SA Footy

jubilee oval (behind the university off north terrace) held both sanfl games & harness racing meetings including the first night meeting of harness racing


alberton oval was also a harness track & the first meeting was held there in 1919 (from memory) by the south australian trotting association & they raced there for many years


while i'm not sure on this one i recall reading that thebarton oval was used as a racecourse in the late 1800's


any others out there ?

bayman wrote:jubilee oval (behind the university off north terrace) held both sanfl games & harness racing meetings including the first night meeting of harness racing


alberton oval was also a harness track & the first meeting was held there in 1919 (from memory) by the south australian trotting association & they raced there for many years


while i'm not sure on this one i recall reading that thebarton oval was used as a racecourse in the late 1800's


any others out there ?

Thebarton racecourse was closer to the city than Thebarton Oval. Thebby Oval did have a trotting track around it even post war. Did Bob Hank get injured one day on the trotting track?

Thebby Oval was also a speedway track, I think back in the 1920s.

This is great to read guys.
Hopefully you can all make a few more additions.

i think most people know that the wayville showgrounds & kensington oval were used for sanfl football



the gawler dog track (princess park) used to be the gawler trotting track (you can still see the horse stalls at the back of the track) before they moved to the now defunct track on the (at least was) the gawler bypass road

West Adelaide played home games at the Wayville Showgrounds around the 20-30s last century

Hindmarsh oval was a footy oval at 1 stage.

bayman wrote:i think most people know that the wayville showgrounds & kensington oval were used for sanfl football



the gawler dog track (princess park) used to be the gawler trotting track (you can still see the horse stalls at the back of the track) before they moved to the now defunct track on the (at least was) the gawler bypass road

I grew up around greyhound tracks 60's 70's .My dad in his 70's now has just stopped training them due to ill health.
I remember two other tracks out North that the dogs used to trial on Virginia was one and I have forgotten the other one(could be two wells).all pre angle park days.
We used to drive to Barmera to race the dogs .They were non TAB races and pretty sure there wasn't prize money(may be wrong) . As well as meetings at strath.
Of course we would drive to my Parents home town of Broken Hill to race the dogs .Saint Pat days race meetings stand out along with normal days.

Clearly remember going to Wayville to watch the Trotts as a 10yo .

Also remember waiting for the trotters to finish trialling so the dogs could have a trial at angle park.Plus there's a couple of straight tracks(not official) in the burbs that owners used to use to run their dogs .One being near Fort largs .

I only went a couple of times to the coursing as I understand it they still do it.

Michael Aish and I were both members of the NW cheer squad in the 1970s

Mickyj, I've had some related quirky associations.
I've never been to a Greyhound track in my life, but in my childhood I used to exercise a neighbour's Greyhound that won a few races.
At one stage I also knew the Cleggett family at Laura who bred and raced them - my first wife was a cousin to them.
Interestingly, I've also never been to a horse racing track, but as a child I got a ride on a former Melbourne Cup winner when he was out to stud - for the novelty of being able to claim in future having ridden a Melbourne Cup winner. [Admitting as an afterthought, "Just not in the race."]
It was arranged by the neighbour who had the first Greyhound.

Camden Oval, where PHOS Camden play was once a speedway

+South Adelaide were almost thrown out the league in the 50's and it was the deciding vote of one league delegate that saved them.
+The SAFA (SANFL) is one week older than the VFA - forever in our shadow
+Wilderness School's sports ground was the original home ground of Medindie who went onto become North Adelaide
+The West Adelaide that played in 1887 has no relation to the Bloods of today
+University tried on a few ocassions to join the SAFL (as it was then)
+Woodville Oval was only meant to be the temporary home ground of Woodville until the St Clair oval was ready for league football. This never happened and Woodville stayed.
+There are bomb shelters at Glenelg, Thebarton and Prospect ovals, yet these ovals weren't used for league football from 1942-1944
+West Torrens and West Adelaide initially used Alberton Oval as their "home" ground when they joined the SAFA.

Leaping Lindner wrote:South Adelaide were almost thrown out the league in the 50's

What was the reason for that LL?

bayman wrote:jubilee oval (behind the university off north terrace) held both sanfl games & harness racing meetings including the first night meeting of harness racing

Jubilee Oval circa 1900(or thereabouts)

GWW wrote:

Leaping Lindner wrote:South Adelaide were almost thrown out the league in the 50's

What was the reason for that LL?

