Mount Lofty District Football Club

Mount Lofty District

Full name	Mount Lofty District Football Club Inc.
Nickname	Mountain Devils
Sport	Australian Rules Football
Founded	1978 (merger)
League	Hills Football League
Home ground	Heathfield Oval, Heathfield
Colours	Red, White
President	Kym Welsby

Mount Lofty District are an Australian rules football team based in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide that were formed in late 1978 as a merger between the former Stirling Football Club and Heathfield-Aldgate United Football Club. Adopting the moniker of "Mountain Devils", Mount Lofty initially joined the South Australian Football Association (SAFA) competition in the 1979 season and participated in that league until the end of the 1985 season. In 1986, Mount Lofty joined the Hills Football League and currently continue to field teams in both Senior and Junior grades in that competition.^[1]

Mount Lofty has produced a number of Australian Football League (AFL) players including Troy Broadbridge (Melbourne), David Welsby (Geelong). Prior to amalgamation, Heathfield-Aldgate produced Robbert Klomp, who played Victorian Football League (VFL) football for Carlton and Footscray.

A-Grade Premierships

• South Australian Football Association A2 (1)
  • 1981 ^[2]
• Hills Football League Division 1/Central Division (5)
  • 1986 Division 1 ^[3]
  • 1990 Division 1 ^[3]
  • 2006 Central Division ^[3]
  • 2007 Central Division ^[3]
  • 2008 Central Division ^[3]
• Hills Football League Division 2/Country Division (1)
  • 2014 Country Division ^[4]

Merger History

Mount Lofty District was formed in 1978 through the amalgamation of Heathfield-Aldgate United and Stirling.

Heathfield-Aldgate United

The Heathfield-Aldgate United Football Club was formed in 1967 from a merger of the Aldgate Football Club and the Heathfield Football Club. Initially competing in the Central Zone of the newly formed Hills Football League, Heathfield-Aldgate continued in Division 1 of the same competition from 1972 until its merger with Stirling at the end of the 1978 season. Heathfield-Aldgate still hold the record for most A-Grade premierships (9) in the Hills Football League.^[5]

A-Grade Premierships

• Hills Football League Central Zone (3)
  • 1967 ^[3]
  • 1968 ^[3]
  • 1971 ^[3]
• Hills Football League Division 1 (6)
  • 1972 ^[3]
  • 1973 ^[3]
  • 1974 ^[3]
  • 1975 ^[3]
  • 1976 ^[3]
  • 1977 ^[3]

Aldgate

The Aldgate Football Club was a member of the Mount Lofty Football Association from 1921 until it shifted to the Hills Central Football Association in 1927. In 1936, Aldgate joined the Hills Football Association, where they competed, including a drop to the B-Grade competition from 1952 to 1955, until they returned to Hills Central Football Association in 1962 and then merged with Heathfield in 1967.^[6]

A-Grade Premierships

• Hills Central Football Association (2)
  • 1927 ^[7]
  • 1934 ^[8]
• Hills Football Association A2 (1)
  • 1953 ^[9]

Heathfield

The Heathfield Football Club was formed in 1955 as a breakaway from the Stirling Football Club. Initially joining the Hills Football Association A2 competition, Heathfield transferred to the Hills Central Football Association A2 competition in 1962. In 1967 Heathfield amalgamated with the Aldgate Football Club to form the Heathfield-Aldgate United Football Club.^[10]

Stirling

The Stirling Football Club was formed in the 1800s, eventually joining the Hills Football Association in 1904. In 1921, Stirling transferred to the Mount Lofty Football Association before returning to the Hills Football Association in 1938. Stirling was a member of the Torrens Valley Football Association from 1962 until the formation of the Hills Football League in 1967. Stirling competed initially in the Central Zone of the Hills Football League and continued in Division 1 of the same competition from 1972 until its merger with Heathfield-Aldgate United at the end of the 1978 season.^[11]

