The Victorian Football Club, "The Victorians", renamed the North Adelaide Football Club for the 1883 SAFA season, was an Australian rules football club based in North Adelaide, South Australia. The team wore an orange-and black guernsey and hose, with black knickerbockers, and were known to their supporters as "The Tigers."[2]
The club's home ground was established in 1873 at the portion of the Park Lands at the foot of Strangways Terrace, North Adelaide. [3]
The Victorian Football Club first recorded game was against a team called Young Clubs on Saturday 13 June 1874. The game resulted in a victory with the only goal kicked by H. Barry who played excellently all afternoon.[4]
On 22 May 1875, a new home ground west of and at the foot of Montefiore Hill, North Adelaide[5] was established and used for games until the end of the 1881 season.
At the 1875 annual dinner held at the Crown and Sceptre Hotel on Wednesday evening, 15 September the secretary, George Downs reported that the club had only lost the opening match out of nine matches played, and that they had obtained 23 goals in these matches to four goals scored against them.[6]
The Victorian Football Club captained by G. Downs was the first to play a game against the newly formed South Adelaide Football Club on 20 May 1876 at Montefiore Hill which started at 3pm. After some hard work and several disputes over the rules of the game, it ceased two hours later after the home team the Victorians scored a goal by H. Barry.[7]
The club finished second in the unofficial interclub competition in 1875 and won in 1876, becoming a founding member of the South Australian Football Association (SAFA) in 1877. [8]
Foundation member and Joint Inaugural Premiers of SAFA (1877)
The Victorian club sent delegates and joined the newly formed South Australian Football Association on 30 April 1877. They were declared joint premiers with South Adelaide, in the inaugural SAFA season of 1877. In head to head clashes the Victorians had a scoreless draw and in the final game of the season on their home ground at foot of Montefiore Hill a win by scoring a single goal against the previously undefeated South Adelaides.[9]
One notable game that the Victorian Football Club played was the first intercolonial match involving a South Australian club. The game was held on 11 August 1877 on the Adelaide Exhibition Grounds against the Melbourne Football Club, with the visitors winning 1 goal to nil.[10]
1883 Change of name to North Adelaide
At the Annual General Meeting held on Friday 16 March 1883 at Scotch Thistle Hotel, North Adelaide, with 40 members present, the club resolved to change its name to North Adelaide Football Club.[11]
The club struggled to compete against the other senior clubs in the SAFA and in its final two seasons as North Adelaide collected the wooden spoon on both occasions.[12] The club's last game was at Kensington Oval vs Norwood on 27 Sep 1884, which was a loss. Two weeks earlier, the "Tigers" had their only win of the 1884 season, an upset victory over Norwood Football Club who had been SAFA premiers for the previous five seasons by 4 goals 4 behinds to 2 goals 10 behinds.
1885 Annual General Meeting and Resignation from SAFA
On Thursday evening 9 April 1885 the annual meeting of the North Adelaide Football Club was held at the Huntsman's Hotel, North Adelaide. There was a small attendance and Mr. G. Bickle presided. The secretary, Mr. K. Whitfield, read the annual report. The balance-sheet showed a debit balance of £5 17s 6d. It was decided that the ciub should continue its connection with the South Australian Football Association, and a committee was appointed to secure playing members. Mr. W. Osborne offered to contiibute £5 to the funds of the club with a view to furthering its interests, on condition that another contribution of a like amount was promised. The offer was received with applause, and £7 was raised in the room within a few minutes.
The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows: — Patrons, Mr. E. W. Hawker. M.P., President, Mr. W. Osborne: vice presidents, Dr. Stirling, M.P., Dr. Jay, Mr. W. Gilbert, M.P., Mr. W. H. Beaglehole, M. P. , Councillors Downs and Stevenson, Messrs. W. Stratton, J. Watkins, F. Downes, J. G. Osborne, G. Bickle, D. Braidwood, T. Meelin. W. Connell, W. F. Long, M. Middleston. E. G. Phillips, and Upton; treasurer, Mr. B. Furnell: secretary, W. Salsberg; association delegates, Messrs. R. Whitfield, B. Furnell, J. Braidwood, W. Salsberg, and T. Rees; general committee, the secretary, treasurer, captain, vice-captain, and Messrs. G. Downes, R. Whitfield, and T. Rees.[13]
On Monday evening 20 April 1885, a special meeting of the club was held at the Oxford Hotel, North Adelaide.[14]
On Tuesday evening 21 April 1885, the Club tendered its resignation to the South Australia Football Association, where it was accepted.[15]
A number of the prominent players joined the newly formed senior Adelaide Club (formed from a merger of North Adelaide Junior and North Park Clubs) for the 1885 SAFA season and several of their other players joined the Hotham Club from the Adelaide and Suburban Association.[16]
George Edward Downs was Captain of the Club and South Australia's First Captain. He also became a First Class Cricket Umpire and a Test Umpire for one test in 1892.[17][18]
William Knill - described as a dashing back man whose play was rarely surpassed also played Cricket for South Australia.[19]
Frank Marlow was a player who became a long-serving administrator as secretary of South Adelaide Football Club and of the South Australian National Football League (SANFL); most likely his brother Alf Marlow as well; both transferred to South Adelaide after moving house to Gilles Street, Adelaide.
