The Glenorchy District Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently playing in the Southern Football League in Tasmania, Australia.
Contents
History
The club's history dates back to the New Town Football Club, which joined the TFL in the pre-district era in 1921. The club's original colours were green and gold.
In 1945, when the league adopted a district scheme, the New Town club was retained in the league as a district club. The district club adopted black and white colours, and became known as the Magpies.
New Town changed its name to Glenorchy in 1957 after absorbing the already established club Glenorchy Rovers and relocated its headquarters to KGV Oval at Glenorchy in Hobart's northern suburbs in the same year, playing its first match at the venue on 4 May 1957 against Hobart. It remains there to this day. After the death of the Tasmanian Football League in December 2000, the club was temporarily without a league to play in.
After some political maneuvering within football circles, Glenorchy were admitted to the Southern Football League, but at a high price from a traditional standpoint, with the club being forced, as a condition of entry to the League, to give up its black-and-white playing strip as well as its Magpies emblem, as it clashed with former Southern Amateur club Claremont Magpies, who were already a member of the SFL.
Glenorchy announced in early 2001 that they would adopt a new green, black & white playing uniform, and be known as the "Glenorchy Storm". This was not popular with fans, many of whom drifted away from the club, and its membership and support base decreased rapidly.
There was to be considerable rejoicing amongst its fans in 2004, after persistent pressure from the club, and the fact that Claremont were now playing in the SFL Regional League, which resulted in Glenorchy being granted the return of its black-and-white strip, and the Magpie emblem.
Statistics
Club record attendance
24,968: 1979 TFL Grand Final vs Clarence Roos at North Hobart Oval.
Club record attendance (Home & Away)
8,480 + approx. 2000 non-paying juniors: 2011 TSL Round 1 vs Clarence Roos at KGV Oval
Club record score
TFL 34.21 (225) vs Hobart 18.14 (122) at KGV Oval Round 22, 1983.
Glenorchy District Football Club Team of the Century: 1919–2000
Backline: Roland Curley, Roy Witzerman, Allan Leitch.
Half-back line: Trevor Sprigg, Barry Strange, Robbie Dykes.
Centre line: Michael Styles (Capt), Neil Conlan, Ben Atkin.
Half-forward line: John Klug, Max Griffiths, David Pearce.
Forward line: Danny Ling, Peter Hudson, Gary Linton.
Ruck: Jack Rough, Rex Garwood, Ron Marney.
Interchange: John Chick, Matthew Mansfield, Kevin Morgan, Denis Lester, Kevin Baker, Adrian Fletcher, Max McMahon.
VFL/AFL Players
Notable players that went on the play in the VFL/AFL who started at Glenorchy:
Players who came to Glenorchy post-career:
Honours
Club
Tasmanian Football League
Premiers (14): 1935, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965, 1975, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1999 (TSFL), 2016 (TSLW)
Runners up (20): 1923, 1926, 1946, 1950, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1966, 1967, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1988, 2009, 2015
Southern Football League
Premiers (2): 2007, 2008
Runners up (2): 2001, 2006
Tasmanian State Premiership (5): 1948, 1953, 1956, 1965, 1975
Individual
(Best and fairest player – TFL and SFL premier senior football)
1951 – Rex Garwood
1967 – Neville Johnston
1975 – Trevor Sprigg
1978 – Peter Hudson
1979 – Peter Hudson
1980 – Gary Linton
1988 – Adrian Fletcher
1999 – Ben Atkin
2005 – David Newitt
2006 – Jesse Crouch
2008 – Shane Piuselli
(Best and fairest player – TFL reserves football)
1963 – Dal Johnson
1968 – W. Hayes
1973 – P. Lynsky (tied)
1981 – Wayne Olding
1987 – Mark Horner (three-way tie)
1988 – Steven Hay
2006 – Clinton French
(Best and fairest player – TFL thirds football)
1950 – J.Chick
1956 – D. Cranfield
1974 – L. Berwick
1981 – N. Jeffrey