North Adelaide Football Club (1881–1888)

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The North Adelaide Football Club (1881–1888) began as Hotham Football Club in 1879 in North Adelaide, South Australia. They played Australian rules football and spent two seasons in the South Australian Football Association (SAFA), first as Hotham in 1887 and then as North Adelaide in 1888. Their home grounds were North Parklands, with many matches held at Kensington and Adelaide Ovals. In 1889 the club merged with the Adelaide Football Club.

Early years and colors: The first recorded Hotham match was in 1879 against Locomotives and St Peter’s Cathedral. On 26 July 1879 they won a game against North Parks Second Twenty. In 1881 they decided to keep their dark blue colors. In 1884 Hotham joined with Triton to operate together as Hothams.

Premierships and notable players: Hotham was successful in the mid-1880s, winning the Adelaide and Suburban Association premiership in both 1885 (when they won all 12 games) and 1886 (after a premiership playoff against Creswick at Adelaide Oval). In 1887 the leading goalkicker was Hosken with 13 goals. Jack “Dinny” Reedman was the club’s captain in 1887–1888 and later became a prominent player and coach, moving to South Adelaide after the 1889 merger. Reedman’s long SANFL career and Hall of Fame honours are notable.

Renaming and merger: In March 1888 the club voted to rename itself North Adelaide for the 1888 season and added a blue hoop to their red-and-white guernseys to avoid clashing with Medindie. In 1889 talks of merging continued, and on 22 March 1889 North Adelaide (now Adelaide) merged with the Adelaide Football Club, forming a single club with red and black colours.