| Gawler Football Club | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Names | |
| Full name | Gawler Football Club |
| Former name(s) | Gawler Albion Football Club (1880-87) |
| Nickname(s) | Albions (1887), Tigers [1] |
| Club details | |
| Founded | 1868[2] |
| Dissolved | 1891 (withdrew from SAFA) |
| Colours | Orange, Black[3] |
| Competition | SAFA 1887-90 Gawler Football Association 1889-1953 Gawler and District Football League 1953-1987 |
| Ground(s) | Gawler Oval |
The Gawler Football Club was an Australian rules football club that was founded in June 1868[2] based at Gawler in the Township of Gawler about 39 km to the north-north east of Adelaide, South Australia.
In 1877 it was a foundation club of the South Australian Football Association (later renamed SANFL).
By 1880 the township had three additional clubs - Gawler Albion and Athenians junior clubs and Havelock for juveniles which were all playing arranged matches against visiting teams from Adelaide.
Following a merger in 1887 of the Gawler and Gawler Albions an application to the SAFA was successful for a Seniors Team called Gawler Albion to join the SAFA competition. Albion was dropped from the Club name the following season.
The Gawler Junior Football Association was formed on Tuesday 23 April 1889 and comprised three junior local teams - Gawler South, Centrals and Willaston. All three clubs still exist.
During the 1890 SAFA season the Gawler Association was unhappy with the SAFA programme having only been given five home games for the senior club in Gawler, they subsequently forfeited a number of games including two at Alberton against Port Adelaide, and finished bottom of the ladder with no wins and just two draws. In April 1891, the Gawler Association informed the SAFA that they would not participate in the upcoming season.[4]
In 1898 the Gawler Football Association attempted to rejoin the SAFA senior competition in Adelaide but the application was rejected at a meeting held on Monday 8 May 1899 on the grounds that Electoral District football was being tried by the SAFA.[5][6][7]
On 2 Dec 1912, the South Australia Football League granted the Gawler Association admission to the senior competition in Adelaide with the team being named as Gawler for the zone covered by the Electoral District of Barossa but withdrew just before the 1913 season was due to commence.[8] It would take another 46 years before a senior Club north of Gepps Cross would again be admitted to the SANFL. Central District Football Club was formed as a brand new Club in 1959 and admitted to the SANFL reserves (B Grade) for five years before joining the senior ranks in 1964.
- ^ "FOOTBALL NOTES". Port Adelaide News And Lefevre's Peninsula Advertiser. Vol. XII, no. 836. South Australia. 9 August 1889. p. 2. Retrieved 18 July 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b "GAWLER CORPORATION". The Bunyip. No. 181. South Australia. 4 July 1868. p. 13. Retrieved 19 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "PORT v. GAWLER". South Australian Chronicle. Vol. XXXII, no. 1, 616. South Australia. 10 August 1889. p. 15. Retrieved 18 July 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Australian Football - Gawler Football Club - Stats". australianfootball.com. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ "Football". Bunyip. 21 April 1899.
- ^ "Football Notes". Chronicle. 25 August 1900.
- ^ "Football". South Australian Register. 9 May 1899.
- ^ "Football League". Register. 4 December 1912.