The 1885 South Australian Football Association season was the 9th season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.
A new senior Adelaide Football Club formed from a merger of North Adelaide Junior and North Parks clubs from the Adelaide and Suburban Football Association joined.
However, two inaugural clubs - South Park on 18 March 1885 and Victorians (North Adelaide) on 21 April 1885 both resigned and disbanded before the season commenced reducing the number of teams in the competition to 4.
The 1885 SAFA season was the first time since 1878 that all clubs played a fixed number of games with each of the four clubs playing five times against the other three for a total of 15 games.
Twenty three of the thirty games played had crowd figures quoted for an approximate average of 1,800 spectators per game.
At the committee meeting of the S.A. Football Association held on 28 April 1885 Messrs. A. Mehrtens, J. Sidoli, F. H. Wedd, and J.Pollock were appointed Association Field Umpires from the eleven applicants.
The large scoring-board at the Adelaide Oval was first used for football matches during the season. A new fence and bicycle track had also been added around the Oval.
The first ever night match under lights at Adelaide Oval was held on 1st July 1885 for the match between Adelaide and South Adelaide.
SAFA Senior Clubs 1885 Season
ClubColoursHome GroundCaptainCommentsAdelaide Black Red Adelaide Oval, AdelaideJ.D. StephensNew Adelaide Senior Club formed from the merger of North Adelaide Junior and North ParkNorwood Dark blue Red Kensington Oval, KensingtonA.E. Waldron Port Adelaide Magneta BlueAlberton Oval, AlbertonR.Turpenny C.KellettSouth Adelaide Navy Blue WhiteAdelaide Oval, Adelaide A.J.Hall
Premiership season
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Ladder 1885 SAFA Senior Ladder TEAM P W L D GF BA GA BA 1 South Adelaide (P) 15 11 2 27215936962Norwood1577142162541613Port Adelaide1568149159411464Adelaide1541103811170188 Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, BF = Behinds For, GA = Goals Against, BA = Behinds Against, (P) = Premiers
Adelaide and Suburban (Junior) Association
The Junior sides of the four senior clubs competed in the Adelaide and Suburban (Junior) Association together with Kensington, Hotham and West Torrens.
Kensington had competed in the Senior competition for four seasons from 1877 to 1880 before merging with the Old Adelaide Football Club. The merged Club folded after 4 games in 1881. Kensington joined the Adelaide and Suburban (Junior) Association on its formation in 1882.
Hotham (North Adelaide) and West Torrens (West Adelaide) both joined the senior SAFA competition in 1887.
In 1889, Hotham (North Adelaide) then merged with the new senior Adelaide Club which was formed in 1885, formerly North Adelaide Junior and North Park both from the Adelaide and Suburban Association. North Park were the Premiers of Adelaide and Suburban Association in 1884 with Adelaide (renamed from North Adelaide Junior) as the runner up. This merged new Adelaide team won the Senior SAFA premiership in 1886.
A notable player for Hotham was Jack 'Dinny' Reedman who moved to South Adelaide in 1889 when Hotham merged with Adelaide. Reedman was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996 and South Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
1885 Adelaide and Suburban (Junior) Association Ladder TEAM P W L D GF GA PTS 1 Hotham (P) 12 12 0 0 63 12 24 2 West Torrens 12 10 2 0 56 10 20 3 North Park (Adelaide Junior) 12 6 5 1 33 36 13 4 Norwood Junior 12 5 7 0 24 23 10 5South Adelaide Junior12471263696Kensington12210011464 7Port Adelaide Junior1221009594 Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, (P) = Premiers
References