Woodville-West Torrens Football Club - History

History

West Torrens had competed in the SANFL since 1897, while Woodville entered the competition in 1964. Both sides had struggled throughout their respective existences, West Torrens having won four premierships in ninety seasons and Woodville none in thirty seven; whispers grew throughout SA football circles that perhaps a merger would save these clubs.

Calls for merger grew throughout the 1980s, culminating in 1990 when the imminent entry of the South Australian based Adelaide Crows into the national Australian Football League led officials of Woodville and West Torrens to realise that their clubs would struggle to exist as separate entities.

It was decided to merge the two sides as the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles, to play their home games at Woodville's home ground, Woodville Oval, and use the West Torrens Eagle emblem. The new club proved immediately competitive and won their first premiership in 1993.

Although officially formed in 1991, it was after the 1993 Premiership that many finally accepted the 'new' Eagles. In accepting the Thomas Seymour Hill Trophy for the first time for the Eagles (the first time for Woodville, and the first time since 1953 for West Torrens), captain Peter Schwarz jubilantly proclaimed:

"This is a very sweet moment – the end result of two clubs that made a lot of tough decisions three years ago. This is for Woodville and for West Torrens. Now we are one club."

The club colours of blue, gold and green incorporate the club colours of West Torrens (blue and gold) and Woodville (green and gold). The Eagle logo of the West Torrens Football Club was adopted as the official emblem of Woodville West Torrens. It was also agreed that blue would be the primary colour of the merged club.