Southern Districts Football Association
| Most recent season or competition: 1970 | |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1924 |
| First season | 1924 |
| Folded | 1970 |
| No. of teams | 4 (1970), 24 (historical) |
| Country | Australia |
Last champion | Bothwell (1970) |
| Most titles | Bothwell (12) |
| Related competitions | South East District FA |
The Southern Districts Football Association was an Australian rules football competition based in southern Tasmania.
History
The competition began as the Glenorchy Suburban Football Association, founded in 1924.[1] In its early years the competition catered to clubs located in Glenorchy and the surrounding Hobart suburbs, with teams including Claremont, Moonah, Montrose, Derwent Rovers, Lenah Valley and Glenorchy Flyers participating. The competition underwent a shift from a suburban association to a district-based system in the early 1930s as many of the suburban clubs departed and strong regional clubs such as Bridgewater and Bellerive were admitted.[2] After New Norfolk were admitted in 1934 the competition was renamed the Southern Districts Football Association.[3] Glenorchy dominated the 1930s, winning 5 premierships, but left the association for a year in 1938 as the club felt it was being unfairly treated at committee meetings.[4] The SDFA went into recess in 1941 due to WWII.
The competition re-formed in 1945 with 3 clubs - Bridgewater, Bellerive and New Norfolk.[5] 1946 saw Bothwell join for the first time and Bellerive change its name to Clarence. Both Clarence and New Norfolk accepted invitations to join the Tasmanian Football League in 1947 and were replaced with Glenorchy and Bagdad-Mangalore Rovers.[6] Bothwell won 6 premierships in 7 years between 1947 and 1953. After the competition was reduced to 3 clubs before the 1953 season following the departure of Upper Derwent three new clubs were admitted to bolster numbers - Forcett and South Hobart from the Clarence Sub-District FA and the newly-formed Brighton club.[7] These three clubs would only participate for a brief period. Forcett left South Hobart went into recess during the 1954 season due to injuries and "other influences"[8], Forcett left for the East Coast Football Association after 1955 and Brighton folded after the 1956 season. Glenorchy also departed after the 1956 season, merging with New Town in order to join the TFL.
Many of the smaller leagues in the Derwent Valley began to collapse in the 1950s which saw Hamilton and Upper Derwent join from the Derwent Valley FA in 1955 and Maydena and Ouse-Wayatinah from the Tyenna FA in 1959. The SDFA's days became numbered in the late 1960s. Hamilton folded after the 1966 season and Bridgewater moved to the TAFL Southern Division in 1968. Ouse could not field a team after 1970, prompting the three remaining clubs to join the South East District Football Association.
Clubs
Final
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | Years in SDFA |
SDFA Senior Premierships | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Years | ||||||||
| Bothwell | .svg.png)  |
Rabbits | Bothwell Recreation Reserve, Bothwell | DVFA | 1880 | 1946-1970 | 12 | 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1970 | Moved to South East District FA in 1952 |
| Maydena | Maydena Sports Ground, Maydena | TFA | 1952 | 1959-1964, 1966–1970 | 0 | - | Recess in 1965. Moved to South East District FA in 1971 | ||
