MOUNT BARKER
Current Affiliation: Hills Football League (HFL) since 1967
Club Address: P.O. Box 31, Mount Barker, South Australia 5251
Home Ground: Mount Barker Recreation Centre
Formed: 1881
Colours: Blue and white
Emblem: 'Roos
Senior A Grade HFL Premierships: 1st/Central Division - 1969-70, 1982-3, 2000, 2003-4 (7 total) [Prior to commencing in the HFL, Mount Barker won a total of 16 A Grade premierships in various competitions.]
There was no formal football competition in the Hills region when Mount Barker Football Club was formed in 1881, but there was no shortage of willing opponents either. During its first two decades of existence the club engaged in numerous matches, both home and away, against teams from all over the Hills, Mount Lofty and Torrens Valley areas and beyond. Matches were even contested against SAFA clubs like Norwood and Port Adelaide. From the very outset, Mount Barker's official team colours were blue and white, although both the design of the jumper and the shade of blue have varied over the years.
In 1902 the Hills Football Association was formed, and Mount Barker was one of five foundation members. The team reached the premiership deciding match in its first season, but lost to Woodside. It went on to claim premierships in 1903 and 1905, but midway through the 1906 season the club elected to withdraw from the competition, alleging that Association officials had persistently exhibited bias against it. During the close season the matter was apparently resolved to everyone's satisfaction, and in 1907 Mount Barker re-entered the competition, going on to achieve premiership success on another five occasions before transferring for a brief, unsuccessful stint in the South Australian Amateur Football League between 1930 and 1932.
In 1933 Mount Barker affiliated with the Mount Lofty Football Association and promptly went top, as it did again two years later. Resuming in the HFA in 1938 the club claimed another flag thanks to an 8 goal grand final win over Hahndorf.
Mount Barker's most sustained period of success came between 1954 and 1966 when the club was a member of the Hills Football Association. During those thirteen years the seniors finished first on 5 occasions, runners-up 4 times, and third 4 times.
In 1967 the HCFA, HFA and Torrens Valley Football Association merged to form the three-tiered HFL, with Mount Barker one of eight clubs occupying a place in the top tier. The club wasted little time in setting its stall out, claiming successive flags in 1969 and 1970.
As an ever present member of the HFL, Mount Barker has an enviable record. Besides its seven A Grade flags from fourteen grand finals, the club has enjoyed considerable success at other levels. In 2006, however, the A Grade side endured a poor season by the standards they have become accustomed to, winning just 6 out of 16 matches to finish 7th (of 9). Coach Andrew Bruce will doubtless be keen to consign this disappointment to dim and distant memory as quickly as possible, and it is hard not to imagine the 'Roos' Class of 2007 displaying some improvement. However, it may be another few seasons before the club can think in terms of bona fide premiership ambitions.
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