SA Football the early years 1843-1899

The first match in 1860 attracted some attention from the Public
Spurned from that game were a North vrs South combinations
It has been reported that several high profile men and women became interested barrackers of the 2 teams
Amongst the whose who of the new supporters were :
Captain Blyth [ It might be Arthur Blyth who later was to become the Premier of Adelaide]
Robert Torrens[Premier for a month in 1857, the River Torrens was named after his father Robert]
Richard MacDonnell [Governer of South Australia]
Henry Ayres[First chairman of SA gas company, and his house is now a eatery]

There were some games played between the North and South teams
Ultimately a Grand Final type game took place on 15/9/1860
Ohalloran captained North and that man John Acraman captained South
The crowd was about 200
North won 1 goal to nil and were announced as the winners
Each team had about 30 players each ![I wonder if they had an Interchange back then ]

It is interesting to note that these games in some publications are referred to as games between North Adelaide vrs South Adelaide
Others called them North Division vrs South Division
Others North Zone vrs South Zone

The games of 1860 would have been interesting to watch
Players rolling up on foot or on a horse to the matches
Played on perhaps dirt ovals
How were the injured medically treated ?
Did they have referees or umpires ?
Boundaries?
It was good timing in 1860 as the population is said to be about 60% aged 21 and below
It would have been mostly a combination of first generation Australians and United Kingdom Migrants pitted against each other
In the times of the oil lamps, these shall not be forgotten years
And the game of football was well and truly on its way in South Australia

Enjoying this, Scrappy, keep up the good work

In 1860 there was another subsidiary entity called called the Collegians
The Collegians were a combo of Present, Old and other associated players
19/6/1860
A game was played and was a nil all draw [These games must be similar to the Norwood vrs West Games of 2012]
11/8/1860
Another game was played between the Collegians against other members of the Adelaide Football Club
Knox captained the Collegians and that man John Acraman was the Adelaide captain
In this game there was the presence of a very large contingent of Ladies and the usual conglomeration of the Upper Class Gents and others
This game ended up in a 0-0 result [to much flooding perhaps]
There was an intention to resume another match between the 2 teams


That sums up the records I have for the inaugural Football season
A few competitive matches between North + South of the Torrens teams, and the Collegian teams

17 years later an official competition was born , the link between the events of 1860 till then had started

Don't think I didn't see those disgraceful slurs against my mob, Scrappy

Notices from 1860

7/3/1860
The Football club met in the North Parklands in Saturday last for practice
There were about 50 persons present, who entered into the sport with great spirit
There were some very rough tumbles, and some awkward kicks on the shins, which were borne with great humour by the unfortunate ones, although one or two of the competitors went home limping
The game lasted for several hours, and put the activity and adroitness of the players to a severe test.

Also in about March 1860 there was a game of Cricket played between The Young South Australian team vrs the College Cricket Club
Just for the record CCC 81 +61 defeated YSA 42 +93
The interesting fact in this game is it was played on what was called the North Adelaide ground



29/8/1860
Adelaide Football Club
Practice next Saturday Evening, August 29th, 1860, at half past 7 o'clock BY MOONLIGHT
A Band will be in attendance
J.E.SCHLINKE Hon. Sec.

Scrappy wrote:This is the first reference to football in Adelaide
St Patricks Day 1843
The South Australian Newspaper

A few of the Colonists from the Emerald Isle intend this day enjoying themselves in honour of their Saint with a game of football.
After which with their friends they hope to regale themselves with a portion of Ox to be roasted whole opposite the Markethouse, Thebarton, this day 2:00pm


Was this the earliest reference to football in our state ?
Can we trace back any early roots of football to the Irish brand of football, Gaelic ?
Gaelic football started about 1802 , so perhaps there is a link
There is a reference that games were played in 1670 and 1712 as well
That 7 years after Adelaide settlement, people were contemplating a form of football is certainly thought provoking

