NFC Hall of Fame Inductee – Alfred Roberts

Alfred Roberts is the 68th Inductee to the Norwood Football Club Hall of Fame.

Roberts was inducted at the Club’s Hall of Fame Event on Thursday, May 9 2024, held in the Norwood Function Room at the Club’s Wolf Blass Community Centre.

Alfred Jabez Roberts was born in Norwood on 7 April 1863, and attended Norwood Grammar School. He moved to Melbourne with his parents in 1877 where he attended Wesley College.

In 1880, he returned to Adelaide where Roberts played for the Kensington Football Club in 1880 and 1881 and South Park in 1882, before joining Norwood in 1883.

Popular and well respected, he had an outstanding first year with Norwood in 1883, playing in his first Premiership and the Club’s sixth overall.

Roberts became an important contributor to Norwood’s success in the 1880’s. Ever reliable and hard-working, he was one of the State’s best followers.

He captained the Club in 1886, becoming Norwood’s third captain, after Joe Osborn and Topsy Waldron, and the first South Australian born player to lead the Norwood Football Club.

After handing the captaincy back to Waldron, Roberts went on to win three more flags in 1887, 1888, and 1889.

In 1888 he was a member of the Norwood team that claimed the Champions of Australia title after defeating South Melbourne three games to nil at the Kensington Oval.

Roberts served on Norwood’s committee from 1887 to 1889 and in 1909 was awarded life membership of the Norwood Football Club.

He also had a distinguished career outside of football; A State tennis player, President of the South Australian Lawn Tennis Association and in 1914 went to England as honorary manager of the Davis Cup team.

Roberts founded the Glenelg Bowling Club, was President of the Glenelg Golf Club, and in 1897 sponsored a tour of Australian baseball players to the United States.

Alfred Roberts served as Mayor of Glenelg from 1901 to 1903 and 1916 to 1917.

During World War I he played a significant part in enlistment and other patriotic campaigns and subsequently received the Order of the British Empire for his services.

Alfred Roberts died at Glenelg on 3 July 1939.

The club proudly welcomes Alfred Roberts as Norwood’s 68th Hall of Fame inductee.

Career: 1883 to 1891
NFC Games: 104
NFC Goals: 20
Debut: v North Adelaide (Adelaide) 5 May 1883
Finale: v Port Adelaide (Adelaide) 22 June 1891