ENCOUNTER BAY (Bay Valley Rovers)
Current Affiliation: Great Southern Football League (GSFL) since 1923
Club Formed: 1921
Colours: Royal blue and gold
Emblem: Eagles
Senior GSFL Premierships: 1940, 1958, 1960-1, 1965, 1967, 1989, 1996 (8 total)
Mail Medallists: R.Masters 1940; N.Clark 1949 & 1950; D.Bartel 1951; A.Field 1958 & 1959; M.Fraser 1986; D.Pearsons 1990; A.McLean 2004 (7 Medallists/9 Medals)
Formed in 1921, Encounter Bay was a founder member two years later of the Great Southern Football League, in which it has participated, with much distinction, ever since (apart from the war years).
Playing in red and white, the club reached its first senior grand final in 1927, but lost to Port Elliott by 2 straight kicks. A second losing grand final against the same opponent followed six years later.
Encounter Bay fielded extremely strong teams on either side of World War Two, and indeed the senior side contested every grand final between 1938 and 1950, which allowing for the five year break for war meant a total of eight successive grand final appearances. Quite astonishingly, only one of these - that of 1940 - was won. Undoubted star of the 1940 flag-winning combination was Reg Masters, winner of that season's Mail Medal, who went on to play 67 league games for Glenelg, besides captaining the club in 1947. Led on the field by Frank Joy, Encounter Bay won the 1940 grand final with a fair amount of comfort, 10.11 (71) to Port Elliott's 7.5 (47).
After the war a group of dissatisfied Encounter Bay players formed a breakaway club known as Valleys, but in 1953, after several unsuccessful years, the club re-amalgamated with Encounter Bay. Between 1953 and 1957 Encounter Bay was re-named Bay Valley Rovers, and wore the royal blue jumpers with gold sashes that had been used previously by Valleys. In 1958 the sash was replaced by a stylised eagle emblem, making the club's uniform almost identical to that of SANFL club West Torrens. The change proved immediately propitious, as the Eagles went top in 1958 in both seniors and reserves. Further senior flags followed in 1960, 1961, 1965 and 1967, making the 1960s easily the most memorable decade in the club's history to date.
The Eagles' most recent senior flags came in 1989 thanks to a thumping 10 goal grand final defeat of Willunga, and 1996 courtesy of a 14.8 (92) to 6.16 (52) win over Strathalbyn.
In 2006, Encounter Bay beat Mount Compass by 55 points in the elimination final, but bowed out of premiership contention by 5 points against Strathalbyn in the following week's 1st semi final.
Where now?
or