The Lions, who wear royal blue and white stripes, currently compete in the Barossa Light & Gawler Football Association.

Their club and oval today situated at Eldred Riggs Reserve, Evanston, in Gawler.

[1] On the evening of Thursday 21st March 1889, a meeting of people interested in the formation of a football club at Gawler South was held at the Mill Inn (that site today the corner of Seventh Street and Main North Road, just before the Murray Street Bridge).

He explained the object of the meeting was to form a junior club in the locality for now, to join a senior association likely to be formed in Gawler in the near future; to then thereby "...increase interest in the game by endeavouring to get more matches on for juniors, so that by practice some useful players could be brought out".

Defender Yves Sibenaler Jr played in seven SANFL Premierships (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) for Central District, while Alan Obst (a 2007 Premiership player also with the Bulldogs) was listed with AFL clubs Adelaide and North Melbourne.

During the twentieth century, Walter "Winky" Price (a triple premiership player with West Adelaide), Ron May (who was at North Adelaide between 1924 and 1933; and a league premiership player in 1930), Lawrie Rusby (who played 172 league games for South Adelaide including premierships in 1935 and 1941) and Irishman Robin Mulholland (112 games for Central District) also represented South Australia in State-of-Origin during celebrated careers in the SANFL.

While Stephen Officer played for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League between 1971 and 1975.

Following the 2023 BLGFA title, with 39 first-grade premierships recorded and verified,[5] discussion since 2008 suggests that the Lions have accumulated the third-most premierships in South Australia[6] and (as of October 2024) are the equal-eighth winningest Australian Rules club in Australia.

They then won the flag in 2012 and 2015, while the Senior Colts' completed a hat-trick of premierships from 2009 to 2011, again in 2013 and most recently were crowned back-to-back premiers again in 2019 and 2020.

In 2017, women's football began with the BLGW so South created the Lionesses – first entering a senior team in the following 2018 season.

Despite humble origins, several excellent talents emerged; including Tegan Nottle – who was selected on the wing for state country in that inaugural season.

And in 2022, Captain-Coach Aisha Thomas won the Lionesses' first ever Association best and fairest.

In season 2023, the Under 16 Girls team would claim the club's first ever BLGW premiership (at any level) within only five years.

In 2021 the Lions finally broke their longest senior men's premiership drought (since 1993) in the club's 135-year history.

After 28 years (an interim during which they finished runners up in 1996, 2014 and 2020) South came back from a 57 point deficit halfway through the second quarter to overturn arch-rivals Willaston by one goal in the 2021 Grand Final at Elliott Goodger Park.

2021 was further punctuated by the club winning the first ever inaugural BLGFA Under 13s premiership for a new junior grade, while the Reserves were gallant runners-up.

Season 2022 saw both the A Grade and Reserves make the Grand Final once again, however with a reversal of fortunes.

While the second senior team were crowned Premiers; their first title since 2012, the A Grade who had dominated all season to be favourites were upset by Nuriootpa.

While the Reserves and Under 13s were upset in their Grand Finals after finishing top at the end of the minor round.

In 2024, the undefeated Under 15s claimed the Lions' eleventh Junior Colt premiership overall while the Reserves were runners up.

O'Reilly 1992 – X. Sibenaler 1993 – R.J. Hutchins 1998 – C. Bloffwitch, Z. Okunieff 2003 – Mrs L. Officer, P. Montgomerie, Ms M. Wohlstadt 2004 – R.J. O'Donoghue 2005 – J.F.

2022 Central District Football Club BLGW Trophy – Aisha Thomas Charlie Nottle George Nottle Fred Rusby Charlie Riggs Lawrie Rusby Eddie Mahoney Ron May Alan Pearce Ted Alwood Eddie Rau Robert Argent Brian Congdon Doug Freak John Hutchins Brenton Nottle Len Nottle Tom Symes Victor Sergejevs Graham Shrubsole Craig Argent Stephen Rolton Simon Head Shane Riggs Darren Bloffwitch Jamahl Butler Adrian Brown Martin Bartholomew Barry Deuter Tom Gleeson Kevin Jones Maurice Martin Barry Klose Colin Power Graham Shannon William Wright Garry Barker George Scotland Gary McCollum Robert Copson Shane O’Donoghue Shaun Fulton William Beckmann Stan Edmonds Dennis Grigg Anthony Pilichiewicz Robert Martin Gerald Newberry Xavier Sibenaler Grant O’Reilly Peter Bain Jeffrey Brown Allan Brookes Scott McDonald Craig Fowler Andrew Bevis Denis Heinrich Des Clark Brian Freak Harold Heinrich Brian Long Alan McDonald Robert O’Donoghue Ross Rigney Keith Trenowden Rod Smith James Callander Matthew Walker Eddie Schwerdt Darren Joyce Lee Makris Damien Ellis Robert Charnstrom Claude Freak Jr Max Heinrich Norman Khan Ian McDonald David Rolton Zenon Okunieff Robert Officer Robert Sutton Ron Riggs Kevin Hewett Peter Joyce Andrew Springbett Garry James Craig Hiskins Christopher Hurst Steven Nicolai Matthew Rana Brenton Craig Tyson Gordon Tim Clift Sam Montgomerie Jonathan Costa Jake McVicar Lachlan Hewett Ben Greatorex Aaron Bevis Jacob Ahern Clayton Cameron Matthew Daly Tyson Bowden Alex Hansen Jackson Dare Nathan Bartsch Daniel Goulding Scott Evans A Grade (39) 1891, 1893, 1894, 1899, 1901, 1902, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1979, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2021, 2023 Reserves (32) 1905, 1906, 1907, 1915, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1930, 1951, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1999, 2012, 2022 Colts / Senior Colts (18) 1960, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1988, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2020 Junior Colts (11) 1959, 1975, 1985, 1993, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2024 Mini League - boys (1) 2021 Senior Women (-) Under 16 - girls (1) 2023 Under 13 - girls (-) Heinrich, David and Hurst, Garry.

The Central District Football Club 30 Year Almanac Argent, Peter.