Found another publication , which is interesting

23/3/1853
In Adelaide on March 23rd, 1853, 12 Irish men from the county of Westmeath, paid for an advertisement in the Register, challenging Irishmen.......
From any other county in Ireland to a game of football near the Grand Tom of Lincoln Hotel, on Easter Saturday
This was not the first game of Gaelic Football played in Adelaide, In 1843 in St Patricks Day, a friendly game was enjoyed at Thebarton


This information would suggest that the game played in 1843, was actually a game of Gaelic Football

Scrappy wrote:Notices from 1860

7/3/1860
The Football club met in the North Parklands in Saturday last for practice
There were about 50 persons present, who entered into the sport with great spirit
There were some very rough tumbles, and some awkward kicks on the shins, which were borne with great humour by the unfortunate ones, although one or two of the competitors went home limping
The game lasted for several hours, and put the activity and adroitness of the players to a severe test.

Also in about March 1860 there was a game of Cricket played between The Young South Australian team vrs the College Cricket Club
Just for the record CCC 81 +61 defeated YSA 42 +93
The interesting fact in this game is it was played on what was called the North Adelaide ground



29/8/1860
Adelaide Football Club
Practice next Saturday Evening, August 29th, 1860, at half past 7 o'clock BY MOONLIGHT
A Band will be in attendance
J.E.SCHLINKE Hon. Sec.

In 1860 Mr Schlinke was trying to organize a practice session under moonlight
He was at it 3 years later with perhaps the first night game of footy ?
I say perhaps , as I have other publications that have the first night game played in 1867


26/9/1863
This was the first game played at night in Adelaide ?
The venue was the North Parklands
The game started at 7:00pm and went about 3 hours in duration
The Adelaide Football club fielded the 2 teams of about 15 men a side
The game was fortunate as there was a full moon and a cloudless sky
Mr Cornish and Mr Schlinke were the captains
The result was a 0-0 draw [often enough in those days ]
A big crowd attended

The 1st Adelaide Rifles entertained the masses with army drills and marching displays
The Killians Brass Band played throughout the evening
After the game had finished members of the crowd danced on the oval, until almost 11:00pm


23/1/1864
The second game of night football ?
Again the venue was the North Parklands, the Adelaide Football team supplying the players
It was a 20 a side contest under the Moonlight setting
The night was cool [not bad for January] calm and bright
Cornish and Schlinke were again the captains
Schlinkes team won the game 2-0
The Publication I have states that "Schlinke made history, being the first winning captain in a night game
The Killian Brass Band again provided the entertainment [must have been a popular band]
And the masses danced into the night

So there is a version of what might have been the first night games played
No mention of a South or North team, only the captains were mentioned
Were these games the first night games that were played ?

Its important to know what was happening in Melbourne in those times
4 men , Tom Wills his cousin H Harrison, JB Thompson , and W Hammersley were devising ways to have a winter sport for cricketers to stay fit in the off season
Tom Wills sent a letter into the Sporting paper Bells life
The letter is too long but here is the opening sentence

10/7/1858
Sir : Now that cricket has been put aside for some months to come and cricketers have assumed somewhat of the chrysalis nature [for a time 'tis true] but at length will again burst forth in all their varied hues , rather than allow this state of torpor to creep over them, and stifle their now supple limbs, why can they not,I say, form a football club, and form a committee of three or more to draw up a code of laws

Wow , thats a long long long sentence !

