Gawler Eagles FC provides organised soccer games for boys and girls, men and women from 5 years to over 50 years old, and is affiliated with Football South Australia.
The club proudly represents the Gawler community in the colours of royal blue and yellow. Games are played home/away on Saturdays and Sundays. Home games are at Karbeethan Reserve in Evanston Gardens, a few minutes West from Gawler.
History
The Gawler Soccer & Sports Club was admitted to the Elizabeth & Districts Junior Soccer Association in 1978 as the Evanston Junior Soccer Club (EJSC). Seven teams were entered that year. The Club colours were brown & gold shirts, gold shorts and socks. The home ground was originally Argana Park, Elizabeth Downs with training at Evanston Primary School and Gawler High School.
Sam Debono, one of the founding members of the Club, became the Club's first Life Member in 1985; in 1998 Sam received a special award for twenty years service to the Club.
The EJSC became incorporated in 1981. After successful discussions with the Gawler Soccer Club, a senior men's club in the SAASL, both clubs amalgamated in 1982 forming the Gawler Soccer & Sports Club Inc (GSSC). However, this partnership was short lived and was dissolved in 1984, with the juniors retaining the GSSC name. The following year the GSSC moved to Karbeethan Reserve, Evanston Gardens and this became the Club's home ground.
In 1988 the GSSC entered men's teams (A/B grades) in the SAASL (Division 9). Floodlights were installed in 1989 and Clubrooms were completed a year later. That year (1990) also saw Helen Agius become the Club's first woman President.
1992 the Club fielded its first Women's team in the SAWSA. Quite a few of these players continue to be selected each year to represent the State.
The Club adopted the nickname 'Gawler Eagles' in 1993 and commenced the first of several discussions with Gawler Council regarding change rooms.
The junior Club colours were changed to gold & blue shirts with blue shorts and socks in 1994 to match the seniors due to the unavailability of Brown/Gold shirts. That year Kristy Moore from the women's team was selected for the Australian soccer squad.
The first of many soccer skills schools was introduced in 1995.
The Karbeethan Reserve Steering Committee, a joint venture of the GSSC, Riverside Cricket Club, Gawler Hockey Club and the Gawler Softball Association was formed in 1996 to put further pressure on the Gawler Council to upgrade the existing clubrooms at the Reserve.
1999 saw the GSSC enter a team (Colts) for the first time in the SA Soccer Federation Junior Premier League. Also that year Trinity College 'amalgamated' with the GSSC.
The Club entered the computer age in 2000 with its own Website and email address. The Club also hosted the inaugural South Australian Will Coerver Coaching Clinic, an internationally acclaimed coaching method for children. This year also saw Terry Smith, who played his formative years at Gawler in the juniors up to Under-13, selected for the Joeys (Under-17) World Cup Squad.
Club jackets, with sponsors for individual teams were introduced in 2001. These very distinctive jackets established our identity within the community. The Club in conjunction with the hockey club and softball association received a grant of $95,000 from the Department of Recreation & Sport towards the building of new clubrooms.
2002 marked the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Club and will go down in history as the Club's most successful year: three Junior League Championships (two undefeated), two Challenge Cup Winners (three finalists) and the Senior Men being promoted to Division 4. Club caps and a commemorative port were introduced to mark the 25th Anniversary.
In 2003 the Club again entered teams in the SASF competition (U-13 & U-14) with the U-13 coming Runners Up. The Karbeethan Sporting Association was formed to manage the administration of the reserve when the new facilities are completed.
In October 2004, the new Clubrooms with change rooms were opened. The Club also received a grant from the Department of Recreation & Sport to install floodlights on the main pitch. The Men's A grade, after coming Runnerrs' Up for many years, finally won their first League trophy since their formation in 1988 (Division 4).