Flinders O’Neills Gaelic Football Club was founded in late 1982 by Paddy McGuinness with the assistance of Peter Henderson, Mark Booth and Kevin Rooney. It is the oldest club in the history of the South Australian Gaelic Football League and Paddy remains the president of the club to this day.
The McGuinness family have been involved with the Irish Australian community since the 1950’s. Paddy emigrated from Northern Ireland in 1960 and is largely responsible for the growth of Gaelic Football in South Australia for the past thirty years. The origin of the name O’Neills comes from the iconic O’Neill family from Belfast, Northern Ireland and in turn represents the proud Irish population of South Australia.
Flinders Oneills competed in the inaugural 1983 season where they reached the Hannigan Cup final only to be beaten by Sarsfields by a narrow two points. They managed to win their fist Hannagan Cup the following year and this was followed by wins in 1986, 1990 and 1992.
Over the years numerous players and officials have represented South Australia in the national championships. In 1984 three players, Peter Henderson, Mark Booth and Nick Lagonic were selected in the Australasian Gaelic Football team and travelled to Ireland to represent their country.
The club has seen many changes over the years including the comings and goings of teams, generation growth and many great Gaelic Football Champions. The 2011/12 season brings much hope and optimism for the future, with the establishment of a junior Gaelic Football program. This program is the first of its type in South Australia and has seen Gaelic Football introduced to a number of primary and secondary students with the view of developing these junior players for senior selection in the comings years.
Continued growth has seen the introduction of a women’s team for the first time in the history of the club. This team has participated in the past two seasons and has shown steady improvement.
The Directors Hotel in Gouger Street are proud to once again be the major sponsor for the upcoming season and continue their long association with the club. We are constantly actively recruiting new players and welcome all players to the club. See attached contact details below.
Codes Played:
- Men's State League
- Women's State League
Honours:
- Division 2 Champions 2010/2011
- Hannigan Cup Winners: 1984, 1986, 1990, 1992
Sponsors:
Directors Hotel
247 Gouger St
Adelaide 5000 SA
Ph:
(08) 8231 8484
Mens Contact: Ben Dujmovic bendujmovic@yahoo.com
Womens Contact: James Neeson 0422 197 994
Junior Development: Patrick Gillespie 0429 695 623
Website: www.wix.com/flindersoneills/gfc |
