| Old Adelaide | ||
|---|---|---|
| Names | ||
| Full name | Adelaide Football Club | |
| Club details | ||
| Founded | 26 April 1860 | |
| Dissolved | 9 March 1894 | |
| Colours | black, red 1875 Blue | |
| Competition | Interclub competition 1872, 1875-1876 SAFA 1877-1881, 1885-1893 | |
| Premierships | Interclub competition (2): 1871-1872
SAFA (1): 1886 | |
| Ground(s) | North Park Lands (1860-1881) (now University Oval, Adelaide) | |
| Uniforms | ||
| ||
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.
From 1860 to 1872 the club played what appears to be a game a cross between association football and rugby using a round ball.
The club played interclub football in South Australia until 1872, when it had disputes with Kensington and Port Adelaide over the rules, but club resumed interclub matches in 1875 under its former rules. The club was the premier team in interclub competition in 1871–72.
In 1876, the Adelaide Club rules were adopted by all the South Australian clubs at a meeting organised by Charles Kingston from the South Adelaide Football Club, and in 1877, the Adelaide club captain Richard Twopeny called an initial meeting which led to the formation of the South Australian Football Association (SAFA)[1] and participated in the competition from 1877 to 1881. The Club merged with Kensington for the 1881 season but withdrew after only 4 games and disbanded.
In 1884, the North Adelaide Junior Club from the Adelaide and Suburban Association renamed themselves Adelaide. They were runner up in the competition and at the end of the season and proposed a merger with the premiers North Parks. The two clubs agreed on a merger and submitted an application for a senior side to the join the SAFA as Adelaide and to wear the old Adelaide colours of Black and Red. The merged club was proudly formed from South Australian born players. They retained a junior team called North Park in the Adelaide and Suburban Association. The following year this team would be renamed Adelaide Juniors. In their first year in the SAFA they would collect the wooden spoon but the following year won the 1886 SAFA premiership. Following a lost of key players to other clubs after their initial success they collected the wooden spoon in 1891 and 1892 failing to win a single game in both seasons. Prior to the commencement of the 1893 season the Eastbourne junior club, the premiers of the City and Suburban Association in 1891 and 1892, merged with Adelaide.[2] The merged club won one game but again collected the wooden spoon. The Adelaide club resigned in writing from the SAFA in March 1894 before the commencement of the season and disbanded permanently with Eastbourne rejoining the City and Suburban Association.
The old Adelaide Football Club (SAFA 1877–1881) and the Adelaide Football Club (SAFA 1885–1893) have no relationship to the Adelaide Football Club currently playing in the Australian Football League (AFL) or to the Adelaide Reserves in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).
- ^ "Football". South Australian Register. May 1877.
- ^ "Football". Evening Journal. 25 April 1893.