In the very early years of the 1900s there was two football clubs in the Stirling area. They were Mount Lofty Parks (formed in May 1895) and Stirling United (formed in May 1901).
It seems that Mount Lofty Parks never played in a football association but played what was called ‘challenge matches’. In 1904 Stirling United joined the Hills Football Association. The home ground of both clubs was Mount Lofty Recreation Ground colloquially known as the Old Rec ground at what is now Heathfield. This ground was located approximately where the lower high school oval is now.
With the outbreak of World War I – no football was played for nearly 4 years. In 1919 Association football resumed. There was a Stirling Club but it appears Mount Lofty Parks did not reform. The assumption has been that Stirling United became Stirling. But did it? or was a new club named Stirling Football Club formed? Soldiers came home from war and perhaps decided to form a team. At the date of writing confirmation of this supposition has not been confirmed.
Prior to the War Stirling United wore red and white jumpers and Mount Lofty Parks wore a tri-coloured jumper.
What is puzzling is that the Stirling team post World War I wore tri-coloured jumpers which looked very much like those worn by Mount Lofty Parks pre war. For example:-
Pre-war Stirling United experienced limited success – never won a premiership and at times had to forfeit matches. However post war amazing success of the Stirling team flowed – perhaps there was no link between Stirling United and the Stirling Club. The 1919 Grand Final was lost to Strathalbyn 5-7 to 3-10 but in 1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1934 the team won the premiership. In 1923 and 1930 Uraidla defeated Stirling in the Grand Final.
One way of determining whether Stirling United reformed as Stirling would be to compare the names of players and officials from teams pre war with those of 1919 and further on. Unfortunately such records have not been able to be sourced. However with the effluxion of time maybe such records will emerge and help clarify the supposition.
Although it is 8 years between 1911 and 1919 the lists below show the some of the personnel involved in the clubs. There are no common names in each of the Stirling teams, but Bas Scott’s name appears in the Mount Lofty Parks and Stirling team.
Stirling United
1911 Players and officials:- Stirling— Carthew (2), Caust, Cleland, Conquest, Gaskell, Garrod, Grimes, Keen, McFarlane, Milford (2), Scott, Scragg, Spoehr, Twist, Woodgate
Mount Lofty Parks
1913 Players and officials:— T. Barker, G. Gates, B. Halliday, Wm. Halliday, Percy Hart, B. Holmes, L. Kelly, S. Leach, Paech, Basil Scott, E. Wakefield, Charles Williams.
Stirling
1919 Players and officials:— L. Carroll; A. Caust; H. Caust; G. Chaplin; K. Emery; J. Farrent, G. Fulgrabe, F. Hart; Hart; W. Hender; A. Jones; H. Keen; S Leach; S. Leatch, W. McFarlane; B. Percival; G. Read; R. Rossini; Bas Scott; Wack. Scott, C. Snoswell; O. Snoswell; G. Whitbread, C. Williams; W. Woodgate; C. Zachariah.