Barossa Light & Gawler Football Association

This article is about the AFL football association. For other uses, see Barossa (disambiguation).
Barossa, Light & Gawler Football Association

General Information
Founded 1987 in the Barossa Valley
Website BL&GFA Sportingpulse
Current clubs Angaston
Barossa District
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 Showgrounds Oval, Gawler
Goodger Reserve, Willaston
Lyndoch Oval, Lyndoch
Tanunda Oval, Tanunda
Williamstown Oval, Williamstown

2014 Season
A Grade Premiers Gawler Central 20.12 (132) defeated South Gawler 14.14 (98)
Reserves Premiers Gawler Central 17-8 (102) defeated Willaston 4-4 (28)
Senior Colts Premiers (U17 1/2) Willaston defeated South Gawler by 40 points
Junior Colts Premiers (U15) Gawler Central 11-4 (70) defeated Tanunda 4-8 (32)
Schluter Medallist
Reserves Barossa and Light Herald Medallist
Central Districts Senior Colts Medallist
Des Shanahan Medallist
A Grade Leading Goalkicker
Reserves Leading Goalkicker
Senior Colts Leading Goalkicker
Junior Colts Leading Goalkicker
The Barracker A Grade Rookie Of The Year

The Barossa Light & Gawler Football Association (BL&GFA) is an Australian rules football competition based chiefly in the Barossa Valley of South Australia, Australia.[1] Only 42 kilometres north of the state capital of Adelaide, the BL&GFA is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football League. In 2015, the Nuriootpa Tigers secured the A Grade premiership. The president of the League currently is Mick Brien and the major sponsor of the league is the Grant Burge Winery.

Current Clubs

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 - which existed until 1890.

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 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. In 1894, Kapunda formed an informal association with Angaston, Kapunda North, Greenock and Truro, most likely a precursor to the Barossa and Light Football Association which Kapunda later helped establish.

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 in which later early member clubs would include Roseworthy College, Salisbury and Hamley Bridge. Throughout the twentieth century a number of transient clubs from within the town - such as Shamrocks, Rivals, Imperials, North Gawler, Rovers and Gawler Colts, along with others outside of Gawler - including Greenock, Sandy Creek, Wasleys, Roseworthy, Rurals (a unification of Roseworthy and Wasleys), One Tree Hill, Kangaroo Flat and Angle Vale, would also spasmodically compete in the GFA first and second grades.

By 1957 the GFA reached its greatest extent, becoming 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 District Football Association saw the metropolitan clubs also eventually leave the GDFL.[2]

The Barossa & Light Football Association was inaugurated in 1908 with founding clubs comprising Angaston, Freeling, Kapunda, Nuriootpa and Tanunda, followed by Eudunda in 1910. Clubs such as Hamley Bridge, Greenock, Truro and Eden Valley would also later field sides intermittently at various times over the years in the first and second competitions. During the 1950s Eudunda returned, and by the 1980s the BLFA at its greatest extent also had annexed Robertstown 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. After participating in the Hills Football League as an interim since the demise of the GDFL, Barossa District (a merger of the original Lyndoch and Williamstown clubs of the GDFL in 1980) finally entered the BLGFA in 1991, 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, Light Plains and Barossa Valley region considered to be the heartland of the Central District Bulldogs.

Premierships

Summary Of Premierships:

2009 Ladder

Barossa Light * Gawler Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts
Tanunda 15 0 1 0 2049 811 71.64% 30 1st Semi Angaston 8 10 58 Gawler Central 5 6 36
Nuriootpa 13 0 3 0 1595 1081 59.60% 26 2nd Semi Tanunda 16 8 104 Nuriootpa 7 13 55
Angaston 12 0 4 0 1396 1130 55.27% 24 Preliminary Angaston 17 10 112 Nuriootpa 11 11 77
Gawler Central 11 0 5 0 1806 1277 58.58% 22 Grand Tanunda 13 12 90 Angaston 10 8 68
Willaston 7 0 9 0 1429 1349 51.44% 14
Barossa Districts 6 0 10 0 1332 1584 45.68% 12
Kapunda 5 0 11 0 1253 1679 42.74% 10
South Gawler 3 0 13 0 1161 1980 36.96% 6
Freeling 0 0 16 0 882 2012 30.48% 0

2010 Ladder

Barossa Light * Gawler Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts
Tanunda 16 0 0 0 1762 844 67.61% 32 1st Semi Gawler Central 12 9 81 Angaston 11 12 78
Barossa Districts 13 0 3 0 1565 1078 59.21% 26 2nd Semi Tanunda 1 5 11 Barossa Districts 0 7 7
Gawler Central 12 0 4 0 1755 1333 56.83% 24 Preliminary Barossa Districts 18 7 115 Gawler Central 10 8 68
Angaston 10 0 6 0 1552 1073 59.12% 20 Grand Tanunda 16 10 106 Barossa Districts 6 11 47
Nuriootpa 7 0 9 0 1246 1552 44.53% 14
Freeling 6 0 10 0 1272 1460 46.56% 12
Kapunda 4 0 12 0 954 1482 39.16% 8
South Gawler 3 0 13 0 1094 1577 40.96% 6
Willaston 1 0 15 0 868 1669 34.21% 2