Wills said in the letter for an option, if not football then a rifle club

The Bells life replied
31/7/1858 and the entire reply [and the first unofficial practice match]

Football- We understand that a number of gentlemen interested in keeping the muscles in full vigor during the winter months, and also anxious for an occasional afternoons outdoor exercise, have determined upon getting up a football club.
Mr Bryant of the Parade Hotel, on the principle that "'an ounce of practice is worth a pound in theory'', will have a ball on the Melbourne Cricket Ground, or adjoining portion of Richmond Park, to-day, at one oclock.
After the game, a committee will be formed to draw up a short code of rules.
We wish every success to this movement in the right direction


Those letters led to the first recorded match in Melbourne
7/8/1858
Scotch College v Melbourne Grammar School
The match was undecided, and a draw the result

Wills and Harrison got the ball rolling in Melbourne
In 1859 there was a set of rules called The Geelong Football Club Rules [Geelong was formed 18/7 1859]

In 1860 Wills, Harrison and perhaps others went to other states to promote football, and Im tipping the Geelong Rules or a set of rules that was devised at the time were the mode
Harrison met up with John Acraman and others in Adelaide
Here are some dates that have been said as the starting points in each state
1858 Victoria
1860 South Australia
1866 Tasmania
1868 Western Australia
1874 New South Wales

The game even spread to New Zealand in 1869
Victorians were in New Zealand in the gold rush times and spread the game, but interest subsided when the Australian gold seekers returned home
Football in New South Wales waned and Rugby became the main ball game
I dont know what happened in Queensland, I assume Rugby was the much preferred game there, and Football never took off

To Bill a phrase from 1858 onwards it was all happening

Some of the Victorian rules and other of the times

1858
Timeless games that went for hours
The first team to score 2 goals was the winner
1866
Time limits set [this was met with much delight of players, wifes, girlfriends]
Behind Posts used
1873
Field umpires [boundary umps were used in 1904]
Team uniforms and caps
1874
Players could only represent 1 club
4 quarters, 2 halfs were previously used
1877
VFA started
Footballs were standardised [still more spherical than ovoid]
1887
Umpires started bouncing the football for the 1st bounce and after goals, used to throw it up
1897
VFL was formed
Points were used as scores for the first time , and 1 point scores
Finals system introduced [1901 the top 4 was used ]
18 players per team on the ground at any one time[take note John Cassin !!!]


There was an apt description of the football as bing more spherical than ovoid
The publicaton also states that It was not until 1906 that the dimensions of the familiar Sherrin ball were set
As far back as 1896 there is a picture of Collingwood Captain Bill Strickland holding a football with clear white writing :
TW SHERRIN
MAKER

Scrappy wrote:The publicaton also states that It was not until 1906 that the dimensions of the familiar Sherrin ball were set
As far back as 1896 there is a picture of Collingwood Captain Bill Strickland holding a football with clear white writing :
TW SHERRIN
MAKER

The question I would like to know with respect to balls is why did South Australia traditionally use Ross Faulkner balls rather than Sherrin given that they were both manufactured in Victoria. I have found evidence that s far back as 1898 SA was using Ross Faulkner's.

I also note that as early as 1933, Burley was the official ball of the SANFL. The older posters amongst us would remember when Neil Kerley introduced Burley balls for Glenelg games and the furore that caused, especially in the game between North and Glenelg at the Bay in 1968.

There is a picture of Essendon training in the 1890s
The ball is not round and appears to look like a Sherrin shaped football
But no proof if this picture is before 1896

A picture of the Norwood Premiership team of 1878, the ball looks a soccer shaped ball
A picture of the South Adelaide football club in 1879, the ball looks very roundish
A picture of the Adelaide Football club 1886 and the ball in this picture appears roundish
A picture in 1888 of the Medindie football club, and the ball appears roundish
A picture of South Adelaide in 1894 looks Sherrin/Faulkner shape, but slightly rounder
A picture of the Port Adelaide football club in 1897, and the ball in a team photo appears Sherrin/Faulkner shaped but more roundish [but hard to tell]
A picture in 1907 shows a player with a Sherrin/Faulkner shaped football, and slightly rounder than the footys of today
A picture of Jack Dinnie Reedman [dunno what year] shows him holding a ball that looks like a Sherrin/Faulkner but slightly rounder

