Hills (Div. I)
Hills zone, 1972 to today
Formation
The Hills Football League Division I competition was formed in 1972 and was made up of mostly former Central Zone clubs. Since 1978, two divisions have been in operation except for 1983 when all participating clubs played in one division. In 2003 the Hills Football League Division I became the Hills Central Football League and Division II the Hills Country Football League respectively. Those titles became Division I and II once more in 2015.
Nineteen clubs now play in the Hills Football League; Division I consists of nine teams, Blackwood, Echunga, Hahndorf, Lobethal, Mount Barker, Mount Lofty, Onkaparinga Valley, Torrens Valley and Uraidla Districts. Division II also consists of nine teams, Birdwood, Bridgewater Callington, Gumeracha, Ironbank Cherry Gardens, Kangarilla, Kersbrook, Macclesfield, Meadows and Nairne Bremer. Milang play in the Division III competition that also has six other members which are the C grade teams of Division I and II clubs.
In recent times a number of clubs in Division II have expressed a desire to better themselves by ascending to Division I. Winning a Division II premiership and replacing the ‘wooden spooner’ from Division I is a simplistic approach to relegation and promotion. A set of standards and conditions must be met before a club will be considered worthy of promotion, which include team performance over all grades. Birdwood went up to Hills Central in 2007 but were relegated in 2011 when they were replaced by Torrens Valley.
Echunga were faced with a farcical situation following their winning of the 2014 Central Division premiership when they were relegated to Country Division for the 2015 season. Because their B grade did not win a game and its two junior teams won a combined tally of eight games, Echunga were dropped to Country Division.
Echunga took their case to the Supreme Court in a bid to remain in Central Division. Echunga won their case and were reinstated to Central Division. The Hills Football League still had to decide whether another club would be relegated or to carry on the 2015 season with eleven clubs.
Mount Lofty had been relegated in 2014 after claiming the wooden spoon in 2013 and following their Country Division premiership in 2014 were keen to return to Central Division in 2015. In the end, Bridgewater Callington made the decision to drop to Country Division to consolidate their newly formed club.
Club Timeline
Clubs (20)
Mileage
| Town A | Town B | Town C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town A | * | 25 | 40 |
| Town B | 25 | * | 18 |
| Town C | 40 | 18 | * |
Records
| Player | Club | Value | Year / Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. Smith | Example FC | 312 | 1985-2005 |
| R. Jones | Another FC | 298 | 1990-2010 |
Grand Finals
Medallists
| Year | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | B. Thompson | Example FC |
| 1961 | K. Williams | Another FC |
Leading Goalkickers
| Year | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | D. Hill | Example FC | 87 |
| 1991 | M. Johnson | Another FC | 72 |
Photos
