The wooden spoon is the imaginary and ironic "award" which is said to be won by the team finishing in last place in the South Australian National Football League. No physical wooden spoon award exists nor is such an award officially sanctioned by the SANFL.
Competitions South Australian Football Association (1877) was dissolved in May 1888 after the remaining three Clubs Norwood, Hotham (North Adelaide 1888) and Gawler applied and joined the South Australian United Football Association newly formed by Adelaide, Port Adelaide and South Adelaide who had all resigned from the South Australian Football Association. South Australian United Football Association (1888) was renamed South Australian Football Association in 1889. South Australian Football Association (1889) was renamed South Australian Football League in 1907. South Australian Football League (1907) was renamed South Australian National Football League in 1927.
Criteria The team which finishes with the worst record across the completed season is awarded the wooden spoon. This is determined by: Fewest premiership points (two points for a win, one point for a draw) Lowest percentage
Wooden spoons by season SeasonClubTotalWinsLossesDrawsPercentagePoints1877 Bankers10150N/A01878Kensington1 0 9 3 N/A 31879Kensington2081N/A11880Adelaide (I)1182N/A41881Adelaide (I) - Kensington1050N/A01882Royal Park10100N/A01883Victorian (SAFA)/(North Adelaide 1883-1884)12112N/A61884Victorian (SAFA)/(North Adelaide 1883-1884)21101N/A31885Adelaide (II)/(1885 - 1893 SAFA)14110N/A81886Port Adelaide13111N/A71887West Adelaide (1887)11132N/A21888Medindie (North Adelaide)11160N/A21889Medindie (North Adelaide)20150N/A01890Gawler10122N/A21891Adelaide (II) (1885-1893 SAFA)20160N/A01892Adelaide (II) (1885-1893 SAFA)30151N/A11893Adelaide (II) (1885-1893 SAFA)41150N/A21894North Adelaide31170N/A21895Natives (West Torrens)12140N/A41896Port Adelaide24131N/A9 1897 West Adelaide1115120.77%3 1898 West Adelaide2014020.11%0 1899 North Adelaide4110135.59%3 1900 Port Adelaide3210040.3%4 1901 Sturt1512137.87%11 1902 Sturt2111026.43%2 1903 Sturt329135.44%5 1904 West Adelaide3111027.94%2 1905 West Adelaide4111028.61%2 1906 West Adelaide5012026.91%0 1907 Sturt439041.60%6 1908 Sturt5012032.99%0 1909 South Adelaide1012032.72%0 1910 South Adelaide2111035.37%2 1911 South Adelaide3111041.24%2 1912 North Adelaide539044.54%6 1913 Norwood1210044.20%4 1914 Norwood248045.46%8 1915 Norwood339040.34%6 1919 Norwood4111039.52%2 1920 West Adelaide629140.59%5 1921 Glenelg1014030.00%0 1922 Glenelg2014031.81%0 1923 Glenelg3014032.35%0 1924 Glenelg4014036.97%0 1925 Glenelg5212038.81%4 1926 South Adelaide4013140.26%1 1927 South Adelaide5215039.11%4 1928 South Adelaide6214144.67%5 1929 South Adelaide7314041.72%6 1930 West Torrens1314045.35%6 1931 West Adelaide7213041.82%4 1932 South Adelaide8214143.59%5 1933 West Adelaide8017043.37%0 1934 South Adelaide9413043.33%8 1935 Glenelg6116039.26%2 1936 West Adelaide9215034.99%4 1937 Glenelg7313141.82%7 1938 Glenelg8314041.87%6 1939 Glenelg9215043.64%4 1940 Glenelg10314041.07%6 1941 West Torrens2413042.14%8 1945 South Adelaide10314045.90%6 1946 Glenelg11116040.92%2 1947 South Adelaide11215039.93%4 1948 South Adelaide12017035.20%0 1949 Sturt6314040.78%6 1950 South Adelaide13017031.460 1951 South Adelaide14117036.63%2 1952 Sturt7314040.79%6 1953 South Adelaide15513038.75%10 1954 Glenelg12414044.90%8 1955 South Adelaide16215039.01%4 1956 Sturt8314140.44%7 1957 South Adelaide17216039.64%4 1958 Sturt9215142.33%5 1959 South Adelaide18315038.20%6 1960 Glenelg13216040.31%4 1961 Sturt10316042.70%6 1962 South Adelaide19316035.41%6 1963 South Adelaide20218041.28%4 1964 Central District1020031.10%0 1965 Woodville1317042.05%6 1966 Glenelg14317039.30%6 1967 Woodville2118139.60%3 1968 Norwood5316144.56%7 1969 South Adelaide21218038.23%4 1970 South Adelaide22317040.35%6 1971 Woodville3615037.12%12 1972 West Adelaide10416144.35%9 1973 West Adelaide11317142.35%7 1974 West Adelaide12418040.53%8 1975 West Torrens3216041.84%4 1976 West Torrens4219040.12%4 1977 Central District2516142.00%11 1978 North Adelaide6517042.82%10 1979 West Adelaide13714148.30%15 1980 Woodville4418040.60%8 1981 Woodville5319036.53%6 1982 Woodville6121037.47%2 1983 Woodville7418039.51%8 1984 Woodville8418043.29%8 1985 Woodville9616046.35%12 1986 West Torrens5616041.61%12 1987 South Adelaide23517041.37%10 1988 South Adelaide24121032.31%2 1989 Sturt11418042.92%8 1990 Sturt12218037.20%4 1991 Sturt13319038.07%6 1992 Sturt14220037.16%4 1993 Sturt15416041.25%8 1994 Sturt16517042.04%10 1995 Sturt17022032.22%0 1996 Sturt18416038.78%8 1997 South Adelaide25414240.85%10 1998 Glenelg15416042.93%8 