Thats what the footys appear like in some pictures I have, but then again my eyesight aint what it used to be
In the 1970s I recall kicking footballs that were almost as fat as a soccer ball, and they were harder to kick distances with

We get to 1862
The Adelaide Football Club played its first game against another team , Modbury
A game was played, but I cant find from my sources a result

22/08/1863
Modbury Football Club Vrs Adelaide Football Club
The venue was near the Modbury Hotel
0-0 draw was the result
It was a 20 a side game
There was a booze up and presentations evening after the game
There were no umpires, and the issue was raised post game

Interesting to note that the Modbury men left work for the day and played the game with dignity
As for the Adelaide mob, imagine the travel involved from the city area to Modbury
The Adelaide players might have had cart lag !


Games of the times had teething problems
Games starting late
No set finishing times
No set numbers of players per team
Perhaps a lack of umpires
Spectators were called in to play at times
A variance of playing rules
I have also read that at times the captains had to make umpiring decisions as well

17/5/1862
Another interesting piece I found
North Parklands, Adelaide Football Club match

Mr Fullarton a well known cricketer, led the blue capped side and Mr Payne skippered the pink caps
There were 35 players each team
Pinks won the game 1-0

This is a quoted report of this happening of the day
*Some aborigines who camped nearby, watched the game with interest
After the match was finished they agreed to take part in a friendly game
It wasnt long before the first Australians grasped the rudiments of the game, to surprise the onlookers with their speed and new found skills !
These young Aborigines were the first of their proud race to play football in Australia !*

Dunno if they were the first Aborigines in Australia that graced the game, hard to prove ?
Might be the first evidence of Aboriginal involvement in South Australia however

3/10/1863
Adelaide Football Club Vrs Modbury Football Club
Adelaide 1 Modbury 0
This game deserves a mention
4 Aborigines played in this game, 2 on each team
Thus the first Aborigines to play in a proper match
Quote "' Their speed and skills evoked cheers from the spectators and praise from their team-mates."

Also 4 players played in bare feet and thats the way they always played !
The report also added that some matches on wet grounds were not played, reason being the players did not wear sprigs in those times.

That Band the Killians Brass Band played that day as well

Ports home ground in the first 10 years 1870-1880 was 'Bucks Flat', and 'Bucks Flat' was a racetrack in the 1850s.....ironically Alberton Oval was used for Harness Racing at some stage in the early 20th century

Early History of the Kensington Football Club
The SA football Association started in 1877, with Kensington one of the original starting teams in the newly formed comp

I can trace back some of Kensingtons origins back to 1871

19/8/1871
Adelaide Football Club Vrs Kensington Football Club
Result Adelaide win 1-0

This game is also listed as being Adelaide v Local Clubs
Adelaide captained by J Masters
Kensington captained by E H Hallack
The game was well attended in gloomy conditions
The fairer sex being well represented
There was a Band in attendance
Adelaide won the toss and kicked with the breeze, the game starting at the lateness of 3:30 pm
Conigrave scored for Adelaide after about 15 minutes
At 5:30 neither side had obtained another goal


15/6/1872
Adelaide v Kensington
Venue Kensington Oval
Result Adelaide 0 Kensington 0

Game listed as Adelaide v local Clubs as well
This appears to be the first game played at Kensington Oval
The ground was lent to the Kensington players by the Hon H Mildred
The ground is said to have been considerably improved, permanent goals were put up, and the land was more fit for playing
The crowd totaled to about 400, the upper class of the area well represented
It was 20 a side [in the past Adelaide had played 16 players against 20 off the opposition]
G Kingston was captain of Adelaide
Mr a Crooks for the team described as the Suburbans
The Concordia Band was in attendance
A description of the game * After nearly 3 hours struggling, during which there were numerous """spills""" time was called by the Umpires, without a goal being scored by either team.The match will be resumed at a future date.*

