Football South Australia (FSA) is the governing body of soccer in the state of South Australia. It was established in 2006 under the name Football Federation South Australia (FFSA), which succeeded the former organisation, the South Australian Soccer Federation (SASF).
FSA oversees the highest levels of football in South Australia, as well as collaborating with regional competitions and amateur leagues, and organise the Football SA Federation Cup.
Location of teams located outside of the Adelaide metropolitan area.
The first South Australian football organisation was the South Australian British Football Association (SABFA), which was founded in 1902. The inaugural official South Australian football competition took place in 1903, featuring three teams: North Adelaide, South Adelaide, and Woodville. In 1924, the association's name was changed to the South Australian Soccer Football Association (SASFA).[2]
In 1961, the association split into SASFA and the South Australian Soccer League (SASL), but the following year, merged to form the South Australian Soccer Federation (SASF), which continued to operate until 2006.[2]
In 2006 the Football Federation South Australia (FFSA) was established. In 2020, following the renaming of Football Federation Australia to Football Australia, South Australia's federation adopted the name Football South Australia.[3]
Description and functions
Football South Australia is affiliated with Football Australia, the national governing body.[3]
Football South Australia also manages the Junior Premier League (JPL) and Junior State League (JSL), providing opportunities for teams in age groups ranging from under 6s to under 17s to compete on Sundays.[citation needed]
National Training Centre
Football SA National Training Centre (NTC) programs "aim is to provide talented boys and girls with the opportunity to develop their skills and ability through a game-related approach to training".[4] The FSA NTC teams have a high turnover owing to their nature as a training team for players, but the women's team reached their first ever grand final in 2023, after beating the Adelaide Comets.[5]
Junior Premier League and Junior State League clubs participate in junior football, with teams ranging from U6 to U17. The seniors participate in the Amateur League or Regional Leagues.
The soccer pyramid in South Australia comprises 4 levels below the A-League Men, with promotion and relegation between the top 3 levels. It also includes the South Australian Amateur Soccer League, which is not officially a part of the league system. In total, there are 259 men's clubs/teams across 28 divisions in South Australia, and 90 women's clubs/teams across 9 divisions.
Over the history of South Australian football, 26 different clubs have won the title. The most successful club is Adelaide City, with 19 titles to its credit, 7 of those coming since their return from the National Soccer League in 2004.
Clubs in bold currently play in the top division, and clubs in italics no longer compete in semi-professional competitions or are defunct.
^Following a sanction by the independent Disciplinary Committee, Adelaide City had 18 competition points removed, resulting in the loss of the League Premiers title.[11]
^A separate team to the one that merged with Birkalla Rovers. West Torrens Birkalla was formed by the amalgamation of Birkalla Rovers with a different team called West Torrens.[12]