Esperance Football Association
| Most recent season or competition: 1967 | |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1922 |
| Folded | 1967 |
| No. of teams | 4 (1967), 7 (historical) |
| Country | Australia |
Last champion | Dover (1967) |
The Esperance Football Association was an Australian rules football competition based in southern Tasmania.
History
The Esperance Football Association was formed in 1922 by the Dover, Raminea and Navvies (Ida Bay) clubs.[1] Prior to the formation of the EFA, football in the Esperance area had mostly consisted of challenge matches against teams from the Huon region owing to the isolation and low population of the area. Records of the early years of the competition are spotty. By 1925 Southport had entered in place of Navvies.[2] Catamaran played one season in 1927, replacing Raminea.[3] Raminea would re-form for the 1929 season, forming a three-club core that would last for much of the competition's existence.[4] The Association was known as the Southport Football Association in 1926, and between 1933 and 1935 was known as the Southern Football Association.[5] Surges Bay joined in 1934 but would only last two seasons, departing after the 1935 season.[6] The EFA entered recess in 1941 due to loss of players to WWII conscription.
The EFA re-formed in 1945 with Dover, Raminea and Southport again the participating clubs.[7] Surges Bay returned to the competition in 1948 but again would only last two seasons before folding.[8] Dover won four premierships in a row from 1946-1949. Glendevie joined the competition in 1952 and won the premiership in their first season.[9] They would go on to dominate the competition over the next 10 years, winning 7 premierships between 1956 and 1963, including 5 in a row from 1956 to 1960.
By the late 1960s the EFA began to struggle as the lack of population in the region stretched the four clubs' ability to fill out their teams. A proposition was put to the Huon Football Association in late 1967 that the four clubs merge to form a combined Esperance team, based at Dover. This was rejected in the summer of 1968, and the EFA folded soon after.
Clubs
Final
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Est. | Years in EFA | Known EFA Senior Premierships | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Years | |||||||
| Dover |  |
Tigers | Dover Football Ground, Dover | 1922 | 1922-1927, 1929, 1932-1951, 1953-1967 | 11 | 1932, 1936, 1938, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1955, 1961, 1966, 1967 | Recess in 1952. Folded after 1967 season |
| Glendevie |  |
Robins | Surges Bay Oval, Surges Bay | 1950 | 1952-1967 | 8 | 1952, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963 | Folded after 1967 season |
| Raminea | Roos | Raminea Football Ground, Raminea | 1922 | 1922-1925, 1929, 1932-1967 | 4 | 1939, 1954, 1964, 1965 | Folded after 1967 season | |
| Southport | .svg.png) |
Navies | Southport Football Ground, Southport | 1909 | 1925-1927, 1929, 1932-1940, 1946-1966 | 4 | 1940, 1950, 1951, 1953 | Folded after 1967 season |
Former
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Est. | Years in EFA | Known EFA Senior Premierships | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Years | |||||||
| Catamaran | Located in Catamaran | 1927 | 1927 | 0 | - | Folded after 1927 season | ||
| Navvies | Located in Ida Bay | 1922 | 1922 | 0 | - | Folded after 1922 season | ||
| Surges Bay | Surges Bay Oval, Surges Bay | 1934 | 1934-1935, 1948-1949 | 0 | - | Recess between 1936-47. Folded after 1949 season | ||
Premierships
| Year | Premier | Score | Runners-up | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esperance Football Association | ||||
| 1922 | ? | |||
| 1923 | ? | |||
| 1924 | ? | |||
| 1925 | ? | |||
| Southport Football Association | ||||
| 1926 | ? | ? | ||
| Esperance Football Association | ||||
| 1927 | ? | ? | ||
| 1928 | EFA in recess | |||
| 1929 | ? | ? | ||
| 1930 | EFA in recess | |||
| 1931 | ||||
| 1932 | Dover | ? | ||
| Southern Football Association | ||||
| 1933 | ? | ? | ||
| 1934 | ? | ? | ||
| 1935 | ? | ? | ||
| Esperance Football Association | ||||
| 1936 | Dover | Southport | ||
| 1937 | ? | ? | ||
| 1938 | Dover | 11.18 (84) - 11.7 (73) | Southport | |
| 1939 | Raminea | 12.9 (81) - 7.13 (54) | Dover | |
| 1940 | Southport | Dover | ||
| 1941-44 | EFA in recess (WWII) | |||
| 1945 | ||||
| 1946 | Dover | 11.21 (87) - 9.9 (63) | Southport | |
| 1947 | Dover | 15.19 (109) - 8.9 (57) | Southport | |
| 1948 | Dover | Southport | ||
| 1949 | Dover | 16.18 (114) - 12.12 (84) | Southport | |
| 1950 | Southport | 12.18 (90) - 12.15 (87) | Dover | |
| 1951 | Southport | 7.10 (52) - 7.10 (52) | Dover | Drawn grand final |
| Southport | 14.16 (100) - 12.8 (80) | Dover | Replay | |
| 1952 | Glendevie | ? | ||
| 1953 | Southport | 5.21 (51) - 5.15 (45) | Glendevie | |
| 1954 | Raminea | 15.14 (104) - 8.9 (57) | Southport | |
| 1955 | Dover | 13.10 (88) - 11.8 (74) | Glendevie | |
| 1956 | Glendevie | 15.13 (103) - 13.18 (96) | Dover | |
| 1957 | Glendevie | 15.14 (104) - 13.8 (86) | Southport | |
| 1958 | Glendevie | 9.19 (73) - 10.12 (72) | Raminea | |
| 1959 | Glendevie | 15.7 (97) - 12.23 (95) | Southport | |
| 1960 | Glendevie | 13.15 (93) - 10.12 (72) | Dover | |
| 1961 | Dover | 9.22 (76) - 8.12 (60) | Raminea | |
| 1962 | Glendevie | 10.5 (65) - 9.10 (64) | Dover | |
| 1963 | Glendevie | 21.20 (146) - 15.18 (108) | Raminea | |
| 1964 | Raminea | 14.16 (100) - 7.6 (48) | Glendevie | |
| 1965 | Raminea | 17.12 (114) - 12.7 (79) | Glendevie | |
| 1966 | Dover | 12.15 (87) - 13.6 (84) | Glendevie | |
| 1967 | Dover | 9.11 (65) - 7.15 (57) | Glendevie | |
References
- ↑ "ESPERANCE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION". Huon Times. 2 June 1922. p. 3. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Football". Huon Times. 10 June 1925. p. 3. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "SOUTHPORT FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION". Huon Times. 16 September 1927. p. 5. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "ESPERANCE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION". Huon Times. 26 July 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
- ↑ "ESPERANCE ASSOCIATION". Huon Times. 30 March 1933. p. 5. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "SOUTHPORT CLUB". The Mercury. 9 May 1934. p. 12. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Southport Minor Premiers". The Mercury. 19 July 1945. p. 19. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "SOUTHERN FOOTBALL UMPIRES". The Mercury. 23 July 1948. p. 9. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Fixtures And Umpires For Tomorrow". The Mercury. 6 June 1952. p. 15. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)