The 1873 South Australian football season was the fourth year of interclub football in South Australia.
Prior to 1877, football in South Australia was yet to be formally organised by a single body and as a result there were two main sets of rules in use across the state. Due to this called for a meeting with the other two clubs Adelaide and Port Adelaide in an attempt to create a standardised set of rules at a meeting held on 10 May 1873 in which each club sent three delegates. Following a break down when practice matches were advertised, Adelaide then went in recess for interclub games until 1875, meaning Kensington and Port Adelaide were the only senior teams competing in 1873.
Opening Intraclub games (3 May 1873)
The football season opened on Saturday 3rd May 1873. Reports of the opening practices in connection with the Adelaide, Kensington, and Port Adelaide were given.
Adelaide at Adelaide Club Grounds: Reds (Captain C.D. Perkins) defeated Blues 1- 0. Kensington at Kensington: Blues (Captain H.R.Perry) defeated Reds (Captain A. Crooks) 1-0. Port Adelaide at Glanville Hall Estate: Blues (Captain George Ireland) defeated Pinks (Captain F.Stone) 1-0. The Port Adelaide Band played lively tunes during the afternoon. The members were in mourning, out of respect to the late worthy President, Captain John. Hart, C.M.G.
Meeting of Delegates 10 May 1873 At the meeting of Delegates held at the Prince Alfred Hotel there were present Messrs. C. C. Kingston, Winsor, and Perkins, from the Adelaide Club; Messrs. Crooks, H. R. Perry, and B. Moulden, from the Kensington Club; and Messrs W. Townsend, G. Ireland, and Rann, from the Port Adelaide Club. Mr. Kingston, who was voted to the chair, having explained the object of the meeting, the business was gone into, and after the various rules were discussed seriatim, a code was drawn up somewhat similar to the rules of the English Football Association.https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/39296564?searchTerm=Football
Breakdown of new Rules (17 May 1873) Following a meeting held on 10 May 1873 in which the three clubs agreed upon a set of rules practice matches were advertised on Friday 16 May 1873. The Kensington Club advertised their own practice match, stating the new rules were not ready, which led to an immediate breakdown of the rules agreed by all three clubs.
Advertisements placed on Friday 16 May 1873.
Advertisements were again placed on Saturday 17 May 1873.
Metropolitan Interclub football matches
5 July at Kensington: Kensington 1 def Port Adelaide 0 19 July at Kensington: Kensington 3 def Port Adelaide 0 23 August at Glanville Hall: Port Adelaide 1 def Kensington 0
Ladder
Other Matches 17 May 1873 -A match, played on Saturday afternoon upon the grounds of the Adelaide Educational Institution, at Parkside, between the Football Club of that establishment and that of the North Adelaide Grammar School, resulted in a drawn game, owing to neither side getting a goal. C. Aldridge and E. Wigg captained the respective sides, and the play, which began at 3 o'clock, was carried on with vigour throughout the afternoon. The Grammar School boys deserved praise for fighting placidly against opponents who on the whole were much bigger than themselves.
19 May 1873 - North Adelaide Grammar School VS Alberton and Queenstown A football match was played on Saturday afternoon below Montefiore Hill between the above Clubs, and resulted in a victory for the former by one goal.
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