The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL, 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.
Russell Frank Ebert was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He is considered one of the greatest players in the history of Australian rules football in South Australia. Ebert is the only player to have won four Magarey Medals, which are awarded to the best and fairest player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). He is one of four Australian rules footballers to have a statue at Adelaide Oval, the others being Ken Farmer, Malcolm Blight and Barrie Robran. Football historian John Devaney described Ebert as coming "as close as any player in history to exhibiting complete mastery over all the essential skills of the game," and he is widely regarded as the Port Adelaide Football Club's greatest-ever player. Aside from his 392 games at Port Adelaide, Ebert played 25 games for North Melbourne in the 1979 VFL season and collected over 500 possessions as a midfielder for the club, which reached the preliminary final. Ebert was an inaugural inductee into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996, and he was posthumously elevated to Legend status in June 2022, the highest honour that can be bestowed onto an Australian footballer.
The North Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Roosters, is an Australian rules football club affiliated with the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and SANFL Women's League (SANFLW). The club plays its home games at Prospect Oval, located in Prospect, a northern suburb of Adelaide. The club joined the SAFA in 1888 as the Medindie Football Club, changing its name to North Adelaide in 1893. It is the fourth oldest club still in operation in the SANFL after South Adelaide (1877), Port Adelaide (1877) and Norwood (1878). As the Port Adelaide SANFL team merged with the Port Adelaide AFL team in 2013 and now plays in the SANFL as an AFL Reserves team, some will argue that North Adelaide is now the third oldest SANFl club still in operation in the SANFL. North Adelaide's first premiership was won in 1900, and the club has won a total of fourteen senior men's premierships in the SANFL, most recently in 2018.
West Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Nicknamed the Bloods and commonly known as the Westies, the club's home base is Richmond Oval. The Oval is located in Richmond, an inner-western suburb of Adelaide.
Cain Jed Ackland is an Australian rules football player formerly in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Donald Neil Kerley was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He is best known for taking three clubs to four South Australian National Football League (SANFL) premierships over three decades as both a player and coach, and for playing 32 state games for South Australia.
Stephen Scott Kernahan is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and for the Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). He also played 16 State of Origin games for South Australia and gained selection as an All-Australian five times. He later served for six years as president of the Carlton Football Club.
In South Australia, Australian rules football is traditionally a popular participation and spectator sport. It is governed by the South Australian Football Commission which runs the South Australia National Football League in the capital Adelaide, the highest profile competition among the 24 spread across the state. Participation has fallen substantially in recent years to a current rate of 4.1% and 63,969 adults and 28,692 children less than a quarter of which are female. Prior to 2019 it was the most participated team sport in the state, however it dropped to third after both basketball and soccer there surpassed it in 2024.
Mark James Mickan is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Brisbane Bears and Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Mickan began his senior career with South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club West Adelaide in 1981 and finished back at West Adelaide in 1994. All-Australian team selection in 1988 marked the pinnacle of his playing career. He has a sister, Patricia Mickan, who was a basketballer.
Kris Massie is an Australian rules football coach and former player who played for the Carlton Football Club and Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He also coached the Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) from 2011 to 2013.
Ryan Willits is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He also played for the Glenelg Football Club and West Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).
Rodney "Rocket" Maynard is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL)
Peter Gareth Carey is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) from 1971 to 1988.
Wayne Weidemann is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). The “Weed” as he was fondly known as, was a highly underrated player, often showing strength, agility, versatility and ability in directing play up forward or back.
Rick Davies is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Sturt and South Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Nicknamed the "Jumbo Prince", Davies played a total of 390 games throughout his career (317 for Sturt, 33 for South Adelaide, 20 for Hawthorn, and 20 State Games for South Australia. Though not tall for a ruckman at only 188 cm, Davies was known for his strong marking and body strength which he used to great effect against opponents who were often taller and heavier than him.
Garry McIntosh is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Norwood Football Club in the South Australian Football League (SANFL).
Damian Squire is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Port Adelaide in the Australian Football League (AFL) and both North Adelaide and Sturt in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Squire is the step-brother of former Norwood and Central District footballer Mark Jones.
Keith A. Thomas is a former Australian rules football player and administrator who played with Norwood in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Between 2011 and 2020 he was the chief executive officer of the Port Adelaide Football Club.
Thebarton Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia currently used for a variety of sports including Australian rules football. It was the home ground of South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club West Torrens between 1922 and 1989, and since 2008 has been the home of the South Australian Amateur Football League (SAAFL) now called the Adelaide Footy League.
Stephen Rowe is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the South Fremantle Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), the Norwood Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
