Our History

Know Your Club

• Birth of the Club - The Club had it’s beginnings on the 19th May 1897, when a meeting was held at the Prince of Wales Hotel and a Board was created with a view to establishing a football team.  The Club’s colours of Red & White where also confirmed at this meeting.
  

• Nicknames
  Mud Roaders - In those days the Bunbury town site ended at the Highway Corner, and Hands Oval was located at the end of a limestone track.  Because of the condition of this track in the winter months, the team was often referred to as ‘The Mud Roaders’
  

• Tigers - For similar reasons to the above nickname, the naming of South Bunbury as the ‘Tigers’ originated from the distant location of the Ground.  The team was considered to be located in ‘Tiger Country’.
  

• First Club Premises - The Club purchased land on Spencer Street in the 1920’s and built what became known as ‘Southway Hall’.  Eventually a 2nd hall was built in 1956, largely from the volunteer labour of the members of the time.  The hall was located not far from the Highway Hotel.  On the final demolition of the hall, a glass panel from the entrance was salvaged, and this is now displayed in the Sav Davies Lounge.
  

• Current Premises - The Club built their current premises in 1971, and were the first Club outside of the metropolitan area to be granted a full Club Licence.  The two main rooms in the Club are named after some of the Club’s greatest administrators and volunteers.  The front bar was named in honour of Bill & Bettie Constantine, whilst the main hall was named after Sav Davies.
  Wendover Vale – To promote Junior Football, the Club created an additional team called ‘Wendover Vale’ to tap into the growing population as it spread south from the town centre.  Wendover Vale was the name of the postal area located around the Mangles Corner Store.
  

• 10th Lighthorse – During the First World War, the ground was used as a camp site for this famous fighting force including their horses.  A Plaque noting this memorable piece of history is located at the top of the Ground.
  

• Lights – Hands Oval became the first ground outside of Perth to boast full lights, with the Club erecting lighting they had purchased from the now defunct Richmond Raceway.
  

• Leading Games Record -  This belongs to Ian ‘Sherriff’ Cahill who amassed a total of 277 League games.  Sherriff played in a number of Grand Finals & also went on to coach the Club at League level.
  

• Highest Score – The record score kicked in one game by a SBFC League team is 40.27 against Boyanup Capel Dardanup in 1999.
  Cede Nullis -The Club Motto meaning ‘ Yield To None’ was introduced by John Depiazzi in 1984.  John was a Premiership winning Player & Coach at the Club.  A memorial to John is located in the Gym, where he passed away.
  

• Club Song – The song ‘Good Old South Bunbury’ was introduced to the Club by Tom McNeill and was first sung in 1959 on a representative trip to play the Goldfields.
  

• Premierships – Although the Port Adelaide Football Club often claims that it holds the record for premierships won (34), the Mighty Tigers comfortably can claim this title having won a total of 44 League Premierships since their first season back in 1898.  Throw in a further 29 seasons where we finished Runners Up, and you can see that in 114 years of competition, we have played off in the Grand final 73 times at a strike rate of 64%.
  

• Traditions
  :The Club does not use the Number 13 on any of it’s senior jumpers.
  :Players that play 100+ League games for the Club have their names listed on the Change room Lockers.
  :Players who makes their League debut are presented with a specially numbered cap which denotes where they rank as a player in the history of the Club. Guy Piggott is our 1000th League player.
  

League Premierships

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Reserves Premierships

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Colts Premierships

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Hayward Medalists

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Life Members

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