West Adelaide Football Club

Club history

Early years

The West Adelaide Football Club was formed in 1892 and adopted magenta and white as their colours. The Club patron was Mr Theo. Scherk, President Mr J. Hallow, Secretary R.M.L. Mander, Treasurer Mr J. McCabe, Captain A. Forrestal and Vice Captain W. Morris.

A meeting was advertised for those interested in a Junior Football Club in West Adelaide. It was held at the Bristol Tavern, Franklin Street, Adelaide, on Tuesday, 3 April 1894, at 8 p.m.

A large number of members attended. Mr. J Coppinger presided. The following officers were elected: Patron, Dr. Todd; president, Mr W. Powell; and a large number of vice-presidents; secretary, Mr. R.M.L. Mander; treasurer, Mr. J. McCabe; committee, Messrs. Forrestall, Sheenan, Foyne, Weismeyer, and Brady; delegates to the Adelaide and Suburban Football Association, Messrs. Hinder and McCabe; Special delegate, Mr. J. J. Sheehan. The appointments of captain and vice-captain were held over.

The club joined the Adelaide and Suburban Association in 1894 and won premierships in 1895 and 1896.

The 1895 and 1896 Annual Meetings were also held at the Bristol Tavern. At the 1896 Meeting held on 24 March Mr. E. L. Batchelor, M.P., presided over the meeting. For the upcoming season the captain was Mr T Bishop and vice-captain Mr Quinn.

SAFA Admission and Introduction of Electoral Football

Following the club's annual general meeting on 30 March 1897, the club applied to join the South Australian Football Association (SAFA) which was approved by 6 votes to 4 against at a meeting held on 5 April 1897.

Upon entering the SAFA senior competition, West Adelaide changed their colours to black and red, the colours previously worn by the defunct Old Adelaide Football Club and moved its training headquarters from the South to the West Parklands. The club often struggled to field a full team in its early years as clubs were then controlled by wealthy businessmen and it was no secret that players were regularly poached from less wealthy clubs. West Adelaide was one of the "poor" clubs and consequently won only one of its first 31 matches.

From the 1899 season the SAFA introduced electoral district football in which players had to play for the club in the district where they lived. West Adelaide immediately gained the services of one of the best players of the time, "Bunny" Daly who threw himself into developing the club. Nonetheless, the club still struggled and had won only twenty and drawn two of 127 games by the end of 1907, including a second winless season in 1906. However, with a number of young players such as Richard "Dick" Head joining veterans James Tierney. West's fortunes were about to change and the club would enter what is known as its "Golden Era".

Golden era (1908–1913)

Prior to the 1908 season, West Adelaide never finished higher than fifth on the premiership ladder. In 1908 former Hotham captain and South Adelaide and North Adelaide champion "Dinny" Reedman became West's first coach. West Adelaide not only became SANFL premiers for the first time defeating Norwood in the grand final at the Adelaide Oval but also became Champions of Australia when they defeated powerful Victorian Football League team Carlton by five goals at the Adelaide Oval.

Jos Dailey captained the Premiership and Champions of Australia team in 1908 and went on to lead the Bloods to three more Premierships, while James "Sorry" Tierney was the club's first ever winner of the Magarey Medal in 1908.

West Adelaide repeated as SAFL premiers in 1909 after defeating Port Adelaide by a goal in the grand final while "Dick" Head won the club's second Magarey Medal. The club slumped in 1910 to finish in fifth place before repeating their 1908 double success by winning the 1911 SANFL Premiership defeating Port Adelaide in the grand final and Essendon to win the Championship of Australia.

The heartland and spiritual home of the West Adelaide Football Club was the West End of Adelaide. In 1911 after winning the SAFL premiership and beating Essendon to become Champions of Australia, the manager of the West End Brewery, which was located on Hindley Street, chose to adopt the black and red colours of the West Adelaide as those of the brewery and the nickname 'The Bottletops' soon followed for the Football Club.

The club won its fourth SAFL premiership in five years in 1912 after again defeating Port Adelaide in the grand final before finishing their Golden Era with a third placing in 1913.

Interwar struggles

After the SAFL resumed competition following World War I, West Adelaide initially struggled, winning only nine and drawing two of 38 games between 1919 and 1921, finishing last in 1920 and second-last in 1919 and 1921. However, after narrowly qualifying for the finals in 1922, West would defeat second-placed West Torrens before losing the Final to Norwood. That season, Robert Barnes because the club's third Magarey Medalist, while Bruce McGregor became the club's fourth Magarey Medalist when he won the award in 1926; however, between 1923 and 1926 West would not participate in the major round and won only 23 of 56 games.

