The Willunga Football Club is an
Australian rules football club first formed on 29 May 1874, making it the second oldest constituted football club in South Australia behind
Port Adelaide.
History
Willunga was an inaugural member of the
South Australian Football Association (SAFA), a precursor to the
South Australian National Football League
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. It is also the state's governing body for the sport.
Originally formed as t ...
(SANFL). Willunga left SAFA to become a foundation member of the
Southern Football Association in 1886.
By 1891, the Southern Football Association was in recess and Willunga played “challenge” matches against various towns in the region. In the year of 1892, Willunga declared itself “Premiers of the South”, having played eight first-class matches, winning six and drawing two.
In 1892, plans began to reform the Southern Football Association, and Willunga joined the Sellick’s Hill and Aldinga clubs in this revived competition in 1893, winning the premiership in the first season.
Willunga remained a member of the Southern Football Association, later Southern Football League for all seasons it was in operation until the end of the 1985 season, when they transferred to the
Great Southern Football League for the 1986 season, ironically the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Southern Football League. Willunga had previously been accepted into the Great Southern League for the 1976 season, however an amendment to the Southern League's constitution blocked the move at that time.
The Willunga FC continues to field teams in Senior and Junior grades in the
Great Southern Football League.
Willunga FC has produced a number of
Australian Football League (AFL/VFL) players including
Randall Bone (
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 ...
,
Hawthorn
Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to:
Plants
* '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae
* ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...
),
Ben Thompson (
St Kilda) and
Tom Waye
Tom Waye (28 December 1909 – 10 February 1992) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Port Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Waye played his ea ...
(
Footscray).
Hendrick Waye
Hendrick Stanbury "Taffy" Waye (13 December 1877 – 7 July 1961) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Sturt in the South Australian Football Association (SAFA) during the early 1900s.
Waye played a total of 71 games for Sturt f ...
won a
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 Will ...
for
Sturt in 1903 during a career where he would regularly suit up for both clubs.
A-Grade Premierships
*
Southern Football Association A-Grade (26)
** 1893, 1894, 1895, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1919, 1923, 1936, 1938, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1961
*
Southern Football League A-Grade (1)
** 1964
*
Southern Football League Division 1 (1)
** 1984
*
Great Southern Football League A-Grade (10)
** 1986, 1988, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2021
References
External links
Official site
{{Southern Football League (South Australia) Clubs
Australian rules football clubs in South Australia
1874 establishments in Australia
Australian rules football clubs established in 1874
Former South Australian National Football League clubs