List of SANFL premiers (1): 1877, Inaugural SAFA Club Champion shared with South Adelaide
Related Research Articles
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.
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). 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.
The South Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club that competes in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Known as the Panthers, their home ground is Flinders University Stadium, located in Noarlunga Downs in the southern suburbs of Adelaide.
West Torrens Football Club was an Australian rules football club that competed in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) from 1897 to 1990. In 1991, the club merged with neighbouring Woodville Football Club to form the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles.
Australian rules football in South Australia has long been the most popular sport in the state. It is governed by the South Australia National Football League.
The Kensington Oval is located on 344 The Parade, Kensington, South Australia. Now used primarily for cricket in South Australia, the venue was once Adelaide's premier athletics facility and known as Olympic Sports Field.
The Adelaide Football Club, often referred to as the Old Adelaide Football Club, was an Australian rules football club based in Adelaide. Founded on 26 April 1860, it was the first football club formed in South Australia.
The Port Adelaide–Norwood rivalry is Australian rules football's oldest and one of its most intense rivalries. It is contested between the Norwood Football Club and the Port Adelaide Football Club. Together, Port Adelaide (36) and Norwood (31) have won 66 South Australian National Football League (SANFL) premierships since the founding of the competition in 1878, 48.9% of all SANFL grand finals as of the 2023 SANFL Grand Final. As the SANFL competition has been suspended due to war, only 132 seasons have been played, therefore together Norwood and Port Adelaide have won exactly half of all SANFL premierships awarded. The two clubs have met in finals 50 times, with 17 of those grand finals including two war-time grand finals.
The 1877 South Australian Football Association season was the inaugural season of the South Australian Football Association, the top-level league of Australian rules football in South Australia.
The 1878 South Australian Football Association season was the 2nd season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.
The 1888 South Australian Football Association season was the 12th season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia. The Norwood Football Club won their 8th premiership by winning 1 premiership point, or a half a win, more than Port Adelaide.
The South Park Football Club was a foundation club of the South Australian Football Association which competed in the inaugural 1877 SAFA season. and played its home games on the Adelaide South Parklands.
Thomas George Smith was an Australian football player. He was a foundation player of the Port Adelaide Football Club in 1870 and was also an inaugural player in the club's first SAFA season. During the first three seasons of the SAFA, he won Port Adelaide's best and fairest award.
The Kensington Football Club was one of the first Australian rules football clubs founded in South Australia and played an integral part in the game's development in the state. The early rules used in South Australia were referred to as the "Kensington Rules". Club uniform was a scarlet cap and jacket and white trousers. The club was one of the founding teams of the South Australian Football Association in 1877.
The Gawler Football Club was an Australian rules football club that was founded in June 1868 based at Gawler in the Township of Gawler about 39 km to the north-north east of Adelaide, South Australia.
The Bankers Football Club was an Australian rules football club that competed in the inaugural 1877 South Australian Football Association (SAFA) season. The club was formed on 28 March 1877 from a meeting of about 30 officers of the Banks of Adelaide.
The Salisbury Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies, is an Australian rules football club based in the northern suburb of Salisbury, South Australia and plays its home games at Salisbury Oval.
The Woodville Football Club (SAFA) originally known as the Port Suburban Football Club (from 1868–1870) was an Australian rules football club that participated in the foundation year of the South Australian Football Association. It is not related to the Woodville Football Club that joined the SANFL in 1964.
The West Adelaide Football Club (1878–1887), previously known as the West Torrens Football Club, was an Australian rules football club that participated in the South Australian Football Association during the 1887 SAFA season.
The Young Australian Football Club was an Australian rules football club established on the 11 May 1870, in North Adelaide at the Royal Oak Hotel. A dozen persons were present and Mr. W. L. Wyly was appointed Secretary and Treasurer, and Messrs. Mellor, Harrison, Holthouse, Simms, and Randall the Committee. Blue and white were decided upon as the colors. It was decided to challenge the Port Suburban Club for the opening game.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
