Fingal District Football Association

The Fingal District Football Association was an Australian rules football association in Fingal Valley, Tasmania from 1924 to 1992.^[1][2] Football had been played in the Fingal region since 1884, when the Fingal Football Club was formed.^[3]

The history of the Association goes back to the 1880s when the town of Mathinna was thriving due to gold mining and had three teams that played each other regularly. At this time, like most competitions in Australia at the time, the team that won the most games were awarded the premiership.

There was a game between Fingal and St Marys recorded in 1884, but regular competition did not commence until the railway line was completed through the Fingal Valley in 1886. Two became three when Avoca joined. The Launceston Examiner reported on Saturday 9 August 1890 that a team from South Esk had journeyed to St Marys and played the local side with the visitors winning by seven points.

Only two Premierships have been recorded, from 1891 and 1907 with Avoca winning both. The odd game was played during World War One and the competition didn't reform again until 1922. The participating clubs in the return season were St Marys, Rovers (Cornwall-Mt Nicholas), Fingal, Avoca and Mathinna. The Association was in recess again from 1934 to 1935. In 1936 Rovers played a draw with Avoca in the grand final, but they refused to play the next week in the replay resulting in a forfeit. The very next year Avoca received another forfeit, this time from St Marys who had won the original game only for a protest to be upheld and the game ordered replayed. St Marys had already arranged for a game outside the Association and wanted a delay. When this was refused, they forfeited.^[4] The Association remained more of less stable until World War 2, when the competition went into recess once again. The Rovers failed to re-appear once the recess ended in 1945.

In 1945 St Helens, Rossarden and Swansea joined the competition bringing the club numbers to seven. Competition was healthy until the 1960s, when Mathinna started to struggle to get teams on the field. They finally folded in 1968, making way for Campbell Town to join the Association. By this time Rossarden were dominating the competition with players like the Lowe and Hawkins Brothers, Gus O’Boyle, Colin Cruikshank, Garry Tapp and coach Bob Miller. They won seven premierships between 1956 and 1967, with five in a row from 1961 to 1965.

In the more recent years of the Association, the competition was looked after by longtime secretary Graham McGee. The players of the era included Bob Bye, Scott Marshall, John Smith, Jack Clements, Les Newman, John Thurley, Steven Salter, Colin Cruickshank, Gus O’Boyle, John and Patrick Cusick, Rob Lowe, Max Davison, Paul Ellis, Norm Barnes and Craig Woods.

The last grand final of the Association was played at St Marys in 1992. St Helens defeated St Marys by 87 points. Campbell Town decided to enter the Northern Tasmanian Football Association leaving only four teams in the competition; St Marys, Fingal, St Helens and Swansea. Rossarden had folded after the 1972 season and Avoca had folded after winning the premiership in 1989. It was decided that a four team competition was not viable. Swansea headed for the Tasman Football Association, while St Helens went into the North East Association. St Marys and Fingal were forced to join Campbell Town in the NTFA.

Colours	Club	Nickname	Years in comp.	Premiers	Premiership years	Fate
	Avoca		1924-1989	10	1936, 1937, 1938, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1968, 1980, 1986, 1989	Folded after 1989 season
	Campbell Town	Robins	1968-1992	6	1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981	Moved to Northern Tasmanian Football Association following 1992 season, now in Oatlands District Football Association
	Fingal	Blues	1924-1992	15	1927, 1928, 1931, 1945, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1969, 1971, 1975, 1988	Moved to Northern Tasmanian Football Association following 1992 season, folded in 2015.
	Mathinna	Kill'n'Burns	1924-1968	0	-	Folded in 1968
	Rossarden		1945-1972	7	1956, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967	Folded in 1972
	Rovers		1924-?	1	1925	Folded
	St Helens	Swans	1945-1992	7	1958, 1960, 1970, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1992	Moved to Northern Tasmanian Football Association following 1992 season, now known as East Coast Swans
	St Marys	Tigers	1924-1992	11	1924, 1926, 1929, 1930, 1939, 1946, 19471972, 1983, 1990, 1991	Moved to Northern Tasmanian Football Association following 1992 season, folded in 2002
	Swansea	Bulldogs, Swans	1945-1992	3	1966, 1978, 1982	Moved to Tasman Football Association following 1992 season, moved to Oatlands District Football Association in 2002, in recess since 2020.