2011 Ladder

Barossa Light * Gawler Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts
Tanunda 15 0 1 0 1748 845 67.41% 30 1st Semi Willaston 11 15 81 Barossa Districts 0 6 6
Gawler Central 12 0 4 0 1655 1551 51.62% 24 2nd Semi Tanunda 34 13 217 Gawler Central 13 4 82
Barossa Districts 10 0 6 0 1598 1404 53.23% 20 Preliminary Willaston 11 10 76 Gawler Central 11 9 75
Willaston 8 0 8 0 1421 1407 50.25% 16 Grand Tanunda 11 30 96 Willaston 5 6 36
Kapunda 8 0 8 0 1284 1380 48.20% 16
Nuriootpa 7 0 9 0 1172 1428 45.08% 14
Angaston 5 0 11 0 1216 1397 46.54% 10
Freeling 4 0 12 0 1113 1457 43.31% 8
South Gawler 3 0 13 0 1009 1347 42.83% 6

2012 Ladder

Barossa Light * Gawler Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts
Tanunda 15 0 1 0 1870 954 66.22% 30 1st Semi Barossa Districts 19 19 133 South Gawler 11 15 81
Kapunda 13 0 3 0 1529 1250 55.02% 26 2nd Semi Tanunda 20 13 133 Kapunda 10 7 67
South Gawler 11 0 5 0 1663 1143 59.27% 22 Preliminary Barossa Districts 26 12 168 Kapunda 13 3 81
Barossa Districts 11 0 5 0 1687 1259 57.26% 22 Grand Barossa Districts 13 11 89 Tanunda 8 15 63
Nuriootpa 8 0 8 0 1231 1270 49.22% 16
Willaston 7 0 9 0 1362 1496 47.66% 14
Freeling 4 0 12 0 1056 1534 40.77% 8
Gawler Central 2 0 14 0 1010 1813 35.78% 4
Angaston 1 0 15 0 915 1749 34.35% 2

2013 Ladder

Barossa Light * Gawler Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts
Barossa Districts 14 0 2 0 1730 891 66.01% 28 1st Semi Tanunda 16 13 109 South Gawler 10 13 73
Gawler Central 13 0 3 0 1619 1232 56.79% 26 2nd Semi Gawler Central 13 8 86 Barossa Districts 11 11 77
South Gawler 10 0 6 0 1521 1292 54.07% 20 Preliminary Barossa Districts 15 12 102 Tanunda 10 7 67
Tanunda 8 0 8 0 1345 1245 51.93% 16 Grand Barossa Districts 16 14 110 Gawler Central 17 3 105
Willaston 8 0 8 0 1432 1340 51.66% 16
Kapunda 7 0 9 0 1357 1415 48.95% 14
Nuriootpa 6 0 10 0 1271 1371 48.11% 12
Freeling 3 0 13 0 1108 1861 37.32% 6
Angaston 3 0 13 0 885 1621 35.32% 6

2014 Ladder

Barossa Light * Gawler Wins Byes Losses Draws For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts
Gawler Central 14 0 1 1 2015 1025 66.28% 29 1st Semi South Gawler 22 10 142 Nuriootpa 12 3 75
Willaston 13 0 3 0 1915 1136 62.77% 26 2nd Semi Gawler Central 19 14 128 Willaston 13 5 83
South Gawler 12 0 3 1 1526 1148 57.07% 25 Preliminary South Gawler 23 14 152 Willaston 15 8 98
Nuriootpa 8 0 8 0 1226 1321 48.14% 16 Grand Gawler Central 20 12 132 South Gawler 14 14 98
Angaston 7 0 9 0 1149 1311 46.71% 14
Tanunda 6 0 10 0 1219 1379 46.92% 12
Freeling 6 0 10 0 1108 1442 43.45% 12
Kapunda 3 0 13 0 952 1580 37.60% 6
Barossa Districts 2 0 14 0 814 1582 33.97% 4

Notable Players

The Barossa, Light and Gawler Football Association has produced a number of AFL players since its inception. Some of these players include Shannon Hurn (West Coast Eagles), Jack Hannath (Fremantle), Kent Kingsley (North Melbourne & Geelong) and Sam Colquhoun (Port Adelaide Power) of Angaston Football Club, Brad Symes (Adelaide Crows) of Gawler Central Football Club, Sam Butler (West Coast Eagles) of South Gawler Football Club, Nathan Steinberner, Matthew Westhoff and Justin Westhoff (Port Adelaide Power) of the Tanunda Football Club, Jonathan Giles (Greater Western Sydney Giants) of Kapunda and Jay Nash (Essendon & Port Adelaide Power) of Nuriootpa.

Umpires

The Barossa, Light and Gawler Umpires Panel formed in 1987 when the Barossa & Light and Gawler Football Associations amalgamated, and now provides umpires for all matches within the Barossa, Light and Gawler Football Association. The Barossa, Light and Gawler Umpires Panel is based at Goodger Reserve, Willaston. The Barossa, Light and Gawler Umpires Panel are one of the last groups of umpires in South Australia to still wear traditional white shirts. The current Senior Coach of the Panel is Ian Dew, the Junior Coach is Sarah-Jane Jameson, and the current President is Gareth Prothero.

Media

Publishing and print

The BL&G Football Association is covered each week by various local newspapers - The Herald, which circulates in all of the towns represented in the league; The Bunyip, from Gawler; and The Leader, from Angaston. An annual Football Book is produced by The Leader and is available free from various outlets in the region. It features the season's draw, officials, rules, constitutions and a history of the league's premiers and medal winners from all grades. The Barracker is the official match-day magazine and is sold at the entrance of all games.

References

  1. ↑ Full Points Footy, Barossa Light & Gawler Football Association, retrieved 2009-04-15
  2. ↑ See the Central District Football Club 30 Year Almanac by Robert Laidlaw

External links

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