| Ouse (Ouse-Wayatinah 1959-61) |  |
Magpies | Ouse Football Ground, Ouse | TFA | 1935 | 1959-1970 | 1 | 1967 | Folded after 1970 season |
| Upper Derwent |  |
Gretna Football Ground, Gretna | DVFA | 1904 | 1948-1952, 1955–1970 | 3 | 1961, 1962, 1969 | Played in Derwent Valley FA in 1953–54. Moved to South East District FA in 1971 | |
Former
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | Years in SDFA |
SDFA Senior Premierships | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Years | ||||||||
| ANM | Boyer Oval, New Norfolk | DVFA | 1947 | 1949 | 0 | - | Folded after 1949 season | ||
| Bridgewater |  |
Swans | Weily Park Oval, Bridgewater | BFA | 1885 | 1932-1967 | 3 | 1938, 1957, 1966 | Moved to TAFL Southern Division in 1968 |
| Brighton | Unknown ground in Brighton | – | 1953 | 1953-1956 | 0 | - | Folded after 1956 season | ||
| Claremont | Cadbury Oval, Claremont | C&SFA | 1924 | 1924-1926, 1931–1933, 1938 | 0 | - | Left league after 1926 and 1933 seasons. Entered recess after 1938 season, re-formed in TAFL Southern Division in 1948 | ||
| Clarence (Bellerive 1933-40) |   |
Roos | Bellerive Oval, Bellerive | SEFA | 1885 | 1933-1946 | 3 | 1937, 1940, 1946 | Moved to TFL in 1947 |
| Derwent Rovers | Dark and light hoops | – | 1927 | 1928, 1930–1931 | 1 | 1928 | Unaffiliated in 1929. Folded after 1931 season | ||
| Forcett | Forcett Recreation Ground, Forcett | CSDFA | 1884 | 1953-1955 | 0 | - | Moved to East Coast FA in 1956 | ||
| Glenorchy | Rovers | KGV Oval, Glenorchy | TFLJ | 1919 | 1924, 1930–1937, 1939–1940, 1947–1956 | 9 | 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1950, 1955, 1956 | Moved to TFL Juniors in 1925. Recess in 1938 and 1946. Merged with New Town to form Glenorchy District in TFL in 1957. | |
| Glenorchy Flyers | Glenorchy Oval, Glenorchy | – | 1925 | 1925-1926 | 1 | 1925 | Moved to Southern Country FA in 1927 | ||
| Glenorchy Homing Club | Homers | Glenorchy Oval, Glenorchy | – | 1923 | 1924 | 0 | - | Folded | |
| Glenorchy Seconds | Glenorchy Oval, Glenorchy | – | 1919 | 1926, 1928 (check) | 0 | - | Played in GSFA while seniors played in TFL Juniors. | ||
| Granton | Granton Football Ground, Granton | – | 1929 | 1931 | 0 | - | Folded after 1931 season | ||
| Hamilton | .svg.png) |
Hamilton Showgrounds, Hamilton | TFA | 1886 | 1955-1966 | 3 | 1959, 1960, 1965 | Folded after 1966 season | |
| Lenah Valley | – | 1924 | 1925 | 0 | - | Moved to Hobart Central FA in 1926 | |||
| Mangalore (Bagdad-Mangalore Rovers 1947-49) | .svg.png) |
Robins | Pontville Oval, Pontville | SEDFA | 1885 | 1947-1951 | 0 | - | Returned to South East District FA in 1952 |
| Moonah | Unknown ground in Moonah | – | 1914 | 1925-1926, 1928 | 0 | - | Left league after 1928 season. | ||
| Montrose | Montrose Recreation Ground, Montrose | – | 1930 | 1930-1936 | 1 | 1932 | Folded to allow Glenorchy to field a reserves side in 1937. | ||
| New Norfolk | .svg.png) |
Boyer Oval, New Norfolk | SCFA | 1878 | 1934-1946 | 2 | 1939, 1945 | Moved to TFL in 1947 | |
| Oatlands | .svg.png) |
Swans | Oatlands Oval, Oatlands | MFA | 1897 | 1948 | 0 | - | Returned to Midlands FA in 1949 |
| Richmond |  |
Blues | Richmond War Memorial Oval, Richmond | RFA | 1878 | 1937-1938 | 0 | - | Entered recess after 1938 season, re-formed without affiliating in 1940. |
| South Hobart | Unknown ground in South Hobart | CSDFA | 1891 | 1953-? | 0 | - | Most likely folded after 1954 season, which they did not complete. | ||
