Extensive work has been carried out on the South Eastern portion of the Heathfield Oval and the Mount Lofty District Community Sports Club, the Mt Lofty District Football Club and the Mt Lofty Cricket Club would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank our wonderful volunteers, clubs and the Adelaide Hills Council for their support of the latest project. With the drainage work, aerating, fertilising and top dressing of the oval, it is expected that the playing surface will be improved considerably to coincide with the completion of the $1.7M upgrade of the change rooms during season 2022.
The support of businesses and community organisations is very much appreciated and we are particularly appreciative of the Adelaide Hills Council with the supply of fertiliser, loam and for working in partnership with the clubs based at our Heathfield complex. We are also very grateful to Paul Duran of the Stirling Golf Club for the supply of verti drain equipment which aerates the oval.
Many hours of voluntary labour have been provided by long serving community members – John Coventry, Bruce Dawes, Daryl Hampton, Don Lobban, Haydn O’Shaughnessy and Ian Deans. Under the leadership of Ian, the team have done an amazing job. At the risk of consequences, we have to point out that, with the exception of Bruce, these guys are in their mid 60’s through to 80 😃
We are very appreciative to everybody involved in undertaking this project which provided another great example of the excellent results that can been achieved with relatively low expense through working in partnership across the community.
Mount Lofty District Community and Sports Club Inc
Mt Lofty District Football Club Inc
Mt Lofty Cricket Club Inc
Nice looking deck!
A bit of work ahead here…
Volunteers woking away hard as always.
Volunteer Daryl Hampton operating the verti drain supplied for free by Mt Lofty sponsor Stirling Golf Club.
Volunteer Daryl Hampton operating the verti drain supplied for free by Mt Lofty sponsor Stirling Golf Club.
The Senior and Junior Committee’s would like to wish all of the Mount Lofty Football Club’s Family and Community a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.
We are very much looking forward to season 2022, with planning well advanced in all areas of the club we are excited to see what next year will bring.
We hope you get to have a great Christmas and New Year, stay safe, enjoy any time you have off with your family and friends, and we look forward to seeing you all back at the club very soon.
All the best from the Mount Lofty Football Club.
On behalf of the Committees of Mt Lofty Football Club,
MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY NEW YEAR & IN THE WORDS OF THE GREAT MAN SHEEPDOG, STAY SAFE
Mount Lofty District Football Club has announced an Early Bird Registration discount for all players, offering players a $20 saving on their 2022 season fees.
The Early Bird Registration period is open from 22nd November 2021 until 31 January 2022.
To receive the $20 discount, use the following early bird voucher codes at the checkout
Register here:
WHEN YOU DO, PLEASE BE SURE TO USE THE SAME NAME INCLUDING SPELLING AND CLICK ON “ALIGN PROFILE” TO MERGE WITH YOUR OLD SPORTS TG PROFILE, SO WE CAN KEEP ALL OF YOUR PREVIOUS STAT
SAVE THE DATE: Mt Lofty District Football Club SEASON LAUNCH: Sunday 13 February 2022
Note: Any registrations after 28 February 2022 will not be eligible for inclusions.
This year a new portal will be used by both HFL and SANFL to manage player registrations – PlayHQ. Please follow the registration links to complete registration.
FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WOMENS FOOTBALL PROGAM AT THE THE DEVILS, A VISION FOR YOUNG ASPIRING GIRLS TO HAVE A PATHWAY TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS HAS BEEN THE FOREFRONT OF OUT MINDS. BRING FORTH 2022..
SENIOR WOMEN HFL– PREMIERS – LUKE STEPHENSON
Wow! What a year and what a story!
Moving to the HFL this year saw our girls take out a Premiership under our much-loved coach and captain Luke and Holly. Together their skills and leadership have been nothing but admirable. The girls have been able to take their football on full steam ahead, learn new skills and structures, teach as mentors, work together as a group like never before and have more fun and enjoy their footy, it has been amazing.
With the introduction of women’s football to MLDFC in 2016, one great mind in Shaun Gould with his concept, his pushy agenda with the help of a great friend Phoebe, this program and therefore all of its current junior program would not be here. We cannot go on any further without showing our deepest gratitude as a club to Shaun. He coached the girls into a Grand Final appearance in their first year, and Phoebe went on to become our clubs first female A Grade Coach when she was appointed the Senior Womens Head Coach in 2020.
2017 saw the introduction of a reserves Senior Womens Reserves team in the AdelL, player coached by long time Devs volunteer Megan Billerwell for 2 years. The first female senior coach the club has seen. The reserves team was player coached for another 2 years by another dedicated female club volunteer in Bec Northcott. A proud, strong history created.
