{{AFLGame|Saturday, 13 July (Time pm)|Kensington|0|D|{{SANFL Nor}}|0|[[Kensington Oval, Adelaide|Kensington Oval]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73070443?searchTerm=football%20%20v.&searchLimits=l-advstate=South+Australia%7c%7c%7csortby=dateAsc%7c%7c%7cl-state=South+Australia%7c%7c%7cl-decade=187%7c%7c%7cl-year=1878%7c%7c%7cl-month=7|title=16 Jul 1878 – NORTH PARK V. WOODVILLE.|work=nla.gov.au}}</ref>}}
{{AFLGame|Saturday, 13 July (Time pm)|Kensington|0|D|{{SANFL Nor}}|0|[[Kensington Oval, Adelaide|Kensington Oval]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73070443?searchTerm=football%20%20v.&searchLimits=l-advstate=South+Australia%7c%7c%7csortby=dateAsc%7c%7c%7cl-state=South+Australia%7c%7c%7cl-decade=187%7c%7c%7cl-year=1878%7c%7c%7cl-month=7|title=16 Jul 1878 – NORTH PARK V. WOODVILLE.|work=nla.gov.au}}</ref>}}
{{AFLGame|Saturday, 13 July (3:15 pm)|[[Adelaide Football Club (SAFA)|Adelaide]]|0|D|{{AFL Por}}|0|[[Adelaide Oval]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73070449?searchTerm=football%20%20v.&searchLimits=l-advstate=South+Australia%7c%7c%7csortby=dateAsc%7c%7c%7cl-state=South+Australia%7c%7c%7cl-decade=187%7c%7c%7cl-year=1878%7c%7c%7cl-month=7|title=16 Jul 1878 – FOOTBALL. ADELAIDES V. PORTS.|work=nla.gov.au}}</ref>}}
{{AFLGame|Saturday, 13 July (3:15 pm)|[[Adelaide Football Club (SAFA)|Adelaide]]|0|D|{{AFL Por}}|0|[[Adelaide Oval]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73070449?searchTerm=football%20%20v.&searchLimits=l-advstate=South+Australia%7c%7c%7csortby=dateAsc%7c%7c%7cl-state=South+Australia%7c%7c%7cl-decade=187%7c%7c%7cl-year=1878%7c%7c%7cl-month=7|title=16 Jul 1878 – FOOTBALL. ADELAIDES V. PORTS.|work=nla.gov.au}}</ref>}}
{{AFLGame|Saturday, 13 July (Time pm)|South Park|1|D|{{SANFL SthA}}|1|South Park Lands||}}
{{AFLGameFooter|notes= South Park vs South Adelaide – No Match report. Result deduce from end of season Table.
<ref>https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197714269</ref> <br>
<ref>https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197714269</ref> <br>
FIRST TWENTIES.<br>
FIRST TWENTIES.<br>
Australian rules football season
The 1878 South Australian Football Association season was the 2nd season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.
The SAFA competition was contested by seven teams with the admission of newly formed club Norwood, after Bankers and Woodville folded at the end of 1877.
Each team of twenty men played each other twice this season, the first time a standardised fixture was in place.
In its first season, Norwood won their first premiership, going through the year undefeated.[1]
Pre season
The SAFA clubs played inter club matches on 4 May.
An additional pre season game was played between some South Australian and Victorian residents who live in Adelaide.
| South Australian vs. Victorian residents | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 11 May (Time pm) | South Australians 1 | def. | Victorians 0 | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 350) | [2] |
Premiership season
SAFA Senior Clubs 1878 Season
| Club | Colours | Home Ground | Captain | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | Black, Red | Adelaide Oval | Dalton | |
| Kensington | Scarlet White | Kensington Oval | Milne | |
| Norwood | Navy blue Red | East Park Lands | J.R.Osborne | New club formed from leading players from Woodville |
| Port Adelaide | Magneta White | Glanville Hall Estate | W. Fletcher | |
| South Adelaide | Navy Blue White | South Park Lands | G.D.Kennedy | |
| South Park | Light Blue White | South Park Lands | J.H.Sinclair | |
| Victorian | Orange Black | Montefiore Hill (North Adelaide) | G.E.Downs |
Premiership matches are those that took place after 11 May.[3]
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
| Round 7 | [15] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 29 June (3:00 pm) | Victorians 1 | def. | South Adelaide 0 | Montefiore Hill (crowd: 1,100) | [16] |
|
South Park vs Adelaide at South Park Lands was advertised for 02.45pm (based upon mid season table this game ended in a draw [17] |
|||||
Round 8
Round 9
| Round 9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 13 July (Time pm) | Kensington 0 | drew with | Norwood 0 | Kensington Oval | [18] |
| Saturday, 13 July (3:15 pm) | Adelaide 0 | drew with | Port Adelaide 0 | Adelaide Oval | [19] |
| Saturday, 13 July (Time pm) | South Park 1 | drew with | South Adelaide 1 | South Park Lands | |
|
South Park vs South Adelaide – No Match report. Result deduce from end of season Table. |
|||||
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
| Round 15 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 24 August (Time pm) | Norwood 1 | def. | Adelaide 0 | East Park Lands (crowd: 700) | [27] |
Round 16
| Round 16 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 31 August (3:00 pm) | South Adelaide 0 | v | Victorian 0 | South Park Land (crowd: 1,200) | [28] |
|
|||||
Round 17
Ladder
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
1878 Norwood Club Song
Men of Norwood
All who love the noble game, hear the story I proclaim;
How the Norwoods earned their fame [How they won their glory].
First, against the Souths so strong, Cheers went up, both loud and long;
Forward! Norwoods, red and blue. Fair ones’ smiles encourage you.Chorus
Cheer the bonny red and blue,
Cheer the colours fast and true,
Keep their colours still in view,
Forward! Men of Norwood.Who will e’er forget that day, Sturdy Mac led on the play,
Giffen dashing through the fray, Kicked first goal for Norwood
And from thousand throats that cried, Cleft the air up to the skies.
Forward! Norwood, red and blue. Fair ones’ eyes are watching you.(Chorus)
When they met the sprightly Vics, With their little marks and tricks,
People thought would be a fix, Too much for the Norwoods.
Like the Souths the Vics were licked, Traynor for us one goals kicked.
Forward! Norwoods, red and blue, Wiry Vics you did subdue.(Chorus)
Sturdy Ports and Adelaides, Little Parks [those knowing blades]
Kensingtons, who love the maids, All succumbed to Norwood.
So the first year passed away, And our men still held the sway;Forward! Norwood, red and blue, Beauty’s lips are praising you.
— Arthur Diamond, Secretary and Treasurer of the Norwood Club to the tune of ‘Killarney’
Other Matches
Some of the Clubs took their annual trips into the country.
Norwoods defeated the Gawler seven goads to one;
Adelaide and Gawler, two goals each, played a draw;
Kensingtons scored two goals to Kapunda’s one;
South Parks beat Riverton three goals to, nil, and were defeated by Willunga two goals to one. (Thu 20 June 1878)[30]
The Victorians visited Melbourne and were beaten twice by the Melbourne Club and once by Geelong, but were successful in the game
played with the Ballarat Club.
There has been a large increase in the number of junior Clubs.
