A Proud Tradition

Payneham Norwood Union Football Club is an Australian Rules football club based in Adelaide’s eastern suburb of Payneham. The Club is an amalgamation of two football clubs, the Payneham Football Club and the Norwood Union Football Club, which took place in 1995. The Payneham Football Club was originally established in 1901 and the Norwood Union Football Club originated in 1902. The recently re-developed Payneham Oval is a magnificent community facility and is the Club’s home ground and training base.

From a small number of junior teams at the time of the amalgamation, the club has shown significant growth in the past few years to now boast teams from Under 7s through to Senior Division 1.

In 2024, the Club has 22 junior teams, including 2 junior girls teams, as well as 5 senior teams, including 2 senior women’s teams.

Success Breeds Success

2019 was a big year for the club with both the Senior Men’s and Women’s team winning Premiership Flags. The Senior Women have added to the trophy cabinet by winning the Division 1 Premiership in 2024.

Outstanding success in recent years has twice seen the Club win back to back premierships (2005 & 2006 and 2013 & 2014) and rise as high as Division 1 in 2015. Our Senior Men’s A Grade were Division 1 Grand Finalists in 2021, 2019, 2017 & 2015 and made it through to the Preliminary Final in 2018.

Individually our Club is blessed with some very talented players, including a number with extensive SANFL experience, many of whom are successful products of our junior program. A number of our players have had their hard work rewarded by being drafted to play AFL football, including James Aish, Joel Patfull, Gavin Roberts, Alex Forster, George Horlin-Smith, Orazio Fantasia, Tom Jonas and Tom Emmett.

A Community Based Club

Notwithstanding the great successes which the Club has achieved in recent years, we pride ourselves on being a community based club which welcomes players of all ages, genders and abilities. The Club heavily promotes family and community values, sportsmanship, hard work and fair play. The Club does not discriminate on the basis of ability. Our sub-junior teams (Under 7-10) are participation based, and while our junior premiership division teams (Under 11-16) strive to qualify for the finals series in their age levels each season, the Club actively endeavours to ensure that all players get equal opportunities to develop their skills and abilities during the season.

Infrastructure and Facilities

Payneham Oval is an outstanding training and playing venue with one of the best surfaces in the Adelaide Footy League. Junior football is hosted at the Club most Friday nights. There are 4 downstairs change-rooms with shower, toilet and trainer facilities. There are also playground facilities within the Payneham oval precinct. The Club is fortunate to have excellent clubrooms with full bar, kitchen and canteen facilities on-site to cater for both match day and larger functions. The well appointed clubrooms, recently re-developed in 2019, can cater for up to 150 people comfortably seated for meal service. There is stage and audio available for hired functions.

Junior Football

Payneham Norwood Union is one of the largest, most successful junior football club in the North Eastern Area (having been officially recognized as such in 2014 by the NEMJFA governing body). Payneham Norwood Union fields over 20 teams ranging from Under 7 to Under 16 and conducts Auskick Clinics. The Club introduced Junior Girl’s football in 2018, fielding an U12 and U16 team and now boasts 2 junior girls teams. The Payneham Norwood Union Football Club reaches over 400 families.

Women’s Football

Payneham Norwood Union proudly introduced women’s football in 2018, with an inaugural Division 2 Senior Women’s Team. We expanded on this in 2019 with the addition of a Division 5 Reserves side who made it through to the finals. After just 2 years in the South Australian Womens Football League, the Division 2 Senior Womens team went undefeated and won the 2019 Premiership. In 2024 our Senior Women won the Division 1 Premiership!

A number of our female players have been recruited to play SANFLW football, including Dani Stewart who was the 2018 runner up in the Adelaide Footy League’s Best & Fairest Count. We now have 2 senior women’s teams who compete in Division 1 of the Adelaide Footy League.