Barossa Light & Gawler Football Association

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Barossa, Light & Gawler Football Association

General Information
Founded 1987 in The Barossa Valley
Current clubs Angaston
Barossa Districts
Freeling
Gawler Central
Kapunda
Nuriootpa
South Gawler
Tanunda
Willaston
Grounds Angaston Recreational Park, Angaston
Couthard Reserve, Nuriootpa
Dutton Park, Kapunda
Eldred Riggs Reserve, Evanston
Freeling Oval, Freeling
Gawler Oval, Gawler
Goodger Reserve, Willaston
Lyndoch Oval, Lyndoch
Tanunda Oval, Tanunda
Williamstown Oval, Williamstown
2007 Season
A Grade Premiers Barossa Districts 11.15 (81) defeated Freeling 10.9 (69)
Reserves Premiers Nuriootpa 11.6 (72) defeated Tanunda 5.6 (36)
Senior Colts Premiers Willaston 12.12 (84) defeated South Gawler 7.6 (48)
Junior Colts Premiers Nuriootpa 9.14 (68) defeated Gawler Central 6.6 (42)
Schluter Medallist Shaun Baker (Willaston)
Reserves Medallist Bob Smart (Tanunda)
Central Districts Senior Colts Medallist James Moss (Willaston)
Des Shanahan Medallist Aaron Bain (South Gawler)
A Grade Leading Goalkicker Scott Hahn, Gawler Central (64)
Reserves Leading Goalkicker Matthew Cotton, Willaston (56)
Senior Colts Leading Goalkicker Luke Cahill, Willaston (60)
Junior Colts Leading Goalkicker Josh Matthews, Nuriootpa (42)
The Barracker A Grade Rookie Of The Year Ben Spiteri (Gawler Central)
The Barracker Senior Colts Football Of The Year Max Bornholdt (Willaston)
The Bunyip Footballer Of The Year Malcolm Greenwood (Tanunda)


The Barossa Light & Gawler Football Association (BLGFA) is an Australian rules football competition based chiefly in the Barossa Valley region of South Australia, Australia. Only forty two kilometres north of the state capital of Adelaide, the BLGFA is one of the most powerful and traditional country football competitions in Australia. It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football League. In 2007 Barossa District Football Club again were premiers, defeating Freeling Football Club for the second year in succession.[1]

Contents

[edit] Current Clubs

[edit] Brief History

The Kapunda Football Club is one of the oldest football clubs in the world to enjoy an uninterrupted identity. It was first originated by copper miners in 1866, while nearby the Gawler Football Club soon formed in 1868. In 1880, Gawler separated into two distinct clubs, Athenian and Havelock, followed by the Albion Football Club in 1881. Seven years later the clubs recombined to form another club bearing the name of Gawler. Along with Kapunda, this club was admitted with full senior status to the South Australian Football Association[2] state league in 1887. In 1890 Gawler left what is now the SANFL and folded, but a junior competition organised in the Gawler area to feed the main club remained to become the Gawler Football Association. Kapunda later helped form the Barossa and Light Football Association.

The Gawler Junior Football Association was formed in 1889 by founding clubs Gawler Central, South Gawler and Willaston. In 1890 the Gawler Junior Football Association changed its name to Gawler Football Association. By 1957 it reached its greatest extent, and the GFA became the giant Gawler and Districts Football League, with clubs competing in three senior divisions - Elizabeth, Elizabeth North, Gawler Central, Hamley Bridge, Lyndoch, Roseworthy, Roseworthy College, Salisbury, Salisbury North, Smithfield, South Gawler, Two Wells, Virginia, Willaston and Williamstown. Although over the next few decades, several of the more rural clubs departed for the neighbouring Adelaide Plains Football League, and following the inception of the Central District Bulldogs into the SANFL, the formation of the (now defunct) Central Districts Football Association saw the metropolitan clubs also eventually leave the GDFL.

The Barossa & Light Football Association was inaugurated in 1908 with founding clubs comprising Angaston, Freeling, Kapunda, Nuriootpa and Tanunda. The BLFA at its greatest extent in the 1980s also had annexed Robertstown, Eudunda and Riverton-Saddleworth Marrabel United (RSMU).

In 1987 the Barossa And Light Football Association merged with the Gawler & District Football League, to form a new super-league, the Barossa Light And Gawler Football Association - the formation clubs being Angaston, Eudunda, Freeling, Gawler Central, Kapunda, Nuriootpa, RSMU, South Gawler, Tanunda and Willaston. In 1991 Barossa District (which had been a unification of the original Lyndoch and Williamstown clubs back in the old GDFL) finally entered the BLGFA, while in 1992 Eudunda, and later RSMU in 1998, left to the North Eastern Football League.

The current BLGFA comprises nine clubs from the Gawler Town and Barossa Valley region considered to be the heartland of the Central District Bulldogs - and most probably a major factor in their recent dominance of the SANFL.

[edit] Premierships

  • 1987 - Tanunda
  • 1988 - Willaston
  • 1989 - Tanunda
  • 1990 - South Gawler
  • 1991 - Gawler Central
  • 1992 - South Gawler
  • 1993 - South Gawler
  • 1994 - Freeling
  • 1995 - Nuriootpa
  • 1996 - Nuriootpa
  • 1997 - Nuriootpa
  • 1998 - Nuriootpa
  • 1999 - Willaston
  • 2000 - Nuriootpa
  • 2001 - Gawler Central
  • 2002 - Tanunda
  • 2003 - Angaston
  • 2004 - Kapunda
  • 2005 - Kapunda
  • 2006 - Barossa District
  • 2007 - Barossa District

Summary Of Premierships:

  • 5 - Nuriootpa
  • 3 - South Gawler, Tanunda
  • 2 - Barossa District, Gawler Central, Kapunda, Willaston
  • 1 - Angaston, Freeling

[edit] Players

The Barossa, Light and Gawler Football Association has produced some champion footballers in recent years - mostly progressing through the ranks of the Central District Bulldogs - to include AFL players Shannon Hurn (West Coast Eagles), Sam Butler (West Coast Eagles), Brad Symes (Adelaide Crows), Jay Nash (Essendon Football Club), Justin Westhoff (Port Adelaide Power) and Reece Worroll.

[edit] External links

  This Australian rules football-related article is a stub. You can help by expanding it.