Southern Football League (Tasmania)

The Southern Football League is an Australian rules football league which is based in Tasmania, Australia.

= History =

The Southern Tasmanian Football League (STFL) was founded in 1996 with the league's original clubs being those comprising of the recently defunct Tasmanian Amatuer Football League - Southern Division (Southern Amatuers) and two clubs who left the Huon Football Association.
The competing clubs in that first season were Mangalore (Brighton), Lauderdale, Lindisfarne, Claremont, Sorell, Lachlan, Kingston and Channel.

Despite the lopsided results from many of the matches in its first two seasons, the STFL was beginning to rival its long established counterpart, the TFL Statewide League for attendances, community involvement, players and money as players and fans alike became tired of the politics and negativity that permeated through a floundering TFL at that time.

With the sad demise of the 114-year old Huon Football Association at the end of the 1997 season and financially crippled former TFL club Hobart opting to pull out of the Statewide League at the end of the same season and voting to join the STFL, the league was ready for an influx of new teams as one of its foundation clubs, Lachlan, went out of business at the end of 1997.

Kermandie (then known as the Robins), Cygnet (then known as the Magpies) were forced to change playing uniforms and emblems (to Bushrangers and The Port respectively) owing to clashes with already established clubs Brighton and Claremont.
Huonville Bulldogs merged with fellow Huon Football Association rival Franklin Lions to become the Huonville Lions and thus joined the STFL in 1998.Hobart (then known as the Tigers) were forced to change their emblem and playing strip owing to a clash with Kingston (Kingborough).

From 1998, the STFL would be known as the Southern Football League.As the league continued to go from strength to strength, the TFL Statewide League was sinking as crowds continued to slide and clubs sank further into the financial mire.

New Norfolk District Football Club, a member of the TFL since 1947 was unceremoniously dumped from the TFL at the end of 1999 and joined the SFL in 2000 as the New Norfolk 'Derwent' Hawks.
In December 2000 the SWL was wound up by its directors and by the AFL and left Clarence Glenorchy and North Hobart Football Clubs without a competition to participate in.
After numerous meetings and much debate it was decided to accept the three orphaned clubs into the league in early 2001 to create a 15-team competition for that season.

Premier League & Regional League Split

In 2002 the SFL spilt into two conferences - Premier League and Regional League.

The Premier League consisted of former TFL clubs Clarence, Glenorchy, North Hobart, Hobart and New Norfolk along with Kingston, Brighton and Sorell.
The Regional League consisted of Cygnet, Channel, Huonville Lions, Kermandie, Claremont, Lauderdale, Lindisfarne and former Tasman Football Association club Dodges Ferry, admitted into the league after the TFA folded at the end of the 2001 season.

In early 2003 the Sorell Football Club was forced to leave the Premier League after the club was unable to find enough volunteers to run the club and therefore went into recess for that season, its Premier League position was taken over by Lauderdale the following year.

Two new additions to the SFL Regional League in 2006 saw former Oatlands District Football Association clubs Oatlands, Kempton and Bothwell merge to create the Central Hawks while east coast club Triabunna (also from the ODFA) also were included.

= Current Clubs =

SFL Premier League

1996-2008 - - Brighton Football Club.

2001-2008 - - Clarence District Football Club.

2001-2008 - - Glenorchy District Football Club.

1998-2008 - - Hobart Lions Football Club.

1996-2008 - - Kingborough Football Club.

1996-2008 - - Lauderdale Football Club.

2000-2008 - - New Norfolk District Football Club.

2001-2008 - - North Hobart Football Club.

SFL Regional League

2006-2008 - - Central Hawks Football Club.

1996-2008 - - Channel Football Club.

1996-2008 - - Claremont Football Club.

1998-2008 - - Cygnet Football Club.

2003-2008 - - Dodges Ferry Football Club.

1998-2008 - - Huonville Lions Football Club.

1998-2008 - - Kermandie Football Club.

1996-2008 - - Lindisfarne Football Club.

1996-2008 - - Sorell Football Club.

2006-2008 - - Triabunna Football Club.

