australian footbal ...
,
Malcolm Blight Malcolm Jack Blight AM (born 16 February 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the North Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and Woodville Football Club in the South Australian Nati ...
,
Fos Williams Foster Neil "Fos" Williams AM (21 February 1922 – 1 September 2001) was a leading Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the Port Adelaide and West Adelaide Football Clubs and coached South Adelaide in the South Australian ...
,
Brian Faehse Brian Keith Faehse (8 October 1924 – 21 March 2021) was an Australian rules football player who played his league career with West Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) between 1944 and 1956. He was born in Cumm ...
,
Lindsay Head Lindsay Hudson Head MBE (born 16 September 1935 in North Adelaide, South Australia) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with West Torrens in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). He was awarded three Magarey Me ...
,
Neil Kerley Donald Neil Kerley (20 February 1934 – 29 June 2022) was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He is best known for taking three clubs to four South Australian National Football League (SANFL) premierships over three decades as both a p ...
,
Rick Davies Richard Davies (born 22 July 1944) is an English musician, singer and songwriter best known as founder, vocalist and keyboardist of the rock band Supertramp. Davies was its only constant member, and composed some of the band's best known songs ...
and
Jack Oatey Jack Oatey (29 August 1920 – 26 February 1994) was an Australian rules football player and coach. Playing career Oatey played 181 games for the Norwood Football Club between 1940 and 1952 and acted as playing-coach from 1945 to 1952. Whil ...
.


SANFL Women's

In February 2017, the SANFL followed the example of
VFL Women's VFL Women's (VFLW) is the major state-level women's Australian rules football league in Victoria. The league initially comprised the six premier division clubs and the top four division 1 clubs from the now-defunct Victorian Women's Football Le ...
(Victoria) and created a state-based
women's Australian rules football Women's Australian rules football (in areas where it is popular, known simply as women's football or women's footy or women's AFL), is the female-only form of Australian rules football, generally with some modification to the laws of the game. ...
competition replicating its men's league. The SANFLW expanded over the following two years and is now played by eight of the SANFL clubs (Adelaide and Port Adelaide do not feature) from February to May each year. Due to the timing of the league, most SANFLW are not contracted to clubs in the semi-professional
AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 1 ...
national competition. Glenelg are the current league premiers.


Other SANFL competitions

Aside from the senior SANFL competition, the league has operated a reserves competition since 1919 and has operated several underage competitions. Under 19 and Under 17 competitions were run from 1937 and 1939 respectively until 2008, when the league elected to merge these competitions to form the Under 18 competition (initially known as the Maccas Cup) from 2009, and it also introduced an under 16 competition the following year. Neither Adelaide nor Port Adelaide field teams in these competitions, as Adelaide has elected not to field teams, while Port Adelaide shut down their underage teams in 2014 and their reserves team in 2018. For a full list of reserves and under 16–19 premiers, see List of SANFL premiers#Minor grades.


See also

* List of SANFL clubs * List of SANFL players *
List of SANFL premiers This page is a chronological listing of the premiership winners in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) – the premier Australian rules football competition in the state of South Australia. Chronological list Number of ...
*
List of SANFL records This is a list of records from the South Australian National Football League since its inception in 1877 (previously known as the South Australian Football Association and the South Australian Football League). Club records Largest score ...
*
List of Magarey Medallists The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by field umpires. The award was created by Willia ...
*
South Australian Football Hall of Fame The South Australian Football Hall of Fame enshrines those who have made a most significant contribution to the game of Australian Football. The Hall of Fame was established in 2002 when 114 outstanding individuals became inaugural inductees. S ...
*
SANFL Grand Finals The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern ce ...
*
List of SANFL wooden spoons The wooden spoon is the imaginary and ironic "award" which is said to be won by the team finishing in last place in the South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is ...


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{Aussie Rules in South Australia Australian rules football governing bodies Australian rules football competitions in South Australia 1877 establishments in Australia Sports leagues established in 1877 Professional sports leagues in Australia