Spencer Gulf Football League

The Spencer Gulf Football League is an Australian rules football competition based at the head of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia. It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football League.

The Spencer Gulf Football League was formed in 1961, via a merger of the Port Pirie Football League (PPFL), the Whyalla Football League (WFL), and the Port Augusta-based Great Northern Football Association (GNFA). At the end of the 1966 season the WFL contingent withdrew.

Brief history
In 1961 the Great Northern Football Association, the Port Pirie Football Association and the Whyalla Football League merged to form the Spencer Gulf Football League. The twelve founding clubs were Central Augusta, Central Whyalla, North Whyalla, Port, Proprietary, Risdon, Solomontown, South Augusta, South Whyalla, West Augusta, West Whyalla and Willsden.

The four Whyalla-based clubs left the Spencer Gulf Football League at the end of season 1966 to form the Whyalla Football League, leaving 8 teams from Port Augusta and Port Pirie.

In 1992 Willsden amalgamated with Quorn to form Quorn-Willsden Wolves. The league reverted to 7 teams in 1994 when Proprietary and Risdon amalgamated. In 2006 the league was cut down to 6 teams when the Quorn-Willsden Wolves folded due to financial woes.

Premierships

 * 1961 – Port
 * 1962 – South Whyalla
 * 1963 – West Whyalla
 * 1964 – South Augusta
 * 1965 – Port
 * 1966 – Port
 * 1967 – Port
 * 1968 – Proprietary
 * 1969 – West Augusta
 * 1970 – Port
 * 1971 – Proprietary
 * 1972 – West Augusta
 * 1973 – West Augusta
 * 1974 – West Augusta
 * 1975 – West Augusta
 * 1976 – West Augusta
 * 1977 – Proprietary
 * 1978 – Central Augusta
 * 1979 – Risdon
 * 1980 – Central Augusta
 * 1981 – South Augusta
 * 1982 – Central Augusta
 * 1983 – South Augusta
 * 1984 – Solomontown
 * 1985 – West Augusta
 * 1986 – Willsden
 * 1987 – West Augusta
 * 1988 – Solomontown
 * 1989 – West Augusta
 * 1990 – Solomontown
 * 1991 – Central Augusta
 * 1992 – Central Augusta
 * 1993 – South Augusta
 * 1994 – South Augusta
 * 1995 – Solomontown
 * 1996 – West Augusta
 * 1997 – Port
 * 1998 – Port
 * 1999 – Port
 * 2000 – South Augusta
 * 2001 – Quorn-Willsden
 * 2002 – Port
 * 2003 – Port
 * 2004 – Port
 * 2005 – West Augusta
 * 2006 – South Augusta
 * 2007 – Port
 * 2008 – Port
 * 2009 – Central Augusta
 * 2010 – Central Augusta
 * 2011 – Central Augusta
 * 2012 – South Augusta
 * 2013 – West Augusta
 * 2014 – Solomontown
 * 2015 – Lions
 * 2016 – South Augusta
 * 2017 – South Augusta
 * 2018 – South Augusta
 * 2019 – South Augusta
 * 2020 – South Augusta
 * 2021 – Lions
 * 2022 – Solomontown
 * 2023 – Lions

AFL representatives
The Spencer Gulf League has been home to many AFL Footballers including:


 * Greg Flanegan (, 1981)
 * Mark Bickley (Adelaide Crows, 1991–2003) played his junior football for the Solomontown Football club and was a premiership player with the club in 1988, in that same year he won the Madigan Medal at the age of 19. Mark moved to the South Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), where he was then selected as an inaugural member of the Adelaide Crows squad in 1991. In 1997 Bickley was appointed captain of the Adelaide Football Club, and captained the 1997 and 1998 Adelaide premiership sides. He is now a member of the SANFL Hall of Fame.
 * Bryan Beinke (Adelaide Crows, 1999–2002)
 * Jared Rivers (Melbourne Demons, 2003–present) played junior football for the South Augusta Bulldogs Football club and won a premiership with the club in 2000 at the age of 15. Jared was selected by the Melbourne Demons as the 26th pick overall in the National Draft of 2002. In 2004 he won the National Bank Rising Star.
 * Mark Jamar (Melbourne Demons, 2003–present) played his early football at the Lions Football Club before moving to North Adelaide in the SANFL. Mark was selected at pick 6 of the 2001 Rookie Draft by the Melbourne Demons. In 2010 he was named as the second ruckman for the All-Australian squad.
 * Elijah Ware (Port Adelaide, 2005–2006)
 * Wade Thompson (Port Adelaide, 2009–2010)
 * Lewis Johnston (Sydney Swans/Adelaide, 2009–present)
 * Luke Taylor (Melbourne),1998–2000
 * Connor Rozee (Port Adelaide, 2019-present)

