Southern Metropolitan Football League Explained

The Southern Metropolitan Football League (SMFL) was an Australian rules football competition based in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia until it folded at the end of the 1986 season. It first formed in 1912 as the Sturt Football Association,^{[1] [2]} and during its history was also known as the Mid-Southern Football Association (1920-1930),^[3] Glenelg District Football Association (1931–1949),^[4] Glenelg-South-West District Football Association (1950–1966)^[5] and Glenelg-South Adelaide Football Association (1967–1983),^[6] before finally being named Southern Metropolitan Football League (1984–1986).^[7]

The association first affiliated with the South Australian Football League in 1921.^[8] In 1927, the association made a special request to the SAFL for financial assistance.^[9]

Collapse

The remaining clubs at the end of the 1986 season were distributed in 1987 as follows:
Joined SAFA – Brighton, Mitchell Park^[10]
Joined Hills Football League – Blackwood
Joined Southern Football League - Marion, Morphettville Park,^[11] Plympton^[12]
Joined Central District Football Association – Ovingham^[13]
Merged and joined SAAFL - Camden (merged with Greek FC) ^{[14] [15]}

Member Clubs

Clubs in Bold indicate teams playing in the final season (1986)

Club	Years participating	Other names
	1980-84 ^[16]
	1979-81 ^[17]
ANZ Bank	1960-80 ^[18]
Bank of Adelaide	1971-76 ^[19]
Black Forest	1919-1927, 1931-33 ^[20]
Blackwood	1912-15, 1919–41, 1944–48, 1953-86
	1915
Brighton	1912-13, 1919–41, 1946–57,^[21] 1969-86 ^[22]	Brighton and Seacliff (1938–56)
	1981-82
Brunswick	1952-53
Camden	1927-86 ^[23]	Novar Gardens (1927–31)
	1925, 1929, 1948
College Park	1950-51
	1944-45, 1976-85 ^[24]
	1920, 1925–33, 1936-54	Edwardstown B participated 1935
	1978-84	Brighton Tigers (1978)
	1958-84
Glenelg Imperial	1912-15, 1923–30, 1942-46
Glenelg Junior	1933-34, 1936
Glenelg Rovers	1931-32
Glenelg Sailing Club	1928-29	B-Grade only
Glenelg United	1929
Glenelg YMCA	1946
	1915, 1925–30,^[25] 1979-84 ^[26]
	1924,^[27] 1964-79
Immanuel Old Scholars	1978-79 ^[28]
Kelvinator	1950, 1953-67 ^[29]
	1960-85 ^[30]
Marion	1912-15, 1920–41, 1946-86	Sturt (1920–41, 1946–56)
	1912-15, 1922–24, 1976-84
Mitcham Park	1915
Mitchell Park	1969-85
Morphettville Park	1959-86
Mortlock Park	1927-30
North Brighton-Somerton	1950-51 ^[31]
Norwood Union	1979-82 ^[32]
Ovingham	1986
Plympton	1921-27, 1937-86
	1935-36
Public Service	1948
	1920-27, 1930-47
Richmond and Keswick United	1928-30
Salesian	1980-84
	1931-35
Semaphore Seasiders	1915
South Adelaide Ramblers	1950-57	South Adelaide C (1953–55)
St. Leonards	1930-53
St. Leonards Colts	1935-38
St. Peters	1929
South Road Estate	1929	B-Grade only
	1942-45
Sturt Centrals	1916
Sturt College Of Advanced Education	1981
Sturt Imperial	1915
Sturt Ramblers	1912-15
Torrens College Of Advanced Education	1975-78
Torrensville United	1962-78
Underdale United	1927 ^[33]
West Suburban	1930
	1979-81
	1962-78	Kilkenny United (1962–70)

Premierships

Sturt Football Association

Year	A-Grade
1912	Mitcham Undefeated
1913	Sturt Ramblers
1914	Mitcham
1915	Sturt Ramblers
1916	Sturt Centrals
1917	In recess (World War I)
1918	In recess (World War I)
1919	Brighton

Mid-Southern Football Association

Year	A-Grade	B-Grade
1920
1921	Sturt^[34]
1922	Mitcham^[35]
1923	Brighton^[36]
1924	Brighton^[37]	Brighton B
1925	Brighton^[38]	Goodwood B
1926		Goodwood B
1927	Mortlock Park ^[39]	Mortlock Park B ^[40]
1928	Goodwood ^[41]	Richmond and Keswick United
1929	Mortlock Park ^[42]
1930	Goodwood	Glenelg Juniors

