Walkerville amalgamated with the North Adelaide Reserves Football Club prior to the 1979 season. North Adelaide Reserves was an independent suburban club and was not the reserves team of the North Adelaide Football Club. The club had previously been known as Thompson Memorial Football Club and later Thompson Football Club.
Thompson Memorial / North Adelaide Reserves
The club's origins were associated with the Congregational church community in North Adelaide. It was originally known as the Stanley Football Club, which was associated with the Thompson Memorial Congregational Church at Gilberton. In 1912, Stanley Football Club held its annual dinner at Thompson Memorial Church after completing an undefeated season and winning its third consecutive premiership. The Stanley name remained in use in 1915, while the Thompson Memorial name was in use by 1918.
Thompson Memorial competed for many years in church football before moving between metropolitan competitions during the Second World War. In 1941 the club temporarily combined with Spicer and All Souls in the United Church Football Association. By 1943 Thompson Memorial was competing independently in the Adelaide and Suburban Football Association and won the Blue Division premiership, defeating Kilkenny 11.10 to 11.9 in the grand final.
For the 1946 season Thompson Memorial transferred to the North Adelaide District Football Association (NADFA). The club became one of the stronger members of the competition during the following two decades. A 1947 team photograph describes Thompson Memorial as having completed that season undefeated, while the State Library of South Australia holds a photograph of the Thompson Football Club A2 premiership team of 1966.
At the end of 1968 the NADFA merged with the East Torrens Football Association to form the Norwood-North Football Association, of which Thompson became a member. The club subsequently adopted the name North Adelaide Reserves Football Club. Despite the name, it remained independent of the SANFL North Adelaide Football Club.
Following the collapse of the Norwood–North Football Association after the 1977 season, North Adelaide Reserves competed in the Adelaide and Suburban Football Association in 1978. The club won the A Grade premiership that season, defeating Adelaide Lutheran 12.11 to 4.9 in the grand final, along with winning the reserves premiership.
North Adelaide Reserves proposed an amalgamation with Walkerville during 1978, with the merger completed before the 1979 season. The combined club initially applied to join the South Australian Football Association, but the application was rejected and Walkerville instead competed in A3 of the South Australian Amateur Football League in 1979. The club subsequently entered the South Australian Football Association in 1980.
Premierships
| Competition |
Grade |
Premiership years |
|---|
| United Church Football Association |
Senior |
1910, 1911, 1912 |
| Adelaide and Suburban Football Association |
Blue Division |
1943 |
| North Adelaide District Football Association |
A1 |
1950, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1958, 1964 |
| North Adelaide District Football Association |
A2 |
1966 |
| Adelaide and Suburban Football Association |
A Grade |
1978 |
The Stanley Football Club, predecessor of Thompson Memorial, won three consecutive premierships from 1910 to 1912. The 1912 side completed the season undefeated.
Thompson Memorial won the Adelaide and Suburban Football Association Blue Division premiership in 1943, defeating Kilkenny 11.10 to 11.9 in the grand final.
During its period in the North Adelaide District Football Association, Thompson became one of the competition's stronger clubs. The State Library of South Australia also holds a photograph of the club's 1966 A2 premiership team.
In its final season before amalgamating with Walkerville, North Adelaide Reserves won the 1978 Adelaide and Suburban Football Association A Grade premiership, defeating Adelaide Lutheran 12.11 to 4.9 in the grand final.
