The Mt Lofty Football Club is thrilled to welcome home former junior player Josh Hone to the Devils and congratulate him on his appointment as Senior Men’s Player/Coach for the 2027 season.
Josh’s football journey began at Mt Lofty before earning selection with Sturt Football Club, where he went on to build one of the most distinguished SANFL careers of his generation.
His achievements speak for themselves:
Member of the South Australian Under 18 State Championship-winning team in 2014
228 SANFL League games for Sturt
322 League goals
Three-time SANFL Premiership Player (2016, 2017 and 2025)
Four-time Sturt Leading Goal Kicker (2019, 2023, 2025 and 2026)
Three-time Senior State Representative (2018, 2023 and 2026)
SANFL Player Life Member
Whilst at Sturt, Josh has developed into not only an elite footballer but also a respected leader. He now returns to Mt Lofty bringing with him the experience, professionalism and knowledge gained across 13 seasons of SANFL League football.
Josh’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter for our senior program. Along with his outstanding playing ability, he brings a fresh perspective, new ideas and a modern approach that will help drive the continued development of our senior squad both on and off the field.
As we welcome Josh home, we also extend our heartfelt thanks to Michael Bawden (Bawds) for his dedication and contribution over six seasons as Senior Men’s Coach. Bawds guided our team from the challenges of 2020 to three successive finals campaigns in 2023, 2024 and 2025, bringing a level of professionalism that has laid a strong foundation for our next chapter. Coaching demands an enormous investment of time, energy and care, and we are deeply grateful for all he has given to our players and the wider club.
We are delighted that Bawds will remain part of that next chapter, continuing as Senior Assistant Coach alongside Josh. His experience, knowledge and strong relationships with our players will provide valuable support as Josh settles into the role and builds on the foundations Bawds has helped establish.
We are incredibly proud to see one of our own return home to lead the club into the future. The opportunity for our players to learn from someone of Josh’s calibre is immense, and we look forward to seeing the impact he will have across the entire football program.
Please join us in welcoming Josh back to the Mt Lofty Football Club and congratulating him on his appointment as Senior Men’s Player/Coach for 2027.
It is with great honour we share Mt Lofty Life Member Jeff Pistola has won the 2026 AFL National Community Football Media Award.
Jeff’s commitments to our club(s) spanned over 37 years including being involved in multiple Premierships plus a rare achievement which was to have coached Mt Lofty at every level from Under 10’s through to A Grade (the only available teams at the time) after which he looked to focussing on building a media team focussing purely on Hills football. This has grown into the CALL OF THE WILD team now know today and I think we all agree is 2nd to none!
The understanding, knowledge of the game and players, along with your passion to bring this to our community is something to be admired.
Congratulations again to Jeff ‘Pistols’ Pistola on this massive award, well deserved mate!
Heathfield High School Oval Upgrade Announced as State Election Commitment
Mount Lofty Districts Football Club welcomes the announcement by Premier Peter Malinauskas that a re-elected Labor Government will commit $1.45 million to upgrade the Heathfield High School Oval and associated facilities.
The commitment—announced this week alongside Labor candidate Marisa Bell, club committee members and players—includes:
$450,000 for drainage improvements
$675,000 for new lighting
$325,000 for retaining walls
These upgrades will significantly enhance the usability and safety of the oval for both Heathfield High School students and local sporting clubs, including the Mount Lofty Districts Football Club, which continues to experience strong growth across junior, moddies, girls, women, and senior teams.
“This is fantastic news for our club and the wider community,” said Greg Bond, President of the Mount Lofty Districts Football Club. “A $1.45 million upgrade will make a huge difference. With more than 500 registered players, we are bursting at the seams. There simply aren’t enough ovals to provide every team with the training and game time they need—a great problem to have for a thriving football community.”
“Improved drainage, new lighting and upgraded retaining walls will mean safer, more accessible facilities for everyone—from Heathfield High School students to our growing footy family.”
The Club will continue to work with all sides of politics to ensure this commitment is matched or strengthened, recognising the essential need for upgraded community sporting infrastructure to keep pace with participation growth.
I would like to send my sincere thanks to both Peter Harvey and Chris Illman for the initiation and support of this project. Their tireless work has lead us to this point and for this we should all be immensely grateful.
Premier Peter Malinauskas MP, Deputy Premier Hon Kyam Maher MLC & Labor Candidate for Heysen Marisa Bell along with MLDFC members at the announcement day Tuesday December 9th 2025Premier Peter Malinauskas MP, Deputy Premier Hon Kyam Maher MLC & Labor Candidate for Heysen Marisa Bell along with MLDFC members at the announcement day Tuesday December 9th 2025Premier Peter Malinauskas MP, & Labor Candidate for Heysen Marisa Bell along with MLDFC members at the announcement day Tuesday December 9th 2025Premier Peter Malinauskas MP along with MLDFC members at the announcement day Tuesday December 9th 2025
The Devils would like to thank Chris Illman who has stepped down as President after a superb season in 2025. Chris’ dedication, support and voluntary hours given are a true testament to community club spirit.
The Devils congratulate and welcome incoming President Greg Bond. Greg, with kids in the junior program, a history on junior committee and a strong business acumen, is sure to be a fantastic attribute to our already strong club.
Thank you Chris and welcome to the next tier of the Devils family Greg.
Welcome to the 2025 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, 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!
REGISTER NOW TO AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE YOUR $30 EARLY-BIRD DISCOUNT Last day for early-bird registration 31 January 2025
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 2025, eligible children will have a birth year from 2010 to 2020.
* 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 apply before 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
All Moddies teams in 2025 will receive a guernsey kit supplied by the club therefore the club will supply participants with a training top when registering for the season.
Registration must be complete by Friday 14 February 2025 or NO Moddies Merch Gift will be included with your registration.
AUSKICK https://www.playhq.com/afl/register/d91386 • Auskick Registration open from 10am Saturday 1 February • Auskick Term 2 – 10:30am-11:30am Sundays 4 May – 29 June *No early-bird discounts for Auskick as a National program hosted by Mt Lofty, Govt voucher available • Please contact Rose for any enquiries auskick@mtloftydevils.com.au