The club began playing their home games at the Wayville Showgrounds in 1927 after their new headquarters was opened on 23 April. The club won its fifth premiership by defeating North Adelaide by two goals in the grand final. Captain-coach Bruce McGregor would not only lead his team to this 1927 premiership but became the first (and so far only) West Adelaide player to win back to back Magarey Medals. Robert Snell (1929), Jack Sexton (1931) and Ray McArthur (1939) also won the Magarey with the Bloods in this period.

After finishing third in 1928 and 1929 followed by – in the absence of star goalsneak "Dickie" Bennetts who was banned for three years for kicking an umpire – fifth in 1930, West Adelaide slumped badly in 1931 to last with only two wins before bouncing back to fifth in 1932 only half a game from the finals. Despite Bennetts' return, they finished winless for the third time in 1933 but were terribly unlucky in losing five games by a goal or less. They recovered to win eight games and draw one in 1934, but between 1935 and 1940 were never higher than seventh in an eight-team competition and overall won only 26 and drew one of 102 games.

The club played its last home game at the Adelaide Showgrounds in Wayville on 19 August 1939 due to the Australian Army taking over the site during World War II. From the start of 1940 until the end of 1957 home games were again played at Adelaide Oval.

An unexpected 112-point thrashing of North Adelaide in their last game of 1940, however, proved a true omen of what was to come in 1941. The Bloods carried all before them early in the season and after ten games had suffered only a draw and two narrow losses. A slump ensued before the club required to finish third and beat Port Adelaide in the first semi before Sturt knocked the inexperienced Bloods out in the preliminary.

"Thereabouts" but never "there"

West Adelaide became one of the power teams in the SANFL following the resumption of full-scale competition in 1945. The club finished third in 1946 before winning its sixth premiership in 1947 defeating Norwood 10.15 (75) to 8.15 (63). One of West's leading players during this time was future SANFL legend Fos Williams who played 54 games for the club between 1946 and 1949 before moving on to captain-coach Port Adelaide in 1950, a move that would haunt West Adelaide for the next thirteen seasons as Wests would lose five grand finals, all by less than three goals, to the Williams-coached Port Adelaide between 1954 and 1962.

During the mid-1950s, West Adelaide, under the coaching of Laurie Cahill and with strong players such as Neil Kerley, Brian Faehse, Doug Thomas, Ken Eustice, Ken McGregor and 1957 Magarey Medalist Ron Benton, became regular finals visitors and finished as beaten grand finalists in 1954, losing the grand final to the Fos Williams led Port Adelaide by just three points. The 1954 final was marred by a brawl which broke out at half time of the match when angry Port supporters set upon Wests players as they attempted to enter the dressing room located in the Sir Edwin Smith Stand. This was a reaction to a heavy but legal clash prior to the end of the half between Wests captain Brian Faehse and Ports Dave Boyd in which Boyd had come off second best. Wests had been leading by 25 points at half time but the melee in the crowd proved unsettling with some battered Wests players not making it back to the dressing room until the team was due to go back out onto the oval for the second half. Port came back to trail by only two points going into the last quarter of the game and snatched victory by three points.

The half-time melee was the main topic of discussion at an SANFL meeting following the game which prompted the building of the underground dressing rooms at the Adelaide Oval during the summer of 1954/55 while leaving the rooms in the stands to the cricketers. West Adelaide and their captain Brian Faehse were given the honour of being the first team to use the new rooms and to run out onto the oval from them at the start of the 1955 SANFL season.

Wests finished a disappointing seventh in 1955, but would return to form in 1956 where they would again be beaten grand finalists, again losing to Port. After finishing third in 1957, West Adelaide would play in both the 1958 and 1959 SANFL Grand Finals and again would be beaten by the Fos Williams coached Port Adelaide by just two points in 1958 and ten points in 1959. In the former year a late kick for goal by ruckman Jack Richardson which would have given West the lead with only ninety seconds remaining hit the post allowing Port to hold on. Later on grand final night, a group of Wests players, including Kerley, broke into the Adelaide Oval and cut down the goalpost. The post would later end up hanging over the Bar in the West Adelaide Footballers' Club.

Lean years

Following the 1961 premiership win and subsequent runners-up in 1962, West Adelaide would go through a very lean time. After finishing 2nd in 1962 the club lost amongst others Kerley, Eustice, Jeff Bray and Don Roach from their playing ranks leading to a lean spell for the club. After having played in thirteen finals series and six grand finals between 1946 and 1963 for two premierships (1947 and 1961), the club would only reach the finals another five times (1968 – fourth, 1969 – third, 1976 – fifth, 1977 – third and 1981 – fifth) between 1964 and 1982.

