The North Eastern Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Mid North region of South Australia, Australia. It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football League.
Clubs Locations
Current ClubJumperNicknameHome GroundFormer LeagueEst.Years in NEFLNEFL Senior Premierships Total YearsNorth Eastern Football League (South Australia, Australia Blyth-Snowtown (1988–92)(1993-)Blyth-Snowtown Football Club / Blyth Football Club (SA) Blyth Oval, Blyth and Snowtown Oval, Snowtown–19881988- 5 2006, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2019 Brinkworth Spalding Redhill (BSR) Brinkworth-Spalding-Redhill Football Club (SA) TigersBrinkworth Oval, Brinkworth; Spalding Oval, Spalding and Redhill Oval, Redhill–19871987- 14 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 Burra Booborowie Hallett (BBH) (1986–2019) (2021-)Burra-Booborowie-Hallett Football Club (SA) RamsBurra Sporting Complex, Burra–19861986-2019, 2021- 2 2009, 2011 Eudunda-Robertstown Southern SaintsEudunda Oval, Eudunda and Robertstown Oval, Robertstown–20102010-2019, 2021- 0 -Mintaro Manoora (Min-Man)(1976–85, 1994–98)(1986–93)(1999–2011) (2012–19)(2020–24) (2025-)Mintaro-Manoora Football Club (SA) Mintaro Oval, Mintaro and Centenary Park, ManooraMNFL19691976- 7 1977, 1978, 1979, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2026 North Clare(?-1980)(1980–90)(2000–21)(1991–99, 2022-)North Clare Football Club (SA) RoostersClare Oval, ClareMNFL19601964- 8 1980, 1981, 1982, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997Riverton Saddleworth Marrabel United (RSMU)Riverton-Saddleworth-Marrabel United Football Club (SA) HawksRiverton Oval, RivertonBLGFA19761998- 6 1998, 2001, 2003, 2014, 2015, 2016 South Clare(1971–84)(1985-)South Clare Football Club (SA) DemonsClare Oval, ClareMNFL19601964- 8 1971, 1972, 1973, 1983, 1986, 1996, 2002, 2005
Former ClubJumperNicknameHome GroundFormer LeagueEst.Years in NEFLNEFL Senior PremiershipsFate Total YearsBlyth(1972–80)(1981–87)Blyth Football Club (SA)RoostersBlyth Oval, BlythBFA19001972-198731974, 1984, 1987Merged with Snowtown to form Blyth-Snowtown in 1988 BooborowieBooborowie Sporting Complex, Booborowie BFA18991945-1969 14 1946, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969Merged with Hallett to form Booborowie-Hallett in 1970Booborowie-HallettBooborowie-Hallet Football Club (SA)SaintsBooborowie Sporting Complex, Booborowie and Hallett Oval, Hallett–19701970-1985 0 -Merged with Burra to form Burra-Booborowie-Hallett in 1986Brinkworth-YackaBrinkworth-Yacka Football Club (SA)MagpiesBrinkworth Oval, BrinkworthBFA19721978-1984 0 -Merged with Spalding to form Brinkworth-Yacka-Spalding in 1985Brinkworth-Yacka-SpaldingBrinkworth-Yacka-Spalding Football Club (SA)Black PanthersBrinkworth Oval, Brinkworth; Spalding Oval, Spalding–19851985-198611985Merged with Gulnare-Redhill to form Brinkworth-Spalding-Redhill in 1987 BurraBurra Football Club (SA) EaglesBurra Sporting Complex, BurraBFA18791945-1985 6 1956, 1960, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1976Merged with Booborowie-Hallett to form Burra-Booborowie-Hallett in 1986Eudunda (1993–99)(2000–09)Eudunda Football Club (SA)RoostersEudunda Oval, EudundaBLGFA18931992-2009 0 -Merged with Robertstown to form Eudunda Robertstown in 2010Gulnare-Redhill(1979)(1980–86)Gulnare-Redhill Football Club (SA)Redhill Oval, RedhillBFA19671979-1986 0 -Merged with Brinkworth-Yacka-Spalding to form Brinkworth-Spalding-Redhill in 1987 HallettHallett Oval, HallettBFA19071946-1969 5 1948, 1949, 1950, 1955, 1957Merged with Booborowie to form Booborowie-Hallett in 1970 LeightonBlack and GoldsLeighton Sports Ground, LeightonBFA19401945–1946, 1949–1960 0 -Folded after 1960 seasonSnowtownSnowtown Football Club (SA)Double BluesSnowtown Oval, SnowtownBFA18811979-1987 0 -Merged with Blyth to form Blyth-Snowtown in 1988Spalding(1945–81)(1982–84)Spalding Football Club (SA) PanthersSpalding Oval, SpaldingBFA18821945-198421945, 1947Merged with Brinkworth-Yacka to form Brinkworth-Yacka-Spalding in 1985TerowieRedlegsTerowie Oval ("The Quarry"), TerowieNEFA18811951-195411951Returned to North Eastern FA in 1954
History Burra was one of the earliest country areas playing football on a regular basis, with the first recorded match played in the 1870s. Burra Football Club was formed in 1879 and played their first outside match when they travelled to Clare and were soundly beaten. From then, Burra played regular challenge matches against nearby towns and were known to travel long distances as far as Broken Hill in 1892. Aberdeen and Kooringa both formed clubs in 1891 although there was evidence of them playing each other from 1888.
