A Busy Year For Salisbury United Football Club

Salisbury United Football Club have had an absolutely jam packed 2023, with the Berries senior team taking out ‘the double’ of league premiers, while also taking home the Grand Final Champions cup!

Not only are the wins exciting, but come with an added bonus of earning promotion back into the State League 1 after a four-year absence, and setting up some exciting fixtures in 2024 against regular premier leaguers in West Adelaide, Adelaide Blue Eagles and Cumberland FC, as well as an enticing local derby against Playford Patriots.

The road to success has not been without its challenges, after the club relocated from its long-time home in Salisbury North on Decimal Road, to its new home in Burton next to Springbank Plaza.

‘Significant investments required in pitch maintenance, on top of COVID-19 almost took the club to breaking point in 2020. The venue is now one of the best amateur football facilities in the state, and allows sustainable club operations,’ says club Treasurer, Tony Dalwood.

The club’s success in 2023 was not limited to the Seniors team, however, with both the Reserves and Under 18s finishing as runners-up in their respective leagues, and the Under 17s taking out the league premiership.

The future is bright for this long-standing Salisbury club, which will be celebrating its 70th year in 2024. The club commenced its operations in 1954, when Bob Bush, the founding member and long-time Chairman, formed the club with co-workers from the Edinburgh RAAF Base.

From there, the club became foundational in the development of the football competition that we know today – particularly in its ground-breaking development of the women’s competition formation through Bob’s daughter Anne Gibbons. With the recent Women’s World Cup, the club is seeing an increase in interest and participation of girls at the grassroots level.

The club has also seen a very special milestone just last year, the 100th birthday of Iris Bush, wife of Bob Bush. At now 101 years old, Iris is still living in Salisbury today and makes sure to attend the club home games to cheer on the mighty Berries.

City of Salisbury extends a big congratulations to the Salisbury United Football Club on all their wins, and a very happy birthday to Iris.