13/7/1872
Return Match
Adelaide v Kensington
Result Adelaide 1 Kensington 0
Venue North Parklands

No report found for this game

5/7/1873
Kensington V Port Adelaide
Glanville Oval [Bucks Flat perhaps ?]
Port 0 Kensington 1

This game was played in wet conditions, the northern goal had water it in its area
H R Perry Captain of Kensington
Middleton the captain of Port Adelaide
Here is a description of the game* The way the players went into the water, must have amused spectators .After an hours work oranges and a rest were indulged in , the ends were changed and play was kept up until close of play, when F Perry with a free kick sent the ball through the goal, striking the bar on its way, which according to the new rules, caused the contest to be won by Kensington.*

It appears there might have been a bit of controversy with the goal scored
Also it has been said about this game that neither side was aware of the rules of the game

Kensington were listed to play other games against Old Collegians, Gawler and Willunga
Kensington it appears was an active club in the early days

10/7/1875
This was an auspicious occasion
Venue Kensington oval
Kensington v Adelaide
Result Kensington 1 Adelaide 0

22 players per team
H Scholl , Kensington scored a goal from a free kick
Blus had the bigger built players , Kensington were better served being fitter after practice during the season

This was the formal opening of the Kensington Reserve
The Governor was meant to open the oval but didnt rock up
The President of the Association Hon L Glyde opened the ground
It is said Glyde cheerfully undertook the opening

There were admission fees for this match
Admission 6d
Carriages 6d per occupant [about 130 years South did similar allowing cars into games]
Members free
Admissions were paid by between 500-600 people

How much is 6d ?????????????????????????????????????
Was this the first game where entry fees were paid ???

Not long after this game Kensington played in the inaugural SAFA comp of 1877

Did Kensington Oval games finish up the 1960s?????????????????????????????????

**************** NOTICE TO ALL**************************

1843-1876
I will continue to give details of matches leading up to the inaugural 1877 SAFA season
I would appreciate some help with scores, ladders, when the comp started to 1877 to 1899, as well as any other information

Interesting times leading up to 1877
I reckon for some of us it was a time when our Great/GreatGreat Grandfathers and Great/Great Great Grand mothers were around

Scrappy wrote:In the 1970s I recall kicking footballs that were almost as fat as a soccer ball, and they were harder to kick distances with

Footballs were definitely wider in the 1970s, more designed to cater for all types of kicks, especially the drop kick. These days the ball is definitely smaller and caters for the drop punt. Not sure the balls in the 1970s wer eharder to kick distances with ... Noel Pettingill and Bob Shearman may disagree

Scrappy wrote:There were admission fees for this match
Admission 6d
Carriages 6d per occupant [about 130 years South did similar allowing cars into games]
Members free
Admissions were paid by between 500-600 people

How much is 6d ?????????????????????????????????????

Did Kensington Oval games finish up the 1960s?????????????????????????????????

6d is sixpence. When decimal currency was introduced on 14/2/1966, sixpence equated to 5 cents.

The last games for premiership points at Kensington Oval were in 1963, then they converted it to an athletics stadium when they laid a bitumen track.

I watched West play at Kensington in 1963.

I remember it well for some nice reasons

Scrappy wrote:We get to 1862
The Adelaide Football Club played its first game against another team , Modbury
A game was played, but I cant find from my sources a result

22/08/1863
Modbury Football Club Vrs Adelaide Football Club
The venue was near the Modbury Hotel
0-0 draw was the result
It was a 20 a side game
There was a booze up and presentations evening after the game
There were no umpires, and the issue was raised post game

Interesting to note that the Modbury men left work for the day and played the game with dignity
As for the Adelaide mob, imagine the travel involved from the city area to Modbury
The Adelaide players might have had cart lag !


