I have recently made the decision to produce a new edition of the South Australian Country Football Digest. I think this would be a far better idea rather than doing a reprint of the original Digest. The original Digest is now out of print but I am looking at putting the book on CD so hopefully will continue to sell the book in that form.
Although the South Australian Country Football Digest – Volume II will be written in a similar format to Volume I, I am planning to include all new team and individual photographs and a complete set of new player profiles. It has been five years since the SA Country Football Digest was released and I have continued researching country football records and my findings will be included in the new book along with records from 2012-2016. I have also been forwarded many snippets of info from people who have purchased the first book and found errors or omissions. I have also been sent information on footballers with a substantial involvement in country that were not included in the first book and have already completed profiles on these people ready for the new book.
With my first three books it has been my aim to include every possible record, achievement, special story and interesting anecdote in SA country football. I can only do so much research myself so I am therefore requesting the help of football clubs, footballers, families of footballers, fellow football historians and SA country football followers in general for your help with contributions.
If you have a family member who has a football story to tell please let me know about them and I will write a profile. If you have a relative who has played AFL or SANFL football and originated from country SA send me a photograph of them and tell me their football story for inclusion in the book.
I am also requesting team premiership photographs from all eras of country football. Please email all photographs to me and not post the originals, I would hate to see precious photo's damaged.
I will be adding to the list's of records and bests that appeared in the first book. I probably only received contributions form half of the country clubs in the state, so I am hoping for a better response this time around. Possibly the easiest thing to do is to email to me a photograph of your club's honour board. The categories again are -:
Most games played in a career of country football (Exact total with debut year and retirement year).
Kicking over 100 goals in a season (indicate whether minor round only or with finals)
Most goals kicked in a grand final
Most goals kicked in a match
Most goals kicked in a career (if you know of a player who has kicked a fairly substantial number of goals but don’t know the total let me know his career time frame and I will try to track it down).
Most premierships as a player
Long serving club and league administrators (presidents, secretaries, treasurers and patrons)
Most seasons as a senior coach ( If you know clubs coached only I will follow it up with the clubs concerned)
Most seasons as an A grade captain
Most club best and fairest awards
Highest score kicked by a country football team
Highest score kicked in a grand final
Longest A Grade premiership droughts.
Inter Club rivalries for shields or Cups.
Teams with records for consecutive wins and losses
Most games umpired – Field, boundary and goal
Home ground oval dimensions.
I will again be including a list of footballers who have excelled in other areas. Examples of this category are Australian David Cup tennis player John Fitzgerald who played football for Cummins Ramblers and racehorse trainer David Hayes who played for Angaston. Personally I have played footy with a Paralympian, an Australian Olympic Boxing Team Manager and a Radio and TV personality. So I am fairly sure there would be many others with similar associations.
I am also adding two new categories, Most SA country clubs played for at senior level and Most times a player has kicked more than ten goals in a single game. I will also accept any ideas you may have on other categories.
All photographs and contributions can be emailed to me at bplines@bigpond.com or if you have had a copy made of a photograph it can be sent to me at 46 Lincoln Hwy, Cowell SA 5602.
I am hoping to release Volume II by the end of the year so will probably accept contributions up to the end of September 2016.
Thank you for your time,
Peter Lines