As the town of Burra grew, more local teams from around the town and district were formed and in April 1905 Aberdeen Football Club sent out invitations to Kooringa and Ramblers Football Clubs inviting them to form an association. The Burra Football Association was formed consisting of Aberdeen, Kooringa and Ramblers. Aberdeen dominated early proceedings, winning premierships in 1905, 1906 1908, 1910, four premierships in succession from 1912 to 1915 and 1921. Kooringa won premierships in 1907, 1909 1919 and 1920, and Ramblers in 1911. By 1911 Farrell Flat, Hallett and Terowie had joined the competition.
The Burra Association reformed in 1919 after World War 1 and included Mount Bryan. There was considerable coming and going and for a time. Booborowie and Booborowie South appeared in 1922, with Booborwie South winning three consecutive premierships from 1922 to 1924. A lack of interest towards football in the Burra district in 1925 forced the Association to fall into recess. Finally in May 1925 with winter approaching, Burra footballers decided they did want to play football after all and formed the Kooringa Football Association. The new Association featured the Aberdeen, Kooringa and Ramblers Clubs.
With the Burra Association going into recess and neighbouring Spalding Association only interested in forming a local association, Booborowie and Booborowie South decided on forming their own association. Originally consisting of North, South and Central Booborowie, it grew to eventually include Spalding in 1929 and Hallett in 1930.
At the 1928 annual general meeting of the Kooringa Association, it was moved to change the name to the Burra Association. However the original Burra Association that existed before the 1925 season still claimed ownership of the title and maintained an elected committee in the hope of resurrecting that association once more. The Burra Football Association title was restored in 1932.
North and South Booborowie amalgamated in 1933 and were successful in applying for entry into the Burra Association. Spalding joined Burra Association in 1934. Booborowie won premiership flags in 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 and 1939, Kooringa in 1932, 1937 and 1938, and Hallett in 1940.
The Burra Association went into recess after 1940 for World War 2, as was the case in most areas. Football resumed in the area in 1945 under the title Booborowie & Districts Football Association. The founding clubs included Booborowie, Burra, Leighton and Spalding.26 Jun 1945 - Association Football - Trove With Hallett joining a year later in 1946, the association became the North Eastern Football Association.07 May 1946 - SEASON OPENS FOR NORTH_EASTERN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION - Trove The competition was renamed the North Eastern Football League in 1959.
Terowie joined the competition in 1951, winning the premiership in that year. Terowie's time in the NEFA was brief and they left the competition at the end of the 1954 season.
In 1964 North Clare and South Clare were admitted to the NEFL. This was at a time when Booborowie dominated the competition winning seven successive flags from 1961 to 1967 also taking the 1969 pennant. In 1970 Booborowie and Hallett merged forming Booborowie Hallett FC.
The disbandment of Mid North Football League in 1975 and Broughton Football League in 1980 gave rise to the movements of clubs. In 1972 Blyth became the first of four clubs to leave the Broughton League to join the NEFL during the 1970s. In 1976 Mintaro Manoora had joined the NEFL from the Mid North Football League and they soon tasted success winning three consecutive A Grade flags from 1977 to 1979. Brinkworth Yacka joined in 1977 from the Broughton Football League followed by Gulnare Redhill and Snowtown, both joining in 1979. By 1979 the NEFL had ten clubs in the competition.
The 1980s saw some amalgamations occur. After struggling at the bottom of the ladder for some years Spalding and Brinkworth Yacka joined forces in 1985, to form Brinkworth Yacka Spalding (BYS), winning the A Grade and B Grade flags in this first year. Burra and Booborowie Hallett joined forces in 1986, forming Burra Booborowie Hallett (BBH). In 1987 BYS and Gulnare Redhill amalgamated despite BYS having been formed from an amalgamation only two years previous to form the Brinkworth Spalding Redhill FC (BSR). By 1988 Blyth and Snowtown had decided to join forces forming the Blyth Snowtown FC. By 1988 the NEFL had become a six club competition.
The NEFL welcomed Barossa Light & Gawler Football Association club Eudunda in 1992, followed by Riverton Saddleworth Marrabel United (RSMU) in 1998. RSMU had also left the BLGFA, becoming NEFL Premiers in their inaugural year.
Prior to the 2010 Season, after much speculation, the Eudunda Football Club merged with the Robertstown Football Club from the recently defunct Mid Murray Football Association to become the Southern Saints.Southern Saints The merger was not as promising as expected, with the senior side winless in their debut season.
Premierships