I HAVE been involved in more sports than I care to remember.

Cricket, hockey, tennis, basketball, baseball, softball. Even table tennis! Each of these sports has its own traditions and every club involved has its own charm.
However, no club I have been involved with in these sports has been able to recreate the feeling I get when walking into a football club.
So it was with some excitement that I ventured down to the South Gawler Football Club on Thursday evening.
The Lions are the benchmark in the Barossa Light and Gawler Football Association (BLGFA), having won last season’s A Grade men’s premiership and it is easy to see why. As a relative newbie to
the area who only knew a handful of people at the club, I spent much of the evening observing everyone in the room.
Wide smiles, cheerful conversations, kids playing outside as their dads trained. It felt like a warm and welcoming place. As I walked around the room to take a few photos, I noticed how happy everyone was just to be there.
They were among friends, comfortable and relaxed.
There were some formalities to take care of. Meat trays were raffled off, teas served by hardworking volunteers in the kitchen and teams were selected.
But there were two important formalities I was there to cover.
The reigning A Grade and junior boys’ premiers officially welcomed
their 2022 senior women’s,
under-16 girls, and under-13 girls
teams to the fold during Thursday
night’s function.
The room was full of proud parents,
excited kids and nervous
women as the parade to the stage to
grab their new jumpers continued.
For the first time in its history,
South Gawler is preparing to tackle
the women’s season with a full
complement of teams.
The presentation had that genuine
football club feel to it. These
are not netballers just playing a few
games of footy. These women are
fully-fledged members of South
Gawler Football Club.
Once the females had been presented
with their jumpers, it was
time for the A Grade men to hit the
stage.
Ahead of their Anzac Day
clash against Gawler Central
on Monday, the squad of
23 were presented with their
special jumpers.
I sat alongside Dale Lawrence
and his wife Jodie to watch the presentations.
Dale is a proud South Gawler
Football Club member, RAAF serviceman
and RSL secretary.
He also played an important role
in the club’s push to take part in the
Anzac Day clash. His pride was obvious
“South Gawler Football Club
is all about the community,” Dale
said. “The concept for this clash
came from post the production of
the Indigenous jumper, and the
BLGFA Indigenous round, from
last year.
“As a committee, we looked at
that and said what else can we do as
a club to get that community spirit
flowing. Getting involved with Anzac
Day, and raising the profile of
the day in Gawler, was a no-brainer.”
Club president Daniel Kiryk said
it was an honour for South Gawler
to be involved in the inaugural
Gawler derby Anzac Day clash.
“It’s special in many ways,” he
said. “Anzac Day has really grown
a lot of legs over recent years, especially
amongst the younger demographic.
“It’s something we’ve tried to enhance
at the football club, being a
younger demographic.
“It’s not unusual to see 30 or 40
South Gawler people represented,
in colour at a dawn service.”
Daniel said the club hadworked
hard to present the
meaning of Anzac Day to its
members.
“We’ve had the jumper designed
for the Anzac Day clash, in conjunction
with the Gawler RSL,” he
said. “We’ve spoken to the boys
about the meaning of the game, and
hopefully we can put on a really
good show for our returned vets”.
Gawler RSL president Paul Rutherford
was in attendance and helped
present the players with their specially
designed jumpers.
“Hopefully what this also does
will raise the profile of the RSL in
the community,” Paul said.
“Essentially what we are is a
community club that is dedicated
to looking after the wellbeing of returned
soldiers. By building this relationship
with local football clubs,
hopefully it sends the message that
we are there and we can offer support
to those who need it.”
The commitment of South Gawler
to promote the importance of Anzac
Day to its membership is the latest
in a series of excellent decisions
made by the club.
By the time this article goes to
print, the result of the Anzac Day
clash will have confirmed and medallists
honoured.
Whether they win, lose, or draw
on the field on Monday, South
Gawler Football Club has created
a special environment for its members.
I suspect this is the secret to the
Lions’ recent success on and off the
field.