Circular Head Football Association

The Circular Head Football Association (CHFA) is an Australian rules football competition based in the Circular Head area of north-western Tasmania, Australia. The CHFA currently features four clubs from small communities in the region and is the second oldest regional competition in Tasmania.^[1]

History

The CHFA was formed in 1900 as the West Wellington Football Association.^[2] The formation of the Smithton Football Club in 1918 prompted a reorganisation of football in the region, and the name of the competition was changed to the Circular Head Football Association in 1919. The original clubs in the West Wellington FA were Forest, Irishtown and Stanley and these three clubs and Smithton form the CHFA from 1919. During this period Irishtown won 10 premierships in a row, which is a Tasmanian record and the third longest premiership streak across Australia.^[3]

The competition remained stable and a two-year break was taken in 1942 and 1943 because of the second World War. Football resumed in 1944 with Irishtown defeating Smithton in the grand final that year.^[4] From 1947 to 1948, the CHFA was absorbed by an expansion of the North West Football Union^[5] but this ended in 1949. In 1951 Scotchtown and Marrawah joined the senior competition^[6] but they only lasted two seasons. However, as a merged entity they returned in 1962.^[7] The followed year Forest and Stanley merged to become the Forest/Stanley Football Club.^[8] Scotchtown dropped the "Marrawah" from its name after the 1975 season.

The departure of Smithton to the NWFU in 1980 prompted the promotion of Redpa, Trowutta and City from the reserve grade. Trowutta folded after the 1992 season^[9] and in 1996 they merged with City to form the Trowutta/City Football Club.^[10] The competition has remained more or less stable since then with Trowutta/City going into recess in 2010 for a year and permanently in 2015.

Premiers

* - As the Circular Head Division of the North West FU

Clubs

Current

Colours	Club	Nickname	Entered competition	Premierships
	Forest-Stanley	Demons	1963	1965, 1972, 1973, 1979, 1980,1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017
	Irishtown	Canaries	1900	1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1932, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1944, 1953, 1957, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1995, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2018
	Redpa	Redlegs	1980	1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2022, 2023
	Scotchtown	Tigers	1950	1977, 1987, 1988, 2004, 2021

Previous

• City 1980–1995 merged with Trowutta
• Forest 1900–1962 merged with Stanley
• Smithton 1918–1979 moved to NWFU in 1980
• Stanley 1900–1962 merged with Forest
• Trowutta 1980–1992 recess and then merged with City
• Trowutta-City 1996–2014 disbanded

2017 Ladder

2018 Ladder

References