Football – South Gawler Football Club Inc.

**Fast Facts**
Type of organisation:	Sporting

The South Gawler Football Club (SGFC), nicknamed the Lions, is one of the most successful and historic Australian Rules football clubs in South Australia. Founded in the late 19th century, it has built a legacy of dominance in the Gawler and Barossa regions.

Foundation and Early Years

Established: March 21, 1889.
Founding Meeting: Held at the Mill Inn (on the corner of Seventh Street and Adelaide Road).
Founder: James Fitzgerald, who served as the club's first captain.
Inaugural Match: Played on March 30, 1889, at Para Para (an intraclub match). Their first official competitive game was a victory against Salisbury on April 20, 1889.
Early Affiliation: South Gawler was a founding member of the Gawler Junior Football Association (later the Gawler Football Association) alongside rivals Willaston and Gawler Centrals.

Historical Achievements

South Gawler is frequently cited as one of the most decorated clubs in Australian country football.

Premiership Powerhouse: The club has won 39 A-Grade premierships since 1889.
National Ranking: As of 2024, they are ranked as the equal eighth winningest Australian Rules club in Australia and hold the record for the most senior premierships in South Australia.
Golden Eras:
- The 1920s: A period of total dominance where the club won seven consecutive flags (1920–1925, 1927). This dominance was so absolute that the league encouraged South's "B Grade" team to break away and form a separate club (the Rovers) to even the competition.
- The 1990s: Won back-to-back-to-back titles in 1893–94 and later modern successes in 1990, 1992, and 1993.
- Recent Success: Broke a 28-year drought with a premiership in 2021, followed by another in 2023.

Colors and Identity

Nickname: The Lions. The "Rampant Lion" emblem was officially adopted in 1955.
Colors: Royal blue and white hoops. In the very early years (1890), they briefly wore blue and white before the design evolved into the hoops recognized today.
Name Change: Originally known as "Gawler South" (after the suburb), the name was flipped to "South Gawler" in 1957.

Home Ground and Local Impact

Current Ground: Eldred Riggs Reserve on Dawson Road, Evanston.
Community Ties: The club has been a centerpiece of Gawler’s social life for over 135 years. It expanded into women's football recently, with the "Lionesses" and junior girls' teams already securing historic association titles (notably the Under 16s in 2023).

Notable Figures

Eddie Mahoney: A club legend who won three consecutive Mail Medals (1936, 1937, 1938).
Eddie Schwerdt: A triple Association Best & Fairest winner in the late 80s and 90s.

League Players: Many South Gawler players have transitioned to the SANFL or AFL, including names like John Nottle (Sturt), Yves Sibenaler (Central District), and Lachlan Arnold (North Adelaide).

Research reveals 1893 Premiership shared. by Robert Laidlaw

Read most accounts of Gawler football history and the 1893 premiership was won by Gawler Central. In fact even South Gawler’s centenary history book lists its cross-town rivals as premiers. But it has now been discovered that the 1893 season finished in a dead heat between South and Central.

The first clue to the mystery comes from South’s book, in which authors David Heinrich and Garry Hurst state: “South ended up finishing second despite equalling Central at the end of the minor round, as we declined to play Central off for the premiership.” Through the season, South and Central met on five occasions, the sides splitting the first four matches, then Central winning the final contest on September 16 easily, 12-3 to 1-11.

But of the season’s scheduled games, two were abandoned and rescheduled for after the September 16 match. Both contests were South versus Willaston, played on the following two Saturdays. With the season extended to incorporate these two additional games, it’s possible a play-off would have interfered with the players’ cricket commitments and may have contributed to South declining the opportunity to meet Central. The Bunyip report of October 6, 1893, stated: “The South Gawler's have declined to play off with the Centrals for the Gawler Association Premiership. The two clubs, therefore, tie for the position. This is very unsatisfactory.”

And as further evidence of the fact, the 1893 premiership was shared between Central and South, the Gawler Football Association’s annual report was published in The Bunyip on April 20, 1894. It stated: “Last season was a successful one both from a football and financial point of view. The season ended unsatisfactorily so far as the premiership was concerned. The South Gawler's and Centrals tied for the top place, and for some reason or other, the playoff did not take place. It was hoped that such a state of affairs would not be possible in the future, and it was suggested that the club refusing to play off on another occasion should take second place.”

Of the discovery, South Gawler president Jim Callander said: “Even though it’s 100 plus years later, we’ll take it. Every premiership is valuable, particularly as we, unfortunately, finished wooden spooners last season. It gives us a little to smile about,” he said. “Although South hasn’t won a premiership for a while, with 36 flags, now 37, we are the most successful football club in South Australia, and third in Australia.”

The South Gawler Football Club has won 39 Premierships.

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Website: <South Gawler Football Club>

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