This year in 2021, we made the big move from Adelaide League Womens up home to the Hills Football League.
Our premise was based around inclusion. Plus, we now have produced A LOT of Devils ladies playing at SANFL level and have been doing so for a number of years. This means they train (bar a couple of weeks) all year round and some of the SANFL season crosses over with ours. Some of these girls have been doing this for 4-5 years now. A number of these girls have also reached higher level (State, representative or Development Squads) which means it is a huge toll on their bodies. Rightly so, it is time for these ladies to have a rest and play just one season of footy. So, we went back to one team. With this information, we felt like the time was right for us with where the HFLW was at to head on up the hill. This meant we could bring better unity back to our club. Playing in the hills again on hills ovals and closer to home, having social functions together with our senior men, working together as a club and better utilising our volunteer base and junior program, and BOY has it worked out for the best for us.
Having previously won a Premiership under Coach Andrew Zobel in the AdelL Div 2, some of the girls were still around for this season giving real depth and experience to the squad. We also had a whole bunch of girls who were brand new to footy which meant in season 2021 the senior group had never worked harder and closer as a group than ever before. The most exciting thing was this was one of the first years we got to see U17s get to debut in the senior squad, with three debutants not only get a guernsey, but we saw some of them make the post awards appearances too, and outstanding effort and a glimpse at a bright future ahead.
The senior women started the season hard, and a lot of hard work, the girls took out the flag at the end of the year! Congratulations to Luke, Holly and their girls.
The girls are stronger than ever, and a PREMIERSHIP WAS THIERS TO WIN!
Season 2022 will see Adam Kusznir take the reins as Head Coach having been Assistant Coach for the ladies 2 years running. Bring it on team, give ‘em Hell in season 2022!
U17 GIRLS HFL JUNIORS – PRELIM CONTENDERS – LEITH DAWES
We are so excited to see how excited this group has come. The growth and development within a playing group has been astronomical. In 2020 they lost lost in Rnd 1 to Mt Barker by 20 Gaols, in the last minor Rnd game of the same year they won by 1 point.
2021, the group with several changes from the previous year, notably our share club Nairne going it alone and starting its own team which is great for the HFL but left us with a significant hole in our squad we fought hard for numbers and wanted to show that we had a point to prove on the ladder.
The girls worked hard at recruiting, bringing several new players, and significantly several junior players from our SANFL junior teams, approximately 10 filling in with 8 most weekends.
Our girls developed quickly through preseason, and started the season off with a draw with the raining premiers. They all improved as a team resulted in much better results.
Making the Prelims, however, losing by a few points to the eventual Premiers who won the grand final by 30 odd points was a bitter pill for the girls to swallow.
We are absolutely looking forward to this season under new coach Laycee Dason, who was last years assistant coach and a Senior Womens player, with the majority of the players continuing on in this grade (most of the award winners) places the girls in a great position to go the next step in 2022.
U15 GIRLS SANFL JUNIORS – PREMIERS – MICHAEL SMART & SAM MACMILLAN
2020 was our first year in this age group and the focus was on skills and fun. It paid off! The girls love it!
In 2021 we did lose a few numbers and WEWERE ON THE HUNT FOR MORE 👹
Michael, Sam and the girls played in SANFL Juniors Division 3, which had some VERY good teams in it. The coaches objectives from the start was to focus on improving skills, as some girls were playing for the first time, as well as trying to keep a simple game plan that everyone could adhere to. They worked on stoppages, getting the ball out of a defensive 50, and the midfield-forward transition. Simple stuff drummed in over and over intertwined with skill sessions.
Progression was slow and steady through the season. The girls were beaten by Henley Sharks in the first round of the year by over 7 goals, and lost 3 of their first 4 games (including a forfeit due to lack of numbers). Still working on skills and our own principals, we played Henley again in the middle of the year and again lost, but this time by 20 points, so knew we were on the right track, and gave the girls a huge amount of belief. We lost the next game on a Friday night to Salisbury North, noting a number of unavailability’s, but that was it.. we were on a role! Last 5 minor rounds were ours! We beat Salisbury North in the Prelim who we hadn’t beaten all year and our tails were up. We went into the GRAND FINAL as the underdogs and Henley knew it. They thought they had us by before the match even started. That made the victory even sweeter!
Amazing team work was displayed on the day, and all year. Well done Devils!
It is also worth a mention that 7-8 players played up in U17Girls for a lot of the season – Kudos!
What a year for these amazing Devs! Grand Finalists after being moved up a division after 4 rounds!
