This Association was already in existence when joined by the "Varsity", and the other five teams competing at the time were Portland Imperial, Semaphore Central, Norwood II, West Suburban and Prospect.

This put the Club at a disadvantage in these matches as the team was a "scratch" side whilst Melbourne University was admitted to the VFL in 1908 after being Premiers of their Metropolitan Association for the previous two years.

In 1941 there was a shortage of players due to the war, and the Club only fielded an Al team in Amateur League and a 'B' side in the Students' Association.

Although University ranks were depleted due to war service, there were many fine footballers studying in reserved occupations and still looking for that Saturday game of 'footy'.

"Varsity" played a high percentage of matches against the League Reserves, but players of that era may remember RAAF teams from Port Pine, Mallala, Springbank and the School of Technical Training, (stationed in the old Exhibition Building, North Terrace).

One memorable event included a train trip to Mallala Base, the hospitality of the RAAF, and experiencing the thrills of a LINK TRAINER at the hands of the opposing team.

Old players on leave from the Services were always welcome for a game, Norm Shierlaw and Peter Dalwood once displayed their former skills by playing without training, and in Army boots.

This was a very successful era for 'the Blacks' with the Al's dominating the top grade and the lower sides increasing in strength as the decade progressed.

The district clubs of the Amateur League were making their presence felt more strongly, and the domination of student sides evident in the 1960s was waning.

The club reacted to these changes through very active recruiting campaigns on campus and amongst the schools, and by playing a higher percentage of graduate players than in the past.

To rectify this situation, the 1980 pre-season saw the continuation of a vigorous recruiting policy on campus, and extended to uni students not playing for the Blacks.

That the club now had a larger pool of willing administrators than had been the case for quite some time, the policy of pre-season trips to replace the Inter-Varsity competitions had proved very popular, and the upgrading of facilities at University Oval, despite a cutback in financial support from the Sports Association, all contributed.

In addition, the advent of Hold Your Bowlies - the weekly club gathering to read the scores and make a nominated skuller drink far too much beer - and increased sponsorship and involvement of past players established sound foundations that have been built on and are in evidence today.

John Griffen's influence in 1986 and 1987 was significant, with the 1986 A1 premiership providing the fillip that the Management Committee and Club players and supporters were seeking.

At least five sides competed in the finals for the rest of the decade - a great achievement that restored the Blacks to a position of strength in the Amateur League.

This in turn was influenced in part by the depressed South Australian economy forcing many potential players to move interstate or overseas to find employment or seek monetary rewards at other clubs.

As the decade progressed, a more stable player base developed and the club was rewarded with A grade premierships in 1996, under the guidance of co-coaches Terry McEvoy and Noel Annear, and in 1999, with Peter Simmons at the helm.

On his return, Peter found a radical change had taken place in the Amateur League competition, with the establishment of the semi-professional Premier 1 division.

Bob Neil fever remained as strong as ever, with songbooks, badges and merchandise, as well as the occasional guest appearance and keg-tapping demonstration by the legend himself at Hold Your Bowlies.

ushering in of the new millennium, the AUFC has enjoyed the normal delights and frustrations of suburban football in Adelaide: some A-Grade glory and plenty of special lower grade tomfoolery.

With the actual man spending a little less time at the lower grades he started to take on a mythical element especially to the freshman who had never laid eyes on him.

Many have tried and failed - his fans have carried banners emblazoned with his name to major sporting events in Australia and around the world, from Adelaide Oval to the MCG, from Lord's to Trinidad.

His good deeds were known far and wide-appearing out of nowhere to help tap a beer keg at a party[7] (a difficult task when there's no experienced bar staff around) or filling in for a player or an umpire at short notice.

When a Bob Neil banner was spotted at an Aussie Rules match at The Oval, London, he had ceased being a cult figure and had transformed into a phenomenon.

These days Bob Neil is known as the only man in Adelaide who gets away with wearing grey shorts during the footy season (so that he doesn't need to change between black for home games, or white for away).

A brilliant mathematician, Bob Neil reportedly works for the Defence Department out of a secret bunker north of Adelaide, protecting Australia from invasion by solving simultaneous mathematical equations.

Bob might have some important fourteenth line of an equation to solve, some huge problem of Australia's defence, but I'll ring him and say 'We haven't got an umpire!

In 1982 he assumed an administrative role at the Blacks that took various forms over the years including secretary, keeper of records, author of annual reports, recruitment officer and ultimately 'football director'.

He has served over the years as tribunal advocate, club spokesman, member of the SAAFL executive, charismatic and eloquent 'Hold Your Bowlies' host, and much more.

[20] However, Women's AFL was one of the fastest growing sports in SA in 2015 and the amount of interest has given the club a full bench most weeks.