Grand Final results
Grand Final on 19 September 2015 Lions	5.4	8.6	11.11	16.15 (111) Central	1.1	2.3	6.8	9.11 (65) Best: Lions – T. Dunkley, R. Eyre, T. Harmer, J. Fuller, T. Bradley. Central – G. Appleton, A. Ruffles, A. Parsons, M. Harvey, M. Fuller. Goals: Lions – T. Bradley 4, J. Fuller 2, J. Strawbridge 2, S. Dyer, K. Edwards, T. Ley, A. Slattery, C. Marsland, L. Patterson, S. Edwards, T. Dunkley. Central – J. Reid 4, J. Muirhead 2, M. Harvey, A. Hosking, G. Appleton

Grand Final on 20 September 2014 West	1.4	1.7	4.9	7.11 (53) Solomontown	1.2	4.6	6.7	8.10 (58) Best: Sollies – L. Bearman, B. Schutte, Z. Siemer, G. Cooke, R. Hoare. West – not av. Goals: Sollies – M. O''Brien 2, K. Head 2, J. Head, L. Bearman, T. Hoare, B. Mudge. West – H. Warren 5, T. Starke-Treloar 2

21 September 2013 West	3.4	9.6	12.7	16.8 (104) Central	2.1	4.1	9.2	15.6 (96) Best: West – J. Jackson, T. Warren, S. Page, N. Collins, R. Dadleh. Central – L. Button, M. Fuller, M. Turner, N. Callary, S. Watts. Goals: West – S. Page 6, T. Starke-Treloar 2, H. Warren 2, N. Collins 2, M. Anesbury 2, R. Stapleton, J. Coulthard. Central – L. Button 4, D. Shillabeer 3, J. Reid 2, A. Ruffles 2, M. Harvey, M. Turner, J. Little, S. Watts

22 September 2012 South	3.3	5.4	10.8	15.8 (98) Sollies	2.5	3.7	8.10	9.12 (66) Best: South – A. Margitich, M. Horner, R. Struck, B. Hurt, B. Laube, S. Brusnahan. Sollies – J. Davies, C. Millard, R. Saracino, Z. Siemer, S. Malchow. . Goals: South – B. Trewartha 3, B. Cox 2, T. Kernahan 2, C. Heron 2, D. Dohnt 2, L. Schmidt, J. Lukich, M. Horner, T. Payne. Sollies – S. McIntyre 2, J. Davies 2, B. Goodridge, N. Redman, L. Bearman, C. Millard, T. Hoare

24 September 2011 Central	4.3	7.5	9.7	11.10 (76) Port	1.0	4.0	6.1	8.3 (51) Best: Central – G. Kenny, P. Byron-Boles, R. Morris, S. Watts, C. Johnston. Port – J. Penny, C. Stephens, N. Magor, C. Brooke, C. Smith. Goals: Central – R. Morris 6, J. Reid, M. Woolford, L. Donald, D. Shillabeer, P. Byron-Boles. Port – G. Phillips 2, A. Casey 2, C. Smith 2, M. Gale, B. Mudge

18 September 2010 Central                   1.1     6.2      9.3     11.4 (70) South                      2.7     4.7      7.15   7.17 (59) Best: Central – N. Callary, J. Jackson, R. Morris, P. Jackson, J. Reid. South – B. Jones, D. Dohnt, B. Cox, M. Gill, M. Curley. Goals: Central – R. Morris 5, A. Grantham, G. Hull, P. Byron-Boles, D. Shillabeer, P. Jackson, K. McKenzie. South – B. Cox 2, S. Feltus, C. Reid, C. Heron, B. Jones, T. Kernahan

2009

Central 12.6 (78) def Port 8.15 (63)
 * Best: Central – M Fuller, J Dodd, A Fullerton, J Quigley, S Dawson. Port – C Stephens, T Clarke, K Johnanson, C Smith, M Burford.
 * Goals: Central – R Morris 3, S Dawson, J Reid 2, R Clayton-Waye, S Curnow, M Fuller, M Harvey, A McKenzie. Port – G Phillips 3, S Treloar, T Clarke, J Clarke, M Gale

2008

Port 10.10 (70) def Central 8.21 (69)
 * Best: Port – A Casey, M Burford, N Wombat, A Featherstonaugh, J Coombe. Central – A Williams, N Callary, T O’Connor, L Rathman, M Keatley.
 * Goals: Port – G Phillips 4, N Wombat 3, J Coombe 2, A Casey. Central – S Dawson, S Wilson, M Fuller, D Baker, J Dodd, K Allen, N Lawrence

2007

Port 16.8 (104) def West 11.15 (81)


 * Best: Port – N Wombat, S Treloar, M Burford, A Waters, C Stephens. West – Not Available.
 * Goals: Port – B Mudge, A Bergsma 3, S Treloar, J Coombe 2, L Copley, A Fleming, S Humphreys, M Kendall. West – R McDonald, J Coulthard, R Dadleh 2, R Stapledon, C McKenzie, J Carn, H Warren, M Benbow

2006

South 16.13 (109) def Central 7.6 (48)
 * Best: South – D Crombie, C Reid, G O’Brien, R Barnes. Central – S McIntyre, M Fuller, B Page, C Pannach
 * Goals: South – B Amos 7, D Shillabeer 3, C Heron 2, B Jones, A Grantham, M Grantham, G O’Brien. Central – A Ruffles 3, J Harland 2, D Baker, M Kieboom