A-Grade Premierships

• Mount Lofty Football Association (9)
  • 1921 ^[12]
  • 1922 ^[13]
  • 1924 Undefeated ^[14]
  • 1925 Undefeated ^[15]
  • 1926 ^[16]
  • 1927 ^[17]
  • 1928 ^[18]
  • 1929 ^[19]
  • 1934 ^[20]
• Hills Football Association A1 (9)
  • 1946 ^[21]
  • 1947 ^[22]
  • 1950 ^[23]
  • 1952 ^[24]
  • 1953 ^[25]
  • 1954 ^[26]
  • 1955 ^[27][28]
  • 1957 ^[28]
  • 1960 ^[28]

References

1. Lines, Peter. "Mount Lofty". Encyclopedia of South Australian Country Football Clubs. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-9804472-9-3.
2. "About the Club". Mt Lofty District Football Club. Mt Lofty District Football Club. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
3. "Past Premiers". Hills Football League Inc. SA. Hills Football League Inc. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
4. "Fixtures/Results - Country Div A Grade 2014". Hills Football League. Fox Sports Pulse. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
5. Lines, Peter. "Heathfield Aldgate". Encyclopedia of South Australian Country Football Clubs. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-9804472-9-3.
6. Lines, Peter. "Aldgate". Encyclopedia of South Australian Country Football Clubs. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-9804472-9-3.
7. "Aldgate Premiers". The Courier and River Murray Advocate. 16 September 1927. p. 3. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
8. "Football - Aldgate Premiers for 1934". Southern Argus. 13 September 1934. p. 3. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
9. "Aldgate Football Club Premiership Dinner". The Courier. 23 September 1953. p. 10. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
10. Lines, Peter. "Heathfield". Encyclopedia of South Australian Country Football Clubs. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-9804472-9-3.
11. Lines, Peter. "Stirling". Encyclopedia of South Australian Country Football Clubs. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-9804472-9-3.
12. "The Country - Stirling". The Observer (Adelaide). 8 October 1921. p. 8. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
13. "Mount Lofty Football Association". The Register (Adelaide). 19 September 1922. p. 4. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
14. "Ball at Stirling West". The Advertiser (Adelaide). 7 November 1924. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
15. "A Football Final - Mount Lofty Association - Premiership Won by Stirling". The Observer (Adelaide). 31 October 1925. p. 21. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
16. "Dance at Stirling". The Advertiser (Adelaide). 1 September 1926. p. 19. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
17. "Football - Stirling Defeats Uraidla". The News (Adelaide). 30 September 1927. p. 12. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
18. "Social and Dance at Stirling West". The Advertiser (Adelaide). 31 August 1928. p. 8. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
19. "News from Country Centres - Stirling West". The Observer (Adelaide). 28 September 1929. p. 7. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
20. "Football - Mount Lofty Association - Stirling Wins Premiership". The Mount Barker Courier and Murray Bridge Advertiser. 21 September 1934. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
21. "Hills Association - Inaugurate New Schemes". The Courier (Mount Barker). 26 September 1946. p. 7. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
22. "Stirling Premiership Dinner". The Courier (Mount Barker). 16 October 1947. p. 7. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
23. "Hills Premiership to Stirling by a Goal". The Courier (Mount Barker). 7 September 1950. p. 2. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
24. "Hills Football Association Dinner". The Courier (Mount Barker). 16 October 1952. p. 8. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
25. "Stirling Football Premiership Dinner". The Courier. 28 October 1953. p. 9. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
26. "Football Hat Trick to Stirling". The Courier (Mount Barker). 15 September 1954. p. 9. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
27. Cialini, R (November 2015). "HALL OF FAME - Wally Miller". Redlegs Museum. Media 235. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
28. Pistola, Jeff. "Premiers 1955" (PDF). Mount Lofty District Football Club. Mount Lofty District Football Club. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 15 March 2016.