Games of the times had teething problems
Games starting late
No set finishing times
No set numbers of players per team
Perhaps a lack of umpires
Spectators were called in to play at times
A variance of playing rules
I have also read that at times the captains had to make umpiring decisions as well

I have found the first game played between Adelaide and Modbury in 1862

13/9/1862
Venue North Parklands
Adelaide Vrs Tea Tree Gully and Modbury Club [interesting how TTG was incorporated as part of the club]
Adelaide 2 TTG + Modbury 0

This is the first recorded game between 2 different clubs in South Australia
Here is a description of the match
* The city team scored an early goal, but the lads form the TTG + Modbury team showed great courage, pressing home many attacks and were most unlucky not to score.
Half way through the game, Adelaide scored again, and then rain fell ...making it nearly impossible for either side to score and Adelaide went on to win the first historic match.*

Rain was a disconcerting factor in these times
Players didnt have the luxury of spriggs , and wet conditions made playing conditions difficult
Wet grounds often led to games being called off

Scrappy wrote:Perhaps the longest generation to generation of football familys are the Oateys
I will go from current to past generations
David Oatey
Bob + Peter Oatey
Jack Oatey
Ted Oatey
?


David the son of Bob played for Sturt
Bob the son of Jack + brother of Peter played for Norwood and Sturt
Peter the son of Jack + brother of Bob played for Norwood
Jack the son of Ted played for Norwood and Sturt
Ted the son of ? played for Torrens and Port Adelaide

I have the ? son of for Ted
That being because I have read elsewhere that Teds father played football in the 1800s ?
His name might have been George Oatey ???
That being the case that would mean 5 generations of Oateys have played league football

Thats astonishing genes passed over several generations
Perhaps we should clone the current Oateys for scientific research in a future time !

My question, and a difficult one at that, how many other generations of footballing families are there from players who played before 1900 ?


As a side note I had a shoulder injury a while ago
The speciallist I had to see at the Memorial hospital was Peter Oatey !

Found a Wrestling article of great interest

* In 1843 Wrestling came to the fore, with an advertisement in the Register, from a Cornish Wrestler, challenging any man in the Colony, for up to 50 pounds
His name was William Hodge
His Manager was a Mr Oatey who was staying at the Boars Head Hotel in Hindley Street
It is believed that this gentleman was an ancestor of one of South Australias Football families, led by coach ...Jack Oatey*


Could this actually be a relation to the Oatey clan ?

Another team that contested Football in the early days was called the 14th Regiment
It was probably a regiment made up of mostly British Soldiers of the time ?
One of the first recorded matches involving the Adelaide Football Club was against the 14th Regiment
The Regiment perhaps was a disciplined well drilled team ...

11/5/1867
2 matches played
Venue North Parklands
Game 1
Adelaide 1 Regiment 0
Game 2
Adelaide 0 Regiment 0

Game1
The Regiment is said to have been a strong team strength wise and a match for the civilians
The Adelaide boys is said to have outplayed the Reg14 with nice or scientific play
Cornish was the Adelaide captain, Sargeant Cullen the Reg14 captain
The game was played aggressively with several nasty tumbles and scrimmages, in what was described as remarkably rough
Adelaide won by 1 goal, the Reg14 mob did make a couple of tremendous attempts for goal

Game 2
This was described as a rough match , and ended up a draw
It was played late afternoon and I assume it got dark, and it was called off

There were many spectators, and they might have been delighted by that band the Killian Big Band !


There was another match played 2 years later
26/7/1869
Venue North Parklands
Adelaide 4 Regiment 0

Played on a beautiful day, with lots of lady spectators
The playing field was grassed
The Adelaide boys were to agile and gave the Reg14 boys a hiding, a 4 goal win was a big win for the times
Its is reported the REG14 team resorted to wrestling tactics


After reading about the games it appears that the Military boys played rough to be competitive
Regiments [if they were British] deployed units world wide to the British Colonies to assist in the running of those lands
In the 1870s these Regiments left Australia to be self ruled
After the 4-0 trouncing, one wonders if the Military had any gun players