The ground record crowd for Richmond Oval was set in Round 5 of the 1969 season when 15,742 turned up to see Westies take on a Glenelg side coached by none other than Neil Kerley. Glenelg defeated the Bloods 18 18 (126) to 8.9 (57) on the day and the record crowd still stands as of 2013.

In the early 1970s, West Adelaide declined to their lowest ebb for a third of a century, finishing last in 1972 for the first time since 1936, and repeating this ignominy in 1973 and 1974. In 1970 West unearthed a young ruckman named Dexter Kennedy who made his league debut aged just 15 years, 11 months and 2 days. Kennedy would go on to play 236 games for the club between 1970 and 1982 before playing the last two seasons of his career with Port Adelaide. 1947 premiership player and nine-time premiership coach of Port Adelaide, Fos Williams began coaching the club in 1974 and after a tough start the team improved finishing sixth in 1975, fifth in 1976 and third in 1977. However, that was the high point for the Bloods during the 1970s as they fell dramatically to ninth in 1978 in what was to be Williams' last season of coaching league football before again finishing last under coach Trevor Hughes in 1979. The other great highlight for the club during the 1970s was the recruitment of Port rover Trevor Grimwood who would become the club's eleventh Magarey Medal winner in 1977.

Inconsistent but dangerous

The Bloods would continue to perform poorly as they finished second last in 1980 and Trevor Hughes was sacked following the season. Club General Manager Doug Thomas and President Bob Lee enticed 1961 premiership coach Neil Kerley away from West Torrens and back to West Adelaide in 1981 and the improvement in the team was immediate. The Bloods finished 5th in 1981, defeated in the Elimination Final by Norwood. Under Kerley players such as Roger Luders, Bruce Lindner, Ian Borchard, Peter Meuret, Geoff Morris and Mark Mickan all started to play their best football and 1982 was almost a repeat of the 1981 season. Going into the final round West were locked in a battle for the 5th and final finals spot on the ladder. However, Norwood again ended their run when they thumped the Bloods at Norwood Oval consigning West to a 6th-place finish.

The team hit its straps in the 1983 season, winning its first minor premiership since 1962 by two games from Sturt with an 18–4 record. The team finally got its revenge on Norwood when they put a severe dent in the Redlegs premiership defence with a 77-point win the 2nd Semi-final to earn a spot in their first grand final since 1962. The Following week Sturt defeated Norwood in the Preliminary to earn the other grand final berth. Westies won their eighth premiership when Kerley coached the team to a 21.16 (142) to 16.12 (108) win in the grand final in front of 47,129 fans at Football Park. West Adelaide had winners all over the ground but it was captain Ian Borchard who won the Jack Oatey Medal as the best player in the grand final while Centre half-forward Bruce Lindner with 5 goals and Full-forward Roger Luders kicked 4. Lindner's fifth goal was the last of the game, a 65-metre kick on the full from inside the centre square only seconds before the game ended.

Two of Wests best players throughout the 1983 season were unlucky to miss a place in the grand final team. Ruckman Mark Mickan, the clubs Best & Fairest for the year, ruptured his Posterior cruciate ligament in the teams 93-point win over Woodville at Football Park in Round 20 and missed the remainder of the season, while Roger Winter, twin brother of grand final back pocket player Peter Winter, was injured in the 2nd Semi against Norwood and could not recover in time to take his place in the side. Mickan's place was taken by 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) tall Dirk de Jong who had actually retired from league football one game into the season, but was persuaded by Kerley to come back following Mickan's injury. Despite some impressive performances in his final four games, including out playing experienced Sturt ruckman Frank Spiel in the grand final, de Jong, who started his SANFL career with Wests in 1978, again retired from football after 1983 having played 53 games for the club.