Glenelg District Football Association

Year	A-Grade	B-Grade
1931
1932		Edwardstown B
1933	Black Forest ^[43]	St. Leonards B ^[44]
1934	St. Leonards Undefeated ^[45]
1935	St. Leonards	St. Leonards Colts ^[46]
1936		Reynella^[47]
1937	Camden^[48]
1938	Blackwood^[49] ^[50]
1939	Edwardstown^[51]
1940	Edwardstown^[52]
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945	Sturt-Brighton^[53]
1946	Edwardstown^[54] ^[55]
1947	Brighton and Seacliff^[56]
1948	Edwardstown^[57]
1949		Plympton B^[58]

Glenelg-South-West District Football Association

Year	A1	A2	A3
1950	Plympton^[59]	Kelvinator ^[60]
1951	Sturt^[61]	College Park
1952	Edwardstown^[62]	Edwardstown^[63]
1953	Blackwood^[64]
1954	Blackwood^[65]
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966			Morphettville Park

Glenelg-South Adelaide Football Association

Year	A1	A2	A3	A4	A5
1967		Marion Undefeated
1968	Glenelg Tigers
1969			Edwardstown
1970		Mitchell Park
1971	ANZ Bank	ANZ Bank	Plympton
1972				Edwardstown
1973		ANZ Bank	Bank of NSW	Brighton	Morphettville Park
1974
1975
1976			Woodville South Undefeated ^[66]
1977
1978		Goodwood^[67]
1979
1980		Mitchell Park Undefeated
1981
1982
1983		Colonel Light Gardens^[68]

Southern Metropolitan Football League

Year	A1	A2	A3
1984			Mitchell Park
1985			Mitchell Park
1986

H.S. Rugless Medallists

The H.S. Rugless Medal was awarded to the player adjudged the Fairest and Most Brilliant in the competition. During the Sturt Football Association years (1912–19) it was known as the Thomas Medal.

Thomas Medal

• 1912
• 1913
• 1914 – Jack Rowlands (Blackwood)
• 1915
• 1916
• 1917
• 1918
• 1919

H.S. Rugless Medal (A1)

• 1920
• 1921
• 1922 – Mick Martin (Reynella)^[69]
• 1923
• 1924 – Bob Chapman (Blackwood)
• 1925 – William Hender (Blackwood)
• 1926 – Purdie (Sturt)
• 1927 – A. "Pop" Williams (Goodwood)^[70]
• 1928 – A. "Pop" Williams (Goodwood)
• 1929
• 1930
• 1931
• 1932
• 1933 – F. Whitford (Brighton)^[71] - 24 votes
• 1934
• 1935 – R. McNamara (Camden)^[72]
• 1936 – W. Egan (Sturt)
• 1937 – Clarrie Radford (Blackwood)^[73] – 40 votes
• 1938 – F. Alcock (Reynella)^[74]
• 1939 – tied C. Brown (Sturt) & N. S. Gunn (Reynella)^[75] – 34 votes
• 1940 – F. Alcock (Reynella)^[76]
• 1941 – N. Edwards (Sturt)
• 1942 – C. Brooker (Plympton)^[77]
• 1943
• 1944 – G. Cox (Sturt-Brighton)
• 1945 – K. Rohrig (Edwardstown)^[78]
• 1946 – B. Woollard (Brighton-Seacliff)^[79]
• 1947 – R. (Bob) Ryan (Reynella)^[80]
• 1948 – Mel Brock (Camden)^[81]
• 1949 – Harold Partridge (Sturt)
• 1950 – Max Chambers (Sturt)
• 1951
• 1952 – Alan Naulty (South Adelaide Ramblers)
• 1953
• 1954 – P. Partridge (Sturt)
• 1955
• 1956
• 1957
• 1958
• 1959
• 1960
• 1961
• 1962
• 1963
• 1964
• 1965
• 1966
• 1967 – Garry Bonner (Blackwood)
• 1968 – J. Cook (Marion)
• 1969 – J. Cook (Marion)
• 1970 – Ian Winton (Morphettville Park)
• 1971
• 1972
• 1973
• 1974
• 1975
• 1976 – John Cloonan (Morphettville Park)
• 1977
• 1978 – Robbie Magarey (Blackwood)
• 1979
• 1980
• 1981 – I. Hine (Marion)
• 1982 – Brad Mesecke (Morphettville Park)
• 1983 – J. Carracher (Brighton)
• 1984 – Brad Mesecke (Morphettville Park)
• 1985 – Chris Prior (Blackwood)
• 1986 – Brad Mesecke (Morphettville Park)

J.C. Morrow Medal (A2)

In 1936 the Morrow Medal was established for the fairest and most brilliant player in the then B-Grade competition.^[82]

Division 2 A-Grade Medal

• 1980 - Neil Wuttke ^[83]
• 1983 - Geoff Drechsler
• 1984 - Glenn Todman

Division 2 B-Grade Medal

• 1983 - David Heard

References

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