Former SFL Clubs

1996-1997 - - Lachlan Football Club

STFL/SFL Grand Finals: 1996-2001

1996 - : 3,110 at Abbotsfield Park

1997 -

1998 -

1998 - (Replay)

1999 - : 3,896 at Huonville Rec. Ground

2000 -

2001 -

SFL Premier League Grand Finals: 2002-2008

2002 -

2003 -

2004 -

2005 -

2006 -

2007 -

2008 -

SFL Regional League Grand Finals: 2002-2008

2002 -

2003 -

2004 -

2005 -

2006 -

2007 -

2008 -

TFL/SFL Leading Goalkickers: 1996-2001

1996 - - Brad Howarth (Channel) - 123

1997 - - Darren Kaye (Lindisfarne) - 101

1998 - - Michael Darcy (Cygnet) - 106

1999 - - Dale Hall (Hobart) - 88

2000 - - Michael McGregor (Kermandie) - 104

2001 - - Robbie Devine (North Hobart) - 102

FL Premier League Leading Goalkickers: 2002-2008

2002 - - Robbie Devine (North Hobart) - 60

2003 - - Matthew Smith (New Norfolk) - 67

2004 - - Sean Salter (Glenorchy) - 65

2005 - - Sean Salter (New Norfolk) - 69

2006 - - Michael Darcy (Kingborough) - 94

2007 - - Mitchell Williamson (Clarence) - 58

2008 - - Robbie Devine (North Hobart) - 82

FL Regional League Leading Goalkickers: 2002-2008

2002 - - Justin Westbury (Lauderdale) - 81

2003 - - Michael Darcy (Cygnet) - 113

2004 - - Michael Darcy (Cygnet) - 105

2005 - - Michael Darcy (Cygnet) - 100

2006 - - Jamie Tubb (Lindisfarne) - 77

2007 - - Michael Darcy (Cygnet) - 103

2008 - - Chris Joyce (Huonville Lions) - 136

Horrie Gorringe Medallists

(Best Player in the SFL Premier League Grand Final)

2002 - - Nick Davey (Clarence)

2003 - - Robbie Devine (North Hobart)

2004 - - Tim Geappen (Clarence)

2005 - - Michael Thompson (New Norfolk)

2006 - - Jeremy Sharpen (Clarence)

2007 - - Brad Curran (Glenorchy)

2008 - - Damian McIver (Glenorchy)

Tony Martyn Medallist

(Best Player in the SFL Regional League Grand Final)

2002 - - Gordon Shaw (Cygnet)

2003 - - Heath Dillon (Cygnet)

2004 - - Grant Clark (Cygnet)

2005 - - David Reynolds (Kermandie)

2006 - - Jamie Curran (Dodges Ferry)

2007 - - Anthony Baker (Kermandie)

2008 - - D. Garth (Huonville Lions)

Hodgman Medallists - STFL/SFL/SFL Regional League

1996 - - Jason Gulliver (Claremont)

1997 - - Tim Blanden (Lindisfarne)

1998 - - Andrew Beveridge (Channel)

1999 - - Jason Philp (Huonville Lions)

2000 - - Brendan Browning (Brighton)

2001 - - Damien Dillon (Cygnet)

2002 - - Brad Marsland (Lauderdale)

2003 - - Danny Noonan (Dodges Ferry)

2004 - - Jeremy Brereton (Cygnet)

2005 - - Michael Gowans (Channel)

2006 - - Nick Doyle (Huonville Lions)

2007 - - Andrew Nash (Kermandie)

2008 - - Jamie Curran (Dodges Ferry)

Horrie Gorringe Medallists - SFL Premier League

2002 - - Matthew Jones (New Norfolk)

2003 - - Brendon Bolton (North Hobart)

William Leitch Medallists - SFL Premier League

2004 - - Roger Belcher (New Norfolk)

2005 - - David Newett (Glenorchy)

2006 - - Jesse Crouch (Glenorchy)

2007 - - Brad Carver (New Norfolk)

2008 - - Shane Piuselli (Glenorchy)

ee also

*Tasmanian Football League
*Northern Tasmanian Football League

External links

* [http://www.southernfootball.com.au/ Official Website]