Abrupt decline and revival

Once again West Adelaide failed to follow up its good form from the previous season and while still managing to qualify for the finals in 2004 had to be satisfied with just a fifth-placed finish. Things went from bad to worse for the club in 2005 when the team finished with the wooden spoon for the first time since 1979. Following such a dramatic drop in form, Rehn resigned as coach and was replaced by former Crows teammate Wayne Weidemann for 2006 and 2007. Despite West Adelaide playing their 400th game at Richmond Oval when they faced Sturt on 7 April 2006, neither season would bring any joy for the Bloods or their supporters as they finished with the wooden spoon in each season. Not surprisingly, Weidemann was replaced as coach following the 2007 season. His replacement was former Hawthorn premiership player from 1991 Andrew Collins. However, Collins could not improve the results in 2008 and the club finished with an unwanted fourth wooden spoon in a row, an ignominy suffered previously by Sturt (1989 to 1996), Woodville (1980 to 1985), South Adelaide (1926 to 1929), Glenelg (1937 to 1940 and 1921 to 1925) and Norwood (1913 to 1919), but never despite several bleak eras by the Bloods. Strong recruiting helped the team improve to sixth in 2009 while James Ezard, nephew of 1984 and 1985 Essendon premiership player Alan Ezard, jointly won the Magarey Medal with North Adelaide's Rhys Archard, becoming the fourteenth West Adelaide player to win the award.

The Bloods again finished sixth in 2010, missing the major round for the sixth consecutive season. In a major development for the club, lights for night games were installed at Richmond Oval in 2010 and Friday night games became a success with 6,133 fans attending the Bloods' first ever home game under lights against North Adelaide on 26 March.

Despite winning their last game of the season at home against Sturt, West missed the SANFL Finals for the seventh straight season, finishing third last with an 8–12 record. West Adelaide started the season well with a 5–1 record but injuries to key players plus general poor form saw the Bloods lose seven games in a row mid-season. Early in the 2011 season coach Andrew Collins had his contract extended for a further two years tying him to the club until 2013.

2012 finally saw the work of Andy Collins and his staff finally come to fruition with the Bloods finishing the minor round in third place with a 12–8 record, including being only one of two sides to beat runaway minor premiers Norwood. Collins was criticised in the media for resting his "star" players over the final three rounds after West had already been assured of third place and the "double chance" in the finals. The Bloods got some revenge for their 2003 Grand Final loss to Centrals with a 27-point win in the Qualifying final to book a place against Norwood in the Second Semi-final. However, Norwood's defensive game held them to just two goal in the final, the Redlegs easily booking a place in the 2012 Grand Final, winning 8.13 (61) to 2.5 (17). West bounced back a week later to record a 13.10 (88) to 10.7 (67) win over North Adelaide in the Preliminary Final to book a place in their seventeenth SANFL Grand Final, and their first against Norwood since the Bloods 1961 premiership. However, Norwood's impregnable defence won out again, and the Bloods were in danger of equalling North Adelaide's 1989 ignominy of kicking only one goal in a Grand Final before two late goals in time-on of the last quarter saw then go down 12.7 (79) to 3.12 (30).

Women's Team

West Adelaide were a foundation member of the SANFL Women's competition in 2017. Since the beginning of the competition, West Adelaide has been home to four winners of SANFL Women's League Best and Fairest Award – Hannah Button 2018, Rachelle Martin 2020, Lauren Young 2021, and Zoe Venning 2025, the first three of these have since been drafted to AFL Women's clubs. However, the Bloods have yet to win the SANFL Women's premiership.

Home grounds

Kensington Oval (1897)

Jubilee Oval (1898–1906)

Adelaide Oval (1907–1926, 1940–1957)

Wayville Showgrounds (1927–1939)

Richmond Oval (1958–present)

The West Adelaide Football Club had no home ground to call their own until the planning and building of Richmond Oval in the early 1950s. The ground was used for training and junior games until it was ready for league use in 1958. The Bloods christened their first game at Richmond by defeating neighbouring club West Torrens 12.11 (83) to 10.13 (73) in front of just over 15,000 fans. Such was the success of Richmond Oval that the SANFL moved its traditional ANZAC Day match from the Adelaide Oval to Richmond in 1958 where West Adelaide defeated their long-time Grand Final tormentor Port Adelaide in one of the highest profile matches ever played at the ground.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of people such as the club captain Brian Faeshe, Cliff Semmler, Roy Charles, Cliff Todd and City of West Torrens Mayor Steve Hamra, The Bloods finally had a home ground to call their own. In the 2000s the grandstand at the oval was named the B. K. Faeshe Stand in honour of the former champion player, coach and administrator of the club. Brian Faeshe was one of the driving forces in the formation of Richmond Oval while still a player with West Adelaide.

Prior to the opening of Richmond Oval West Adelaide had used Kensington Oval (1897), Jubilee Oval (1898–1906) and the Adelaide Oval (1907–1926) for its "home" games before gaining exclusive SANFL use of the main arena at the Wayville Showgrounds in 1927, the year of their fifth SANFL Premiership. The club used Wayville Showgrounds until the end of 1939 when it was taken over by the Australian Army following the outbreak of World War II. West then went back to the Adelaide Oval for its home games from 1940 until 1957, sharing the ground with South Adelaide. For both stints at the Adelaide Oval, this created problems because during the football season South, being the main tenant, had first use of the oval (league) and the Adelaide Oval No. 2 (reserves) for training purposes with Westies often having to train in the Adelaide Park Lands until Richmond became available for training from 1955.