I don't know the full story (Adelaide Hawk and/or RobranisGod might know the full story) but as i understand it South were going to be cut due to lack of success,support and a home ground. The plan was to bring in Gawler (later known as Central District) and keep it as 8 teams. As we know South stayed, Central got in, and Woodville was put together to keep the numbers even,and supposedly weaken Port who were dominating the competition at the time. That's as I understand it anyway. I could be wrong.
There were also plans in the early 1900s to merge South and West into one team - Adelaide - when South were getting weaker due to the district system and West were a bottom side. They both shared Adelaide proper as their recruiting zone (split down King William St I believe). West won the flag soon after and the plan was shelved.

Leaping Lindner wrote:

GWW wrote:

Leaping Lindner wrote:South Adelaide were almost thrown out the league in the 50's

What was the reason for that LL?

I don't know the full story (Adelaide Hawk and/or RobranisGod might know the full story) but as i understand it South were going to be cut due to lack of success,support and a home ground. The plan was to bring in Gawler (later known as Central District) and keep it as 8 teams. As we know South stayed, Central got in, and Woodville was put together to keep the numbers even,and supposedly weaken Port who were dominating the competition at the time. That's as I understand it anyway. I could be wrong.
There were also plans in the early 1900s to merge South and West into one team - Adelaide - when South were getting weaker due to the district system and West were a bottom side. They both shared Adelaide proper as their recruiting zone (split down King William St I believe). West won the flag soon after and the plan was shelved.

As always, you are correct, LL. It was somewhere around 1959, or it could have been a bit later. Between 1945 and 1963 the highest South ever finished was sixth in an eight team competition. Elizabeth had been founded in 1954 and was booming. The plan was to relocate South Adelaide to Elizabeth - change their name - but not their colours and keep the competition at 8 teams. The league were split 4 all and the casting vote of the league president saved South and instead Woodville and Central were brought in to the comp. Incredibly as we all know South won the premiership in 1964 after being bottom in 1963, yet by 1969 they were wooden spooners again. Other than for a few years in the late 1970s and early 1980s under Bunton and Cornes and then for a fleeting time under John Reid, South have remained uncompetitive. I laugh when I hear scribes say that South have been uncompetitive for the last 10 years or the last 30 years, it goes back a lot further than that. One has to admire their supporters who front up year in year out, but I often ponder as to whether that league president made the right call all of those years ago. Without trying to offend anyone, I think not.

Leaping Lindner wrote:

bayman wrote:jubilee oval (behind the university off north terrace) held both sanfl games & harness racing meetings including the first night meeting of harness racing

Jubilee Oval circa 1900(or thereabouts)

Rugby Union posts?? And a grandstand!! Was it in the corner of Frome Rd & that road that runs btw the Uni & The Torrens (sorry been a while since I lived in SA)

Psyber wrote:Mickyj, I've had some related quirky associations.
I've never been to a Greyhound track in my life, but in my childhood I used to exercise a neighbour's Greyhound that won a few races.
At one stage I also knew the Cleggett family at Laura who bred and raced them - my first wife was a cousin to them.
Interestingly, I've also never been to a horse racing track, but as a child I got a ride on a former Melbourne Cup winner when he was out to stud - for the novelty of being able to claim in future having ridden a Melbourne Cup winner. [Admitting as an afterthought, "Just not in the race."]
It was arranged by the neighbour who had the first Greyhound.

Small world Psyber hey
Don't know the name Cleggett I'm afraid

FattyLumpkin wrote:

Leaping Lindner wrote:

bayman wrote:jubilee oval (behind the university off north terrace) held both sanfl games & harness racing meetings including the first night meeting of harness racing

Jubilee Oval circa 1900(or thereabouts)

Rugby Union posts?? And a grandstand!! Was it in the corner of Frome Rd & that road that runs btw the Uni & The Torrens (sorry been a while since I lived in SA)

Not quite in that corner, I'm fairly sure it is pretty much where the Barr Smith lawns are now.
The building on the middle left is the old part of the Barr Smith library which is still there today, so the photo is looking west, and the road at the top right is Victoria Drive (the road between the uni and the Torrens).

Psyber wrote:At one stage I also knew the Cleggett family at Laura who bred and raced them -

The Gleggetts used to live across the road from my Grandparents at Laura............small world SA