A number of these girls have been with the club since 2018 since the formation of the U10 team with Louise team, 9 of that original 2018 12-a-side team played in the U13 Grand Final, a great retention for the club! All of these girls had never played before, but all of them had a lot of fun and learnt a lot, and are still here at the Devils.
In season 2021, much like in the HFL, over the years the girls and coaches had different age groups to play under in the SANFL juniors to adapt to the age group of the kids coming though. This year our young girls had and U13 age group which suited us well as a club. Steve Mudge, having been a previous assistant coach and last years U12 coach was appointed as the U13 girls coach for the 15-a-side team which also has full tackling and a wing position for the first time.
Starting in Division 3, most of their original team, some new recruits, and a few losses from their original cohort the team was off to a great start. After 4 rounds SANFL Juniors then decided to consolidate their 3 divisions into 2, so our young Devils headed into Division 2.
They took the bull by the horns like the little mountain goats they are, and finished the season 10-4, and headed all the way into the GRAND FINAL against Glenunga as the underdogs, just the way we like it!! What a day out and boy did we nearly have them! Just 3 points in it. Way to go girls! We beat every team in Div 3 and every team in Div 2 except Glenunga.
Coach Steve said: The biggest observation as a parent and coach of the team over the last 4 years has been the huge development of skills, particularly the last two years as coach. In the first couple of years there were a few girls that were naturally skilled and the team relied heavily on those players whereas this year particularly the group has developed into a team full of skilful players all doing their part to make the team a success and it showed with the Semi Final win against Payneham and the huge Grand Final effort where we led for the first half and only just went down.
Congratulations again girls!
U11 GIRLS SANFL JUNIORS – COACH LOUISE SERGI
Well it’s fair to say that these girls have made the most of their time playing football of every player in our football club in their short playing history. Arguably the team that has the most fun whilst trying to learn football in the entire club. Without any official record of scores, these young Devils have lost more games than they have won in 2021, and also in seasons prior, however they bring the same energy and intensity to every quarter of every game. They have had an amazing inclusive and fun-loving coach in Louise Sergi, who will step back to an assistant coaching role, along with fellow parent Michael O’Connor this year, and let this year’s assistant coach, and senior womens player Jess take the reins. Louise comments how she never saw any player show any signs of giving up and they were always able to maintain their focus.
While encountering some not so fair sports and play along the way in some games, the girls never lowered themselves to unfair play. They are a very mature bunch of Devils.
Starting the U11Girls Program in 2018, some of these girls have now moved through the programs up to the U15 squad, a fantastic outcome for MLDFC. Louise’s approach has always been skills, working as a team, and having fun as a group.
Over the past few years, they have seen a huge improvement in their kicking, handballs, communication and they have understood the importance of supporting each other during the game. Working on rucking and tapping and the girls being able to see the importance of the skill in helping to achieve centre clearances which are pivotal in moving the ball forward has been a big difference this year, along with devolving their skills in game day strategies and working as a group in quarter time huddles about what positions we should modify to best attack the game to get the girls thinking and engaged in match.
These girls are an absolute bunch of champions, we cannot wait to see them develop into our next bunch of leaders!
It is with sadness we let people know of the passing of Beatrice “May” Laffey, the mother of Lynton who played with Stirling Football Club and Helen Hewitt who has been a very hard working volunteer for Mt Lofty. Chris Laffey, Lynton and Margaret’s son, also played for the Devils, with great support from his parents and Grandmother, with Lynton also volunteering in roles at Junior levels and as B Grade Team Manager.
May and her family are another family with strong connections to Mt Lofty and heritage club, Stirling, where her late husband Kevin was an extremely skilled forward who played for the club in the late 1940’s and 1950’s, kicking over 100 goals on several occasions, including more than 100 in just 14 matches..
May was a great supporter of all of her family in football and volunteered for many years at Stirling FC. A very good seamstress in her working days, she spent quite a few of her later years with Helen and always maintained a football interest locally, while keeping across the progress of Glenelg and the Adelaide Crows.
May passed away after an amazing 103 and a half years on 8 December and her funeral service will be conducted at 10.00am Friday 17 December at the Carr Memorial Chapel at 1 Morphett Street, Mt Barker.
On behalf of The Lofty Legends Group and the Mt Lofty District Football Club, we pass on our sincere condolences to Helen and Lynton, Margaret and Chris, who have been such a big part of Mt Lofty and Stirling Football Clubs as well as Denise and Philippe and Grandchildren Kerryn and Stephen, Chris and Kendall, Lara and their families.