Magarey Medallists

The Magarey Medal is awarded to the fairest and most brilliant player in the SANFL.

Men's League

League top goalkickers

The Ken Farmer Medal is awarded to the SANFL's leading goalkicker at the end of the minor round.

Jack Oatey Medallists

The Jack Oatey Medal is awarded to the best player of the SANFL Grand Final

Fos Williams Medallists

The Fos Williams Medal is awarded to the best SANFL player in an interstate game.

Honour Board 1897–2026

Indicates wooden spoon.

Indicates premiership or minor premiership.

Hall of Fame

West Adelaide's Hall of Fame includes:

Club records

South Australian Premiers: 9 – 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1927, 1947, 1961, 1983, 2015

Runners-up: 9 – 1922, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1991, 2003, 2012

Champions of Australia: 2 – 1908, 1911

Foxtel Cup Champions: 1 – 2013

South Australian Night Series Champions: 6 – 1955, 1957, 1960, 1962, 1985, 1987

Home ground: Richmond Oval (1958–present)

Previous grounds: Kensington Oval (1897), Jubilee Oval (1898–1906), Adelaide Oval (1907–1926, 1940–1957), Wayville Showgrounds (1927–1939)

First game at Richmond Oval: 12.11 (83) d. West Torrens 10.13 (73) in 1958

Record attendance at Hisense Stadium: 15,742 v Glenelg in Round 5, 1969

Record night attendance at Hisense Stadium: 6,133 v North Adelaide on 26 March 2010

Record attendance: 54,282 v Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, 1958 SANFL Grand Final

Record attendance at Football Park: 47,129 v Sturt, 1983 SANFL Grand Final

Record attendance since Adelaide Crows (AFL) formation (1991): 39,276 v North Adelaide at Football Park, 1991 SANFL Grand Final

Record attendance since Port Adelaide (AFL) entry (1997): 29,661 v Norwood at AAMI Stadium, 2012 SANFL Grand Final

1983 premiership side

West Adelaide 21.16 (142) defeated Sturt 16.12 (108)

Venue: Football Park

Attendance: 47,129

Umpires: Laurie Argent and Rick Kinnear

Jack Oatey Medallist: Ian Borchard

Best: Borchard, Morris, Bennett, Meuret, Grosser, McKinnon, Kantilaftas, McKinnon, Burgess, Winter

Goals: Lindner 5, Luders & Grosser 4, Meuret 3, Morris 2, Conlen, Smith & Borchard 1

2015 premiership side

West Adelaide 11.12 (78) defeated Woodville West Torrens 7.6 (48)

Venue: Adelaide Oval

Attendance: 25,625

Umpires: Tobias Medlin, Craig Fleer and Leigh Haussen

Jack Oatey Medallist: Chris Schmidt

Best: Schmidt, Porplyzia, Stevens, Schiller, Tuck, Helbig

Goals: Green 3, Beech & Webb 2, Fielke, Stevens, Tuck & Wasley-Black 1

Club song

Sung to the tune of "The Yankee Doodle Boy".

We're a happy team at Westies,

We're the mighty fighting Bloods,

We love our club and we play to win,

Riding the bumps with a grin,

At Westies

Come what may you'll find us striving,

Team work is the thing that counts,

All for one and one for all,

The way we play at Westies

We are the mighty fighting Blood and tars!

See also "West Adelaide Football Rally" by Reginald A A Stoneham (1895–1942)

AFL/VFL players (including Rookies)

There is a list of past and present West Adelaide players who have played at AFL/VFL:

Influence and supporters

The black and red colours of West End beer made by the South Australian Brewing Company came about after West Adelaide defeated Port Adelaide in the 1911 Grand Final, and defeated VFL premiers Essendon in the Championship of Australia play-off at Adelaide Oval shortly afterwards in the same year.

Despite the SANFL being a localised league, West Adelaide have some high-profile Adelaide personalities as supporters of the club. Former Premier of South Australia (1996–2001) John Olsen AO, the current SANFL President and Chairman of the SA Football Commission, and former South Australian Sheffield Shield cricketer and SANFL umpire turned Adelaide television and radio personality K. G. Cunningham, are known to be proud Bloods fans.