South Australian Patriotic Football League

The South Australian Patriotic Football League or Patriotic League was a short lived Australian rules football wartime competition formed during World War I in South Australia to fill the void left by the South Australian Football League (SAFL) which elected to go into recess at the time. Games held were used to raise funds for the war effort. The SAFL was opposed to the formation of the Patriotic League and refused to recognise it during and after World War I.[1]

South Australian Patriotic Football League
SportAustralian rules football
Founded1916
Inaugural season1916
No. of teams11
Most recent
champion(s)		West Torrens
(1918)
Most titlesPort Adelaide
(1916, 1917)

In the first season of the Patriotic League the competition raised between £350 and £400 for the war effort and Australian soldiers.[1] By 1918 some Patriotic League matches were raising £1,000 per game.

The Patron of the Patriotic League, Francis (Frank) Walter Lundie, and the Delegate for West Adelaide, Albert (Bert) Augustine Edwards, were Councillors for the City of Adelaide in Grey Ward, the area mainly associated with the West Adelaide Football Club (Bert Edwards was their President). Despite being anti-conscription Labor men, they were patriots and supported the war effort.

Participating teams

Three seasons

Two seasons

One season

Patriotic League premiers
South Australian Patriotic Football League
Year Premier Runner Up Score Crowd Ground Date
1916 Port Adelaide (1) West Torrens (1) 7.11 (53) def. 1.13 (19) Hindmarsh Oval 19 August 1916
1917 Port Adelaide (2) West Torrens (2) 10.12 (72) def. 8.8 (56) Alberton Oval 1 September 1917
1918 West Torrens (1) West Adelaide (1) 5.13 (43) def. 3.11 (29) 7,000 Jubilee Oval 9 October 1918

References
  1. "South Australian football in wartime". australianfootball.com. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
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