1999 North Adelaide7218038.17%4 2000 Glenelg16317039.81%6 2001 Glenelg17316139.09%7 2002 Glenelg18317038.53%6 2003 North Adelaide8117236.77%4 2004 Norwood6416041.82%8 2005 West Adelaide14317038.01%6 2006 West Adelaide15218039.25%4 2007 West Adelaide16317038.47%6 2008 West Adelaide17218039.17%4 2009 South Adelaide26218038.35%4 2010 South Adelaide27217140.48%5 2011 Sturt19515044.45%10 2012 Sturt20614044.06%12 2013 Glenelg19416041.13%8 2014 Glenelg20414038.22%8 2015 North Adelaide9117033.91%2 2016 West Adelaide18216034.78%4 2017 North Adelaide10414043.97%82018 Adelaide (III) (AFL Reserves)1117037.10%22019 West Adelaide19216038.83%42020 West Adelaide20211140.42%52021 West Adelaide21216039.39%42022 West Adelaide22315041.90%62023 West Adelaide23413145.83%92024 Port Adelaide (AFL Reserves)4414040.28%82025 West Adelaide24315036.82%62026 Port Adelaide (AFL Reserves)5315038.47%6
Wooden spoons by SANFL clubs Club TotalWoodenSpoons First Season Years of Wooden Spoon South Adelaide 1877 1909, 1910, 1911, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1932, 1934, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1969, 1970, 1987, 1988, 1997, 2009, 2010 West Adelaide 1897 1897, 1898, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1920, 1931, 1933, 1936, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1979, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025 Sturt 1901 1901, 1902, 1903, 1907, 1908, 1949, 1952, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2011, 2012 Glenelg 1921 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1954, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2013, 2014 North Adelaide 1888 1888, 1889, 1894, 1899, 1912, 1978, 1999, 2003, 2015, 2017 Woodville 1964 1965, 1967, 1971, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985 Norwood 1878 1913, 1914, 1915, 1919, 1968, 2004 West Torrens 1897 1930, 1941, 1975, 1976, 1986 Port Adelaide 1877 1886, 1896, 1900, 2024, 2026 Central District 1964 1964, 1977 Adelaide (III)(AFL Reserves) 2014 2018 Woodville-West Torrens 1991 N/A
Bold indicates clubs currently playing in the SANFL. North Adelaide joined SAFA in 1888 as Medindie and renamed to its current name in 1893. West Torrens and Woodville merged at the end of the 1990 season. The merged club has never collected a wooden spoon. Adelaide AFL Crows reserves first competed in SANFL in 2014 season.
Wooden spoons by former SAFA clubs (1877-1896 pre Electoral Districts) Club TotalWoodenSpoons First Season Number of SeasonsWoodenSpoons Bankers 1877 1 1877 Kensington 1877 4 1878,1879 Adelaide (I) 1877 4 1880 Woodville (1877) 1877 1 N/A South Park 1877 8 N/A Adelaide (I)-Kensington 1881 1 1881 * Royal Park 1882 1 1882 Victorian(North Adelaide (I) 1883-84) 1877 8 1883,1884 Adelaide (II) (1885-1893) 1885 9 1885, 1891, 1892, 1893 West Adelaide (1887) 1887 1 1887 Hotham(North Adelaide (II) 1888) 1887 2 N/A Gawler 1887 4 1890 Natives (West Torrens) 1895 2 1895 Notes: Adelaide Football Club merged with Kensington for 1881 and resigned after 4 games (excluding 1 forfeit) Victorian in 1883 and Hotham in 1888 both renamed to North Adelaide but have no connection with the current SANFL North Adelaide (which joined in 1888 as Medindie and also changed its name to North Adelaide in 1893) Adelaide (1885-1893) was formed from the merger of the North Adelaide Junior (renamed Adelaide in 1884) and North Parks both junior clubs from the Adelaide and Suburban Football Association. Natives (formerly Port Natives) after 2 seasons changed their name to West Torrens in 1897 with the introduction of Electoral District Football
Longest wooden spoon droughts ClubTime periodYearsPort Adelaide1901-2023123North Adelaide1913-197866Norwood1920-196849Central District1978–present48Sturt1909-194941Norwood1878-191336West Adelaide1937-197236Norwood1969-200436Woodville-West Torrens1991–present35West Torrens1942-197534West Torrens1897-193034Glenelg1967-199832Sturt1962-198928West Adelaide1980-200526
Active wooden spoon drought by Clubs ClubLast wonYears sinceCentral District197749Woodville-West Torrensnever35Norwood200422South Adelaide201016Sturt201214Glenelg201412North Adelaide20179Adelaide (AFL Crows Reserves)20188West Adelaide20251Port Adelaide20260
Consecutive Wooden Spoons Six clubs have finished last in 4 or more consecutive seasons. Glenelg and West Adelaide having done so twice. Club Consecutive Wooden Spoons Sequence of Seasons Sturt81989–1996 Woodville61980–1985 Glenelg51921–1925 West Adelaide52019–2023 Norwood4 1913–1915, 1919 South Adelaide41926–1929 Glenelg41937–1940 West Adelaide42005–2008
References
http://www.sanfl.com.au/clubs/glenelg/