Kowree / Kowree Naracoorte

The Victorian located Kowree Football Association was formed around 1914 with its central base at Edenhope. The Narracoorte Football Association was originally formed in 1912 but operated only briefly as it was more desirable to continue with the Narracoorte Football Club playing against teams from other major south eastern football towns.

The Narracoorte association was reformed in 1935 when the South East Football Association began to lose the patronage of Mount Gambier supporters. Narracoorte split into North and South teams and were joined by Kybybolite and Lucindale. Lucindale left the association leaving a three team competition which was not seen as being practicable. The remaining three clubs relocated themselves to the nearby Kowree association to join up with Edenhope, Apsley and South Australian club, Frances.

Many Narracoorte football followers were left puzzled when the Apsley and Frances clubs applied for and were refused entry to the Narracoorte association. They were even more confused as to why the two Narracoorte clubs then applied to join the Kowree association without first discussing an amalgamation of the two associations. Despite the controversy and initial arguments over club boundaries everyone was looking forward to an exciting season. The first round of matches featured three games where the three former Narracoorte association teams would play against the three original Kowree teams.

Mr C G Cahill, secretary of the Kowree association reported that the 1936 season was an outstanding success for the competition. As the association now consisted of four South Australian and two Victorian clubs, he suggested that there was feeling in some quarters that the competition should be renamed Kowree Narracoorte or something similar. In 1937 the Kowree Narracoorte Football Association title was adopted and the association affiliated with the Victorian Country Football League. Lucindale requested entry to the association but were denied.

A delegation of South Australian National Football League officials visited Narracoorte prior to the start of the 1938 season. They were perturbed that the two Narracoorte teams and Kybybolite had affiliated with the Victorian association without notifying their body. As a result of this move the SANFL adopted a regulation that country clubs would now have to apply to them for a clearance before being able to change leagues. The SANFL also pointed out the advantages of playing under the umbrella of the SANFL rather than the VCFL.

After much discussion the Kowree Narracoorte association affiliated with the SANFL in 1938. The SANFL agreed to assist the association in raising the interest of football in the area through financial advice, arranging for league teams to visit and providing umpires.

Controversy erupted in 1979 with the advent of coloured football shorts. A complaint came from the Lucindale Football Club that they would prefer to wear navy blue shorts with a white stripe rather than the white with navy stripe. The complaint however was not from the club but from the player’s wives. Sue Friedrichs, wife of Lucindale coach Peter Friedrichs said ‘Throw the cotton ones out, but there are no worries with the polyester shorts’. Another wife, Josie Pilgrim suggested the only way the shorts would return to whiter than white was to give them a dose of ‘Nappi San’. The matter was raised at board level but nothing could be done mid season.

A major change occurred in south east football in 1993 when the Kowree Naracoorte Football League merged with the Tatiara Football League to form the Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara Football League. The five remaining Tatiara teams combined with the nine Kowree Naracoorte clubs to form a new fourteen team super league.

* The spelling of Narracoorte was changed to Naracoorte after WWII.