Tintinara Football Club
The First Tintinara Football Team was formed in 1912 and the players were A. Bryden, A.Wendt,B.Northcott,F.Sullivan,A.Hodge,J.Bell,G.Henderson,B.Taylor,M.Hodge,G.Hunter,the Bainger Brothers,F.Casey,F.Dall,M.Norman,H.Rupkal,D.Bell and G.Helling. Club colours were blue and white. Early transport was by train and later when roads improved by truck to and from matches. In the 1931/32 season Tintinara and Keith footballers combined and played against Wolesley and Bordertown.Many games were also played socially with neighbouring towns.
The first football team to be recorded officially was in 1933 when H. Prosser was elected the first Captain and W.Healy as Vice Captain.Eventually a club was formed in 1936 and Tintinara joined with Keith,Coonalpyn and Yumali to form the Cardwell Association which was active until 1940 and then went into recess until after World War 2.During the war years many arranged matches were played to raise funds for charity and this kept football alive.
The club reformed in 1944 and continued tp play against the same three teams until Keith dropped out. Tintinara then joined the Lakes District Association in 1949. The association consisted of Tintinara, Coonalpyn, Yumali, Coomandook, Cooke Plains, Meningie, Ashville and Narrung.
The last three years of playing in this Association, Tintinara were premiers and had a reasonably strong team which influenced them to join the Tatiara League where a better standard of football was being played. This was in 1954 and the Tintinara Club played in the Tatiara League until 1993, where in 1971 the club colours were changed to navy blue with white monogram, navy blue shorts and socks. The club won only one premiership in the Tatiara Football League, that being the 'A' grade in 1977 with George Burns being the Coach. A 'B' grade team known as the reserves, was entered into the competition in 1961, a colts side in 1967 and a mini league team in 1974.
In 1949 the club felt that football was well established in the area and many working bees were held, finance was obtained by stump carting etc. and the football oval was relocated to the current site, a pipe fence was erected and the first change rooms of Mt.Gambier stone were built in 1955/56. Water was connected to the pipe rail on the fence and an attempt was made to water parts of the oval.
Prior to the Mt.Gambier stone change rooms being erected, the footballers changed in a tin shed measuring 12' x 10'. it had a dirt floor, no showers and the ladies provided afternoon tea in another tin shed that adjoined the changerooms. Tea etc. was made with the help of an old wood stove. Besser brick toilets and an afternoon tea room were completed in the 1964/65 season.
New change rooms were built in 1977/78 and opened in May 1978. Additions were made in 1980 joining the two areas together forming a recreation area between the two. Renovations opened in 1984 creating a clubrooms to be proud of as it included a modern kitchen, toilets and showers for the netballers and ladies, two large changerooms and a large carpeted area with a glass front viewing the football oval.
In 1993 the Tintinara Football Club almagamated with the BorderDowns Football Club and followed the River Murray Football League which included three teams from Murray Bridge, Meningie, Jervois, Tailem Bend, Mannum, Mypolonga and Nairne Bremer. The club changed colours to the Crows colours. The 'B' grade were Premiers in the first year while the 'A' grade competed in the finals series. Other premierships won in the RMFL were the Senior Colts in 1997 and 2001.
In 2002 the club again changed leagues moving to the Mallee Football league, which included teams from Pinnaroo, Lameroo, Karoonda, Murrayville and Peake.
