Every Thursday arvo during the 1903 footy season, a man stood sentinel on the road between Adelaide and the Fleurieu. His eyes scanned the horizon for just one thing: the horse and cart of Willunga Football Club legend, Hendrick ‘Taffy’ Waye. If Taffy was spotted heading for the city, it meant he'd suit up for Sturt that weekend, robbing Willunga of their best player and offering their opponents a sliver of hope against the otherwise unstoppable team. Or so the legend goes.

Willunga Football Club’s rich history

The story of Taffy is just one of the many great yarns that make up the rich history of the Willunga Football Club, which is celebrating its 150-year anniversary in 2024. Also known as the Demons, the Red and Whites (for their uniform colours), and (according to their club song), “the greatest club there's been”, members and supporters certainly have a lot to celebrate.

Established on 29 May 1874, Willunga is South Australia’s second oldest continuous football club – just four years younger than Port Adelaide. In 1877, the Demons became an inaugural member of the South Australian Football Association. However, the long distance from Willunga to Adelaide made regular competition in that league too difficult. The club left in 1886 to help found the Southern Football Association (SFA) alongside Sellicks Hill, Aldinga, and McLaren Vale.

The club’s golden era during their time in the SFA was 1931-1956, when they played in 18 grand finals, winning ten. In 1986, the Demons transferred to the Great Southern Football League (GSFL) where they quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with.

They have produced many great players down the years, winning a total of 38 A grade men’s premierships along the way. Both before and after Taffy won the 1903 Magarey Medal for Sturt, local legends abound in the club’s history. In several cases, four or five generations of one family have suited up for the Red and Whites. Recent well-known Willunga alumni include AFL players Randall Bone and Ben Thompson.

In those early days of Aussie Rules when Willunga began as a club, even the shape of the ball was up for debate. Willunga Football Club historian Gerry Loots notes that it took several years after the club's founding to officially settle on the oval of today.

Willunga Football Club C1883. Photo provided. 

A modern era rooted in community

It’s certainly a long way from the modern Willunga Football Club, now headed up by its first female president, Julie Clifton. Julie says it’s a privilege to be the first woman in the role, creating a precedent she hopes will inspire more women to step up and lead.

Inclusivity at the club has also grown rapidly in recent years: Willunga fielded its inaugural open women's team in 2016. Now there are three Willunga women’s teams in the league, and the A Grade and Under 17 teams have both won the past three GSFLW premierships in a row.

Willunga has more than 300 members, plus around 90 girls and boys involved through Auskick. But Julie says the real secret to the club’s ongoing success is its bonds with the community and its family-friendly values. “If you don't have a good culture and a good social aspect to your club then people are not going to come.”

“It's the people that make the club special – the members, the people who volunteer, that’s the club’s backbone. Premierships are nice to win, but you can have the best footballers in the country and if you don't have all the people contributing behind the scenes you won’t create that culture that people want to be part of.”

Willunga Football Club's first (and current) female president, Julie Clifton. Photo provided.

Celebrating 150 years

The club is celebrating its massive milestone throughout the season with a line-up of events that includes a Past Players’ Day and a whole lot of fun, family-friendly evenings of entertainment. The social calendar culminates on 24 August with the 150th Demon Ball gala dinner.

There’s also a ‘150 Years Unlocked’ fundraising drive happening to kickstart the creation of a modern, interactive museum to house the enormous amount of historic memorabilia currently hidden away in storage.

“We might not have made it to the AFL like Port Adelaide, but we’ve got a rich, deep history that’s worth preserving and celebrating,” Julie says. “Attached to a lot of our memorabilia are wonderful humans that have represented our club before us. We want to unlock all that, and put it out on display in a special way.”

Work has already started on preserving the club’s history, with Gerry digitising archives and photos. Meanwhile, Derek Rogers of Akaroyfilms has been restoring old game videos and filming interviews with veteran players. Julie’s dream is to make this digital history accessible alongside the memorabilia, through interactive displays in the planned museum.

As well as educating the community about a proud sporting history, the museum could be a place to inspire future Willunga champions. After all, it will soon be time to start writing the next 150 years of the Demons’ history.

Willunga FC 1956. Photo Supplied.