Spurr Shield Winners
▪︎1924 - St Marys 7.11 (53) d Fingal 6.4 (40)
▪︎1925 - Rovers d Fingal
▪︎1926 - St Marys d St Helens
▪︎1927 - Fingal
▪︎1928 - Fingal 9.14 (68) d St Marys 9.7 (61) *
▪︎1929 - St Marys 8.12 (60) d Fingal 8.4 (52)
▪︎1930 - St Marys 11.18 (84) d Fingal 9.10 (64)
▪︎1931 - Fingal 5.12 (42) d Mathinna 5.5 (35)
▪︎1932 -
▪︎1933 -
▪︎1934 - Competition in recess
▪︎1935 - Competition in recess
▪︎1936 - Avoca d Rovers
▪︎1937 - Avoca d St Marys by forfeit
▪︎1938 - Avoca
▪︎1939 - St Marys 13.11 (89) d Fingal 10.14 (74)
▪︎1940 - Competition suspended (World War II)
▪︎1941 - Competition suspended (World War II)
▪︎1942 - Competition suspended (World War II)
▪︎1943 - Competition suspended (World War II)
▪︎1944 - Competition suspended (World War II)
▪︎1945 - Fingal 8.10 (58) d St Marys 7.14 (56)
▪︎1946 - St Marys 10.23 (83) d Avoca 8.8 (56)
▪︎1947 - St Marys 27.19 (181) d Avoca 13.16 (94)
▪︎1948 - Fingal d St Marys
▪︎1949 - Fingal 8.16 (64) d St Marys 6.17 (53)
▪︎1950 - Fingal 9.8 (62) d St Marys 7.11 (53)
▪︎1951 - Avoca 7.10 (52) d Fingal 7.7 (49)
▪︎1952 - Avoca 13.12 (90) d St Marys 9.11 (65)
▪︎1953 - Fingal 7.18 (60) d St Marys 7.12 (54)
▪︎1954 - Avoca 10.10 (70) d Fingal 6.19 (55)
▪︎1955 - Fingal 6.12 (48) d St Marys 4.19 (43)
▪︎1956 - Rossarden 9.21 (75) d Fingal 7.4 (46)
▪︎1957 - Fingal 8.11 (59) d St Marys 6.17 (53)
▪︎1958 - St Helens 9.9 (63) d Fingal 5.6 (36)
▪︎1959 - Fingal 8.8 (56) d Rossarden 7.12 (54)
▪︎1960 - St Helens 9.10 (64) d Avoca 9.8 (62)
▪︎1961 - Rossarden 12.12 (84) d Avoca 7.12 (54)
▪︎1962 - Rossarden 13.14 (92) d St Helens 6.6 (42)
▪︎1963 - Rossarden 11.12 (78) d St Helens 9.11 (65)
▪︎1964 - Rossarden 13.16 (94) d Swansea 9.9 (63)
▪︎1965 - Rossarden 10.13 (73) d Mathinna 6.14 (50)
▪︎1966 - Swansea 13.8 (86) d Rossarden 5.16(46)
▪︎1967 - Rossarden 10.17 (77) d Swansea 4.8 (32)
▪︎1968 - Avoca 7.12 (54) d Rossarden 7.5 (47)
▪︎1969 - Fingal 7.7 (49) d St Marys 5.14 (44)
▪︎1970 - St Helens 7.5 (47) d St Marys 6.7 (43)
▪︎1971 - Fingal 10.8 (68) d St Marys 8.10 (58)
▪︎1972 - St Marys 16.5 (101) d Avoca 12.15 (87)
▪︎1973 - Campbell Town 15.17 (107) d St Helens 4.8 (32)
▪︎1974 - Campbell Town 8.12 (60) d St Marys 8.5 (53)
▪︎1975 - Fingal 13.18 (96) d Campbell Town 11.20 (86)
▪︎1976 - Campbell Town 18.20 (128) d Fingal 10.9 (69)
▪︎1977 - Campbell Town 14.12 (96) d Fingal 10.9 (69)
▪︎1978 - Swansea 16.14 (110) d St Helens 11.12 (78)
▪︎1979 - Campbell Town 11.19 (85) d Avoca 11.11 (77)
▪︎1980 - Avoca 17.12 (114) d Campbell Town 11.10 (76)
▪︎1981 - Campbell Town 14.9 (93) d Avoca 13.11 (89)
▪︎1982 - Swansea 19.12 (126) d Fingal 13.10 (88)
▪︎1983 - St Marys 10.9 (69) d Fingal 8.10 (58)
▪︎1984 - St Helens 7.6 (48) d St Marys 5.16 (46)
▪︎1985 - St Helens 17.9 (111) d Swansea 8.8 (56)
▪︎1986 - Avoca 14.9 (93) d St Helens 13.8 (86)
▪︎1987 - St Helens 14.5 (89) d Campbell Town 12.10 (82)
▪︎1988 - Fingal 11.16 (82) d Swansea 7.10 (52)
▪︎1989 - Avoca 18.16 (124) d St Helens 14.14 (98)
▪︎1990 - St Marys 14.14 (98) d Fingal 8.11 (59)
▪︎1991 - St Marys 17.14 (116) d Fingal 9.10 (64)
▪︎1992 - St Helens 15.17 (107) d St Marys 3.2 (20)

Note: In the 1928 Grand Final, St Marys won the first grand final but the game was ended with ten minutes to go.
Fingal protested and the Fingal FA determined that the game had to be replayed and it took place two weeks later.
In 1936 Avoca were awarded the premiership over Rovers after Rovers refused to play in the grand final replay after the original game was drawn.

Best and fairest in the seniors was presented the Athol "Curly" Ellis Memorial Trophy

• Australian Rules football in Tasmania – John Stoward – 2002, ISBN 0-9577515-7-5