The Glenorchy District Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently playing in the Southern Football League in Tasmania, Australia.
History The club's history dates back to the New Town Football Club, which joined the TFL in the pre-district era in 1921. The club's original colours were green and gold.
In 1945, when the league adopted a district scheme, the New Town club was retained in the league as a district club. The district club adopted black and white colours, and became known as the Magpies.
New Town changed its name to Glenorchy in 1957 after absorbing the already established club Glenorchy Rovers and relocated its headquarters to KGV Oval at Glenorchy in Hobart's northern suburbs in the same year, playing its first match at the venue on 4 May 1957 against Hobart. It remains there to this day. After the death of the Tasmanian Football League in December 2000, the club was temporarily without a league to play in.
After some political maneuvering within football circles, Glenorchy were admitted to the Southern Football League, but at a high price from a traditional standpoint, with the club being forced, as a condition of entry to the League, to give up its black-and-white playing strip as well as its Magpies emblem, as it clashed with former Southern Amateur club Claremont Magpies, who were already a member of the SFL.
Glenorchy announced in early 2001 that they would adopt a new green, black & white playing uniform, and be known as the "Glenorchy Storm". This was not popular with fans, many of whom drifted away from the club, and its membership and support base decreased rapidly.
There was to be considerable rejoicing amongst its fans in 2004, after persistent pressure from the club, and the fact that Claremont were now playing in the SFL Regional League, which resulted in Glenorchy being granted the return of its black-and-white strip, and the Magpie emblem.
Statistics Club record attendance 24,968: 1979 TFL Grand Final vs Clarence Roos at North Hobart Oval.
Club record attendance (Home & Away) 8,480 + approx. 2000 non-paying juniors: 2011 TSL Round 1 vs Clarence Roos at KGV Oval
Club record score TFL 34.21 (225) vs Hobart 18.14 (122) at KGV Oval Round 22, 1983.
Senior coaches Coach Years Competition Premierships Roy Cazaly 1948–1951 TANFL 1948, 1949, 1951 Bill Fox 1952 TANFL Jack Rough 1953–1960 TANFL 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958 John Chick 1961–1963 TANFL Bob Parsons 1964–1968 TANFL 1965 Graeme Gahan 1969–1970 TANFL Trevor Sprigg 1971–1974 TANFL Peter Hudson 1975–1976 TANFL 1975 Jack Rough 1977–1979 TANFL Colin Tully 1980 TANFL Peter Hudson 1981 TANFL Garry Davidson 1982–1984 TANFL 1983 Danny Ling 1985–1987 TANFL/TFL Statewide 1985, 1986 Robert Groenewegen 1988 TFL Statewide Billy Picken 1989 TFL Statewide Danny Ling 1990–1991 TFL Statewide Kim Excell 1992–1995 TFL Statewide Paul Hamilton 1996–1999 TFL Statewide/TSFL 1999 Shayne Stevenson 2000 SWL Steve Reissig 2001 SFL Leigh McConnon 2002 SFL John Klug 2003–2004 SFL David Newett 2005–2007 SFL 2007 Michael Bowden 2008 SFL 2008 Ben Reid 2009–2010 TSL Byron Howard 2011 SFL Ben Beams 2012–2013 TSL Aaron Cornelius 2014–2017 TSL 2016Paul Kennedy2018–2021TSLAaron Cornelius 2022–TSL
Glenorchy District Football Club Team of the Century: 1919–2000 Backline: Roland Curley, Roy Witzerman, Allan Leitch. Half-back line: Trevor Sprigg, Barry Strange, Robbie Dykes. Centre line: Michael Styles (Capt), Neil Conlan, Ben Atkin. Half-forward line: John Klug, Max Griffiths, David Pearce. Forward line: Danny Ling, Peter Hudson, Gary Linton. Ruck: Jack Rough, Rex Garwood, Ron Marney. Interchange: John Chick, Matthew Mansfield, Kevin Morgan, Denis Lester, Kevin Baker, Adrian Fletcher, Max McMahon.
VFL/AFL Players Notable players that went on the play in the VFL/AFL who started at Glenorchy:
Ben Brown Jimmy Webster Ryan Harwood Brodie Moles Aaron Cornelius Aaron Joseph Simon Wiggins Peter Street Brodie Holland Justin Wood Ben Beams Daryn Cresswell John Klug Adrian Fletcher Andy Lovell Matthew Mansfield Shane Fell Rodney Eade Wayne Fox Darryl Sutton Graham Fox Terry Cashion
Players who came to Glenorchy post-career:
Peter Hudson Jason Akermanis Shayne Stevenson Darren Kappler Robert Groenewegen Shane Loveless Bill Picken Max McMahon Ian Bremner
Honours Club Tasmanian Football League Premiers (14): 1935, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965, 1975, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1999 (TSFL), 2016 (TSLW) Runners up (20): 1923, 1926, 1946, 1950, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1966, 1967, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1988, 2009, 2015 Southern Football League Premiers (2): 2007, 2008 Runners up (2): 2001, 2006 Tasmanian State Premiership (5): 1948, 1953, 1956, 1965, 1975
Individual William Leitch Medallists (Best and fairest player – TFL and SFL premier senior football) 1951 – Rex Garwood 1967 – Neville Johnston 1975 – Trevor Sprigg 1978 – Peter Hudson 1979 – Peter Hudson 1980 – Gary Linton 1988 – Adrian Fletcher 1999 – Ben Atkin 2005 – David Newitt 2006 – Jesse Crouch 2008 – Shane Piuselli
George Watt Medallists (Best and fairest player – TFL reserves football) 1963 – Dal Johnson 1968 – W. Hayes 1973 – P. Lynsky (tied) 1981 – Wayne Olding 1987 – Mark Horner (three-way tie) 1988 – Steven Hay 2006 – Clinton French
V. A. Geard Medallists (Best and fairest player – TFL thirds football) 1950 – J.Chick 1956 – D. Cranfield 1974 – L. Berwick 1981 – N. Jeffrey
D. R. Plaister Medallists (Best and fairest – TFL fourths football) 1978 – Jamie Woolley 1991 – Craig Grace
Lefroy Medallists (Best and fairest – Tasmanian state team) 1965 – M. McMahon (tied) 1979 – Darryl Sutton 1986 – David Pearce 2009 – Shane Piuselli (tied) 2019 – Aiden Grace
Horrie Gorringe Medallists (Best on field in the Premier League Grand Final) 2007 – Brad Curran 2008 – Damian McIver
Tassie Medalists 2012 – Jaye Bowden 2015 – Jaye Bowden 2016 – Jaye Bowden
References
External links
AFL Tasmania Southern Football League Official Website Glenorchy Magpies Official Website