Heathfield Oval & Heathfield Netball Facilities Upgrade Announced as State Election Commitment.
On Wednesday we had the great pleasure of hosting the Leader of the Opposition Ashton Hurn, alongside the Member for Heysen, and longtime support of the Devils, Josh Teague, for their announcement of funding commitments for two important local projects aimed at supporting grassroots sports.
At the heart of the announcement was that a Hurn elected Liberal Government would commit $250,000 to deliver a lighting upgrade at Heathfield Oval, home of the Mt Lofty Football Club. The project will see the installation of new LED lighting to support evening sport and broader community use.
In addition, a Hurn Liberal Government would commit $90,000 towards a court side shelter and facilities upgrade for the Heathfield Netball Club. The project includes a covered seating area, accessible path connections, and potential minor storage or fencing upgrades
From our perspective, and as we all know, improving the lighting of our oval has been a strong focus of the Mt Lofty Football Committee for some time, and we therefore welcome this commitment from the Liberal Party.
Attached is the official Press release from the South Australian Liberal Party.
Go Devs!
President Greg Bond president@mtloftydevils.com.au MLDFC
Welcome to the 2026 football season with the Mt Lofty Devils!
We are looking forward to having you all as part of the candy stripe family. The best news for the upcoming season… Subs remain static for a SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, despite CPI and increases in club costs!
Please remember when registering that volunteers are the only way our club operates, so if you are a parent, or have a family member that can participate, please reach out!
All South Australian children in Reception to Year 9 are eligible for up to two (2) SA Government $100 Sports Vouchers This means children aged 5 (or becoming 5 in the calendar year) to 15 years old are eligible. In 2026, eligible children will have a birth year from 2011 to 2021.
* To claim the SA Government Sports Voucher, select the Government Vouchers dropdown at the final checkout for ‘Sports Vouchers (SA)’ fill out the required information and click ‘APPLY’. The $100 or $200 will then be removed from the final total. If the discount doesn’t applybefore checking out, DO NOT complete your purchase, please contact registration@mtloftydevils.com.au for further information.
Auskick is for all children aged 5-12 and our program is mixed gender HFL Moddies program is mixed gender with teams in U8, U9, U10, U11 & U12 SANFL Girls U12 & U14 HFLW Female U17 & Seniors HFL Male U14, U16, U18 and Seniors A, B & C Grade
If you register for Moddies before Friday 7 February 2026 you will receive a free Mt Lofty water bottle.
REGISTER HERE:$30 EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT AUTOMATICALLY REMOVED
Very sad news to hear of the passing of Cliff “Chappy” Chaplin on Wednesday 7th January 2026, just shy of 101 years. Having resided in Hahndorf Nursing Home, Chappy became unwell and was transferred to Mt Barker Hospital where he passed with Mabel by his side.
Chappy was a significant part of Mt Lofty Football Club’s heritage, commencing his playing days with Stirling, becoming a foundation member of the Heathfield Football Club and later Heathfield Aldgate United where his incredible dedication to the clubs’ and the Heathfield community were recognised with Life Membership of Heathfield Aldgate United in 1975. HAU was an amazing Football Club and Chappy did so much to build the culture of the club. Volunteering for many roles including Goal Umpire and Trainer, we will never forget the amazing Scurvy Pirates and the Heathfield Heartthrobs created by Chappy. A fair dinkum Aussie who proudly served his country in the Navy in the Second World War, he really brought some of the fun songs to life with the A grade teams over the years at the annual presentation. He could never have done it so well without Mabel’s talented accompaniment on piano. Chappys contribution along with Mabel as a dedicated volunteer, their son Barry as a 6 time Premiership player across the grades and daughter Dianne one of the passionate supporters, they were one of many families of that era to all contribute enormously towards the club we proudly call Mt Lofty today.
We also have a story about Mabel over the last few weeks! She still resides at the family home and was on respite in Hahndorf Nursing Home during the Christmas/New Year to be closer to Cliff. Unfortunately she had a fall resulting in a fractured ankle so when Cliff was transferred to Mt Barker Hospital, so was Mabel. The hospital team organised for them both to share a room together, so she really was by his side until the end! Family have said that was probably appropriate given their union over 76 years! Mabel is now in rehab in Gumeracha Hospital, doing very well with her recovery and is hoping to return home in the next week or so under the care of Dianne and home help.
Cliff didn’t want a fuss at his passing so his family will have a private cremation and will spread his ashes together.
Please enjoy the photos below and send any condolences via legends@mtloftydevils.com.au these will be passed on to the family.
