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Ararat & District Football Association

Sport	Australian rules football Netball
Founded	1922; 102 years ago (1922)
Ceased	1999
No. of teams	6
Country	Australia
Confederation	AFL Victoria
Most titles	Trinity, St Andrews/Caledonians, Miners (10)
Level on pyramid	2

The Ararat & District Football Association was an Australian rules football League based around Ararat in Western Victoria.

History

The ADFA was the minor league in Ararat with clubs named after churches, mills and mines. The competition was regarded as the minor league of the area, whilst the major club in town, the Ararat Football Club played in the Wimmera Football League.

This association was founded in 1922 and was re-figured and calibrated several times in its first ten years of existence.

• 1922 Ararat & District Junior Football Association
• 1927 Dobie Football Association
• 1928 Ararat Inter-church Football Association

• 1931 Ararat & District Football Association

Until the mid 1990s, the nine club league had six clubs drawing players out of Ararat and three clubs with predominantly Stawell based players. However during the 90s there was a population decline in Ararat. Aradale Mental Hospital was closed, alongside government bodies which supplied employment for the town, this forced clubs to merge due to low numbers.

The league finished in 1999 which saw teams splitting into the Horsham & District Football League and Mininera & District Football League.

Final Clubs

Club	Colours	Nickname	Home Ground	Former League	Est.	Years in ADFA	ADFA Senior Premierships		Fate
							Total	Years
Caledonians-Miners		Saints	Ararat City Band Centre, Ararat	–	1996	1996-1999	1	1999	Became Ararat United and moved to Mininera & District FL in 2000
Great Western		Demons	Great Western Public Park Reserve, Great Western	SWFL	1880s	1922-1925, 1933–1949, 1953–1999	3	1963, 1972, 1983	Moved to Horsham & District FL in 2000
Moyston		Tigers	Moyston Recreation Reserve, Moyston	–	1890s	1922-1999	5	1967, 1968, 1969, 1990, 1991	Merged with Willaura to form Moyston-Willaura in Mininera & District FL
Prestige-Trinity		Dragons	Gordon Street Oval, Ararat	–	1996	1996-1999	0	-	Merged with St Marys to form Ararat Eagles in Horsham & District FL in 2000
St Marys		Kangaroos	Alexandra Oval, Ararat	–	1920s	1928-1935, 1938-1999	8	1928, 1946, 1952, 1953, 1970, 1971, 1997, 1998	Merged with Prestige-Trinity to form Ararat Eagles in Horsham & District FL in 2000
Swifts		Baggies	North Park, Stawell	SWFL	1913	1970-1999	5	1977, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994	Moved to Horsham & District FL in 2000

Previous Clubs

Club	Colours	Nickname	Home Ground	Former League	Est.	Years in ADFA	ADFA Senior Premierships		Fate
							Total	Years
Ararat Ex Students				–	1945	1945-1946	0	-	Folded in 1947
Ararat Juniors						1922	1	1922	Folded in 1922
Ararat Imperials						1923-1927	2	1923, 1924	Folded in 1927
Buangor		Ramblers	Des Brennan Park, Buangor	RFA	1900s	1931, 1937, 1946–1965	0	-	Folded in 1966
Caledonians		Demons	Ararat City Band Centre, Ararat	–		1928-1995	10	1931, 1933, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1975, 1985, 1986, 1987	Merged with Miners to form Miners-Caledonians in 1996
Cathcart						1922-1927	0	-
Dobie			Dobie Recreation Reserve, Dobie			1927	1	1927	Folded in 1928
Elmhurst				LFL	1900s	1949-1950	0	-	Folded in 1951
Glenorchy			Glenorchy Recreation Reserve, Glenorchy			1970-1972, 1976	0	-	Folded
Halls Gap			Halls Gap Recreation Reserve, Halls Gap			1970-1975	0	-	Folded in 1976
Joel Joel		Rovers		SWFL	1890s	1939-1940	1	1939	Folded in 1941
Lake Bolac		Bombers	Lake Bolac Recreation Reserve, Lake Bolac	WFA	1880s	1926	0	-	Moved to Willaura & District FA in 1927
Landsborough		Burras	Landsborough Recreation Reserve, Landsborough	LFL		1937-1939, 1950-1952, 1957–1964	2	1960, 1961	Returned to Lexton FL in 1965
Miners (Methodists 1928-1972)		Miners	Kokoda Park, Ararat	–		1973-1995	10	1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1949, 1958, 1959, 1973, 1974, 1976	Merged with Caledonians to form Caledonians-Miners in 1996
Prestige			Maroona Recreation Reserve, Maroona	–	1945	1946-1995	4	1951, 1956, 1966, 1988	Merged with Trinity to form Prestige-Trinity in 1996
Trinity		Bulldogs	Gordon Street Oval, Ararat	–	1925	1925-1995	10	1929, 1930, 1932, 1936, 1947, 1948, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1979	Merged with Prestige to form Prestige-Trinity in 1996
Warrak			Warrak Recreation Reserve, Warrak			1931-1937	0	-	Folded in 1937
Warriors		Warriors	North Park, Stawell	SWFL	1890s	1970-1997	8	1940, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1995, 1996	Absorbed by Stawell in the Wimmera FL in 1998
Willaura		Saints	Willaura Recreation Reserve, Willaura	WFA	1900s	1925-1926	2	1926, 1927	Moved to Mininera & District FL in 1927

Association Football Records

Premiers

League Best & Fairest

Leading Goal Kickers

VFL/AFL Players From ADFA

Caledonians

• Lex Pritchard - Collingwood

Great Western

• Roy West - Geelong

Miners

• Doug Tassell - Essendon

St Marys

• Daryl Peoples - Fitzroy
• Terry Gleeson - Melbourne

References

1. McNicol, Adam (2010-07-03). "Setting a town's future free". The Age. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
2. "Ararat | Victorian Places". www.victorianplaces.com.au. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
3. Stoward, John (2008). History of Football in the Ballarat District - Ballarat Football League - Central Highlands Football League - Lexton Plains Football Netball League. p. 108.
4. "Australian Football - Ararat Eagles Football Club - Info". australianfootball.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
5. "Australian Football - Moyston Willaura Football Club - Info". australianfootball.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.

• Australian rules football clubs in Victoria (state)
• Defunct Australian rules football clubs
• Ararat, Victoria