Wandsworth Demons
| Wandsworth Demons Football Club | |
|---|---|
| Names | |
| Nickname(s) | Demons, Dees |
| Motto | Pugnus Addo Magis |
| 2014 season | |
| After finals | Runners Up |
| Leading goalkicker | Trent Georgiou (club and league) |
| Best and fairest | Trent Georgio (club and league) |
| Club details | |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Competition | AFL London |
| President | James Perret |
| Coach | Conor Wilson |
| Captain(s) | Trent Georgiou |
| Premierships |
15
|
| Ground(s) | Clapham Common |
15
The Wandsworth Demons are an Australian Rules Football club who play in the AFL London competition (formerly the British Australian Rules Football League). They are a founding member of the league and have been based at Clapham Common in south London since 1990.
They are the only club that fields sides in each of the 5 divisions; Men's Premiership, Conference and Social, and Women's Premiership and Conference. Wandsworth are the most successful side in the Premiership with seven flags whilst the reserves grade side, the Clapham Demons, started playing in the Premiership in 1999 and were a founding member of the Conference in 2001. The South London Demons began in the Social Division in 2007, winning the inaugural flag. In 2014 the Demons were the first club to announce a ladies team for 2015 and in 2017 were the first club to introduce a second women's team for the newly created Women's Conference division.
Two Australians living in Clapham in 1990, Sean Angle and Craig Stephens, sourced a list of names in the area and held the first training session on 14 February, and the club was born. The club went on to win the inaugural season despite being regarded as underdogs in the Grand Final, beating Earl's Court by two points.
As the league was formed on the basis of promoting Australian Rules Football overseas, not just as a recreational outlet for itinerant travellers, the rules stipulated that 50% of the team had to be British. The club now fields the highest amount of players picked from the London league to represent their country in the GB Bulldogs.
With the amount of Australians looking to play in London increasing, in 1998 Martin Tunley and Sam Percy devised the idea of starting a second team, the Clapham Demons. The West London Wildcats followed suit in 2000, and the year after that the rules for the London Conference division were forged. North London, Wimbledon and the Gryphons subsequently entered second sides as well.In 2001 the Demons and Wildcats fielded three teams for the season.
In 2003 the club grew into a multi-sports outfit. The Demonettes began playing netball, and a basketball team started as well. The netball club has grown into a fully sufficient outfit with its own committee.
In 2007, Sam Percy as League President encouraged clubs to each try to field a third side, and the London Social grade began, with the South London Demons winning the first flag. This grade started with thirds sides from the big clubs in London, the seconds of Wimbledon, and teams from further afield such as Bristol, Reading, and Nottingham. It has since been joined by South East London Giants.
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