Kingborough Tigers Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently playing in the SFL Premier League In Tasmania, Australia.
History The club was founded in 1886 as Kingston Football Club and joined the Southern Tasmanian Football Association in 1893 as a junior club before playing its first senior match in the competition on 4 May 1895, against North Hobart at the then STFA Ground, located on the present site of the Cornelian Bay hockey fields. After leaving that competition at the completion of 1907, the club joined the Channel Football Association for one season in 1908 before joining the Kingborough Football Association, where it remained a member from 1909 to 1966. After the horrific bushfires of Southern Tasmania in 1967, the club absorbed the Longley Football Club and joined the Huon Football Association where it remained a member until it left the Association at the completion of the 1995 season to join the newly formed Southern Football League in 1996.
The Tigers tasted immediate success in their new environment, making a Grand Final in their first season, suffering a narrow defeat to Channel and taking out a shock win in the 1997 Grand Final over Claremont. After the SFL was split into two divisions from 2002–2008, the club was a member of the SFL Premier League where it competed amongst the Southern-based former clubs from the TFL.
In 2004 Kingston changed their name to Kingborough Tigers in order to broaden their appeal in the Kingborough region; their stint in the Premier League saw them moderately competitive, making the Elimination Final on a number of occasions but further success avoided them. After AFL Tasmania formed a new statewide competition to start in 2009, this one known as the Tasmanian State League, all teams from the SFL Premier League, with the exception of Kingborough and New Norfolk were invited to join.
Kingborough were knocked back by the sport's governing body due to their poor standard longtime home ground, Kingston Beach Oval (also known as "The Pit"). In 2011 the club moved into its brand new home at Huntingfield near Kingston, known as the Twin Ovals Complex which strengthened its case for future inclusion in the Tasmanian State League, the club had been earmarked as a possible merger candidate with the Hobart Football Club by AFL Tasmania which was met with considerable opposition from both clubs. On September 17, 2011, the Tigers broke through for their first premiership title in fourteen years with an upset victory over the previously undefeated New Norfolk in the SFL Grand Final by 49 points.
Ahead of the 2014 season, Kingborough were granted a licence to compete in the State League.Kingborough unveils plans for State League Adam Henley coached the side in 2014.See here Kingborough competed simply as the Tigers or Tigers FC in the TSL from 2014–2021. A year after returning to their Kingborough name, the club won their first TSL premiership in 2023.
Colours The Kingston/Kingborough Football Club has worn a variety of differently playing colours throughout its history. In 1893 the club wore rose, primrose and black before changing to scarlet and dark blue the following year. In 1909 the club wore blue and white in its first season in the Kingborough Football Association before adopting a green and white uniform in 1910 which it was to wear until 1920 when it adopted red and black and then black and white before settling in 1946 on the current black and gold colours it wears today.
Summary Home ground – Kingston Twin Ovals Established – 1886 as Kingston Football Club (renamed Kingborough in 2004) Playing colours – Black and gold (since 1946) Emblem – Tigers Club theme song – "We're from Tigerland" (Tune: "Row, Row, Row") Affiliations STFA (1893–1907) Channel FA (1908) Kingborough FA (1909–1966) Huon FA (1967–1995) SFL (1996–2013) TSL (2014–2024) SFL Premier League (2025-present) Premiership Titles Senior Men Kingborough Football Association (10): 1930, 1933, 1936, 1948, 1953, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1965, 1966 Huon Football Association (3): 1980, 1991, 1995 Southern Football League (2): 1997, 2011 Tasmanian State League (1): 2023 Senior Women
Southern Football League (1): 2025
Tasmanian State League results Season Win–loss Finishing position Captain Club Best & Fairest Leading goalkicker 2014 0-18 10th Tim Peterson Tim Peterson Luke Graham (17) 2015 4-14 9th Tim Peterson Mackenzie Willis Christopher Nield (15) 2016 2-16 9th Tim Peterson Will Cleeland Brandon Batchelor (29) 2017 4-14 7th Tim Peterson Mitchell Carter Brandon Batchelor (23) 2018 3-15 6th Sam Rice Mitchell Carter Luke Graham (29) 2019 6-12 5th Sam Rice Kieran Lovell Tyler Carter & Michael Paul (27) 2020 4-8 5th Sam Rice Kieran Lovell Tyler Carter (21)2021Lachlan Clifford20222ndLachlan Clifford2023PremiersLachlan CliffordLachlan CliffordJack Tomkinson (37)20244thLachlan CliffordKieran LovellTyler Carter (41)
Individual records Individual medal winners Ivan Short Medal: Unknown Matthew Richardson Medal: Jordan Lane (2022) Darrel Baldock Medal: Kieran Lovell (2023)
Competition leading goalkickers Senior Men Huon Football Association leading goalkickers: 1980 Bob Smith (118) SFL leading goalkickers 2006 - Michael Darcy (96) 2011 - Timothy Lamprill (105) Senior Women
SFL leading goalkickers 2022 - Georgie Bailey (44) 2023 - Stacey Fox (21) 2025 - Georgie Bailey (45) 2026 - Georgie Bailey (131)
Club records Club record score: Unknown
Club record games holder: Ray Lorkin (527) Club record match attendance: 6,907 – Kingborough v New Norfolk at KGV Oval (2011 SFL Grand Final). Most goals by a player (match): 19 - Georgie Bailey - v Brighton at Pontville Oval (23rd May 2026)
References
External links Official club website Club's official Facebook page Kingborough Football Club website (Archive 2013)