The St Marys Football Club, nicknamed, Saints, formed in 1952, 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 ...

club, affiliated to the

Northern Territory Football League The Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) is an Australian rules football semi-professional league operating in Darwin in the Northern Territory. The league is one of few (and the highest level) Australian Rules competitions played during ...

. It is famous for its record of success, with 33 NTFL premierships in 52 Grand Finals and 67 out of 70 possible final appearances. To the end of season 2021/22, St Marys have played 1297 games for 935 Wins 351 Losses and 11 Draws. Nicknamed the Saints, St Marys play their home games at Football Park in

Marrara Marrara is a northern suburb of the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. History Shown on Goyder's original surveys of Darwin in 1869 was the swamp between the suburb and the Darwin International Airport, but like Leanyer, the nam ...

. St Marys has produced many talented players, particularly

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

players for leagues such as the

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 ...

. Many players from the

Tiwi Bombers Football Club The Tiwi Bombers Football Club is an Australian rules football club, currently competing in the Northern Territory Football League. The club is notable as being the first all- Aboriginal team to play in a major competition. The team is affili ...

also played for the club. St Mary's have only missed the NTFL finals three times in their proud history, the seasons they missed were in 1979/80 (5th), 2000/01 (5th) and 2018/19 (8th). They manage to collect their first wooden spoon in 2018/19. The longest wooden spoon drought in NTFL history (67 years). Second is

Nightcliff Football Club The Nightcliff Football Club, nicknamed, Tigers, is a member club of the Northern Territory Football League, and is based in the Darwin suburb of Nightcliff. Club achievements * note: Nightcliff finished on top in the 1974/75 season after wh ...

from 1952/53 - 1992/93 (40 Years).

Notable players

The club has produced AFL players such as

Maurice Rioli Maurice Joseph Rioli Sr. (1 September 195725 December 2010) was an Australian rules footballer who represented St Mary's Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL), in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and in th ...

, Michael Long, Ronnie Burns, Scott Chisolm,

Xavier Clarke Xavier Clarke (born 28 September 1983) is a former Australian rules football player who played for St Kilda and Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Clarke has Indigenous Australian heritage and his ancestry ca ...

Raphael Clarke Raphael Clarke (born 24 September 1985) is an Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) from 2004 to 2012. His brother Xavier Clarke also played for St Kilda. AFL career Clar ...

Peter Burgoyne Peter Gabriel Burgoyne (born 29 January 1978) is a former Australian rules footballer with Port Adelaide in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played primarily in midfield and on the half back flank. Early life Burgoyne is of Indigen ...

Cyril Rioli Cyril Rioli (born 14 July 1989) is a former Australian rules football player who played with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League. Rioli was a member of four premiership teams and the Norm Smith Medallist from the 2015 ...

Daniel Rioli Daniel Rioli (born 16 April 1997) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is a three-time premiership player with the club and in 2017 he received the aw ...

Shaun Edwards Shaun Edwards, OBE (born 17 October 1966) is an English rugby union coach and former rugby league player, who is the defence coach for the France national team. A or , Edwards is the most decorated player in rugby league history, with 37 wi ...

Austin Wonaeamirri Austin Wonaeamirri (born 2 October 1988) is a professional Australian rules football player of indigenous ( Tiwi) origin. He previously played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Wonaeamirri ...

, Ben Long and

Maurice Rioli Jr Maurice Rioli, Jr. (born 1 September 2002) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) Early life, junior football and state-league football Rioli is the namesak ...

Club achievements

Club song

''Chorus:
''Oh when the Saints come marching in''
''Oh When the Saints come marching in''
''Oh lord I want to be in that number''
''When the Saints come marching in''
''(Chorus)''
''We are travelling the footsteps''
''Of those who've gone before''
''But we'll all be reunited''
''On a new and sunlit shore''
''(Chorus)''
''Some days in this world of trouble''
''Is the only one we need''
''But I’m waiting for that morning''
''when the new world is revealed''
''(Chorus x2)''

External links

Official Facebook
Sport in Darwin, Northern Territory Australian rules football clubs in the Northern Territory 1952 establishments in Australia Australian rules football clubs established in 1952 {{NorthernTerritory-stub