Comprising sixty-seven member clubs playing over one hundred and ten matches per week, the league is one of Australia's largest Australian rules football associations.

Adelaide University Football Club was keen to field a team in the SAFA competition and applied each year from 1906 to 1910.

Each time the application was rejected as it was felt the inclusion of a university team would threaten the electorate system.

[3] By late 1910 Glenferrie, Marlborough and St. Bartholomew clubs had agreed to join with University to form the new association based on amateur principles.

An attempt to oust then President Gino Capogreco in October 2013 failed when the vote was defeated at an extraordinary meeting of the league.