Premierships
| Year | Premier | Score | Runners-up | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | ? | |||
| 1925 | Glenorchy Flyers | |||
| 1926 | ? | |||
| 1927 | No competition | |||
| 1928 | Derwent Rovers | |||
| 1929 | No competition | |||
| 1930 | Glenorchy | 8.13 (61) - 8.9 (57) | Derwent Rovers | |
| 1931 | Glenorchy | |||
| 1932 | Montrose | |||
| 1933 | Glenorchy | 7.9 (51) - 6.10 (46) | Montrose | |
| 1934 | Glenorchy | 13.5 (83) - 4.9 (33) | New Norfolk | |
| 1935 | Glenorchy | 14.13 (97) - 10.12 (72) | Montrose | |
| 1936 | Glenorchy | 6.3 (39) - 4.11 (35) | Bellerive | |
| 1937 | Bellerive | 12.9 (81) - 10.6 (66) | Bridgewater | |
| 1938 | Bridgewater | 15.13 (103) - 11.15 (81) | Bellerive | |
| 1939 | New Norfolk | 14.9 (93) - 12.12 (84) | Bellerive | |
| 1940 | Bellerive | 11.9 (75) - 7.17 (59) | Glenorchy | |
| 1941-44 | SDFA in recess (WWII) | |||
| 1945 | New Norfolk | 12.12 (84) - 1.5 (11) | Clarence | |
| 1946 | Clarence | 11.9 (75) - 8.10 (58) | Bothwell | |
| 1947 | Bothwell | 8.8 (56) - 7.11 (53) | Glenorchy | |
| 1948 | Bothwell | 12.8 (80) - 6.7 (43) | Bridgewater | |
| 1949 | Bothwell | 9.8 (62) - 9.4 (58) | Glenorchy | |
| 1950 | Glenorchy | 9.12 (66) - 9.6 (60) | Bothwell | |
| 1951 | Bothwell | 10.18 (78) - 4.6 (30) | Glenorchy | |
| 1952 | Bothwell | 10.16 (76) - 5.6 (36) | Bridgewater | |
| 1953 | Bothwell | 15.12 (102) - 9.12 (66) | Glenorchy | |
| 1954 | Bothwell | 9.13 (67) - 2.7 (19) | Glenorchy | |
| 1955 | Glenorchy | 12.16 (88) - 12.10 (82) | Bothwell | |
| 1956 | Glenorchy | 14.12 (96) - 8.5 (53) | Upper Derwent | |
| 1957 | Bridgewater | 15.16 (106) - 9.11 (65) | Hamilton | |
| 1958 | Bothwell | 12.14 (86) - 10.22 (82) | Hamilton | |
| 1959 | Hamilton | 13.9 (87) - 5.9 (39) | Upper Derwent | |
| 1960 | Hamilton | 14.9 (93) - 13.14 (92) | Upper Derwent | |
| 1961 | Upper Derwent | 15.15 (105) - 6.9 (45) | Bothwell | |
| 1962 | Upper Derwent | 8.6 (54) - 6.7 (43) | Maydena | |
| 1963 | Bothwell | 13.20 (98) - 8.10 (58) | Hamilton | |
| 1964 | Bothwell | 7.7 (49) - 6.4 (40) | Maydena | |
| 1965 | Hamilton | 13.15 (93) - 10.14 (74) | Bothwell | |
| 1966 | Bridgewater | 10.7 (67) - 6.15 (51) | Maydena | |
| 1967 | Ouse | 13.14 (92) - 8.12 (60) | Bothwell | |
| 1968 | Bothwell | 10.8 (68) - 8.9 (57) | Ouse | |
| 1969 | Upper Derwent | 16.15 (111) - 8.9 (57) | Ouse | |
| 1970 | Bothwell | 11.6 (72) - 7.8 (50) | Upper Derwent | |
References
- ↑ "SUBURBAN ASSOCIATION". The News (Hobart). 16 October 1924. p. 5. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "GLENORCHY SUBURBAN ASSOCIATION". The Mercury. 15 July 1933. p. 14. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "SOUTHERN DISTRICT FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION". The Mercury. 20 April 1934. p. 14. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ ""UNFAIRLY TREATED"". The Mercury. 30 March 1938. p. 13. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "District Football Begins In Hobart Today". The Mercury. 5 May 1945. p. 24. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "League Teams Begin Training". The Advocate (Burnie). 26 March 1947. p. 3. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Teams Sharing Football Lead". The Mercury. 3 July 1953. p. 16. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Football Club "Not Disbanded"". The Mercury. 12 July 1954. p. 15. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)