2025 Think! Road Safety Country Football Championships Heading to Port Pirie

June 12, 2025

Port Pirie is gearing up to host the 2025 THINK! Road Safety Country Football Championships next month – the first time the Mid North town has hosted the event since 2019.

Around 250 of South Australia’s best male and female country players, along with 200-plus officials from regional leagues across the State, will gather in Port Pirie from Friday, July 11 to Sunday, July 13 as they represent their zone in matches at Memorial Oval and adjacent Pirie West Oval.

The full fixture for the championships for the event was released by SANFL today.

Friday night footy will return for the 2025 THINK! Road Safety Country Football Championships, with Northern versus Eyre Peninsula women’s teams opening the championships under lights at Memorial Oval from 5:30pm.

The Round 13 Hostplus SANFL League regional match will be a highlight of the championships, with North Adelaide taking on South Adelaide in the heart of the Roosters’ country zone at Memorial Oval on Saturday from 2.30pm.

Eastern zone will be looking to secure its third title in-a-row in the men’s championships, whilst the Eastern women’s squad will also be looking to go back-to-back after winning its first championship in Victor Harbor last year.

SANFL Head of Community Football Shawn Ford said the annual championships, which first started in 1994, provides an invaluable opportunity to showcase some of the best country footballers SA has to offer.

“The country championships are more than just a football carnival – they are one of the biggest regional sporting carnivals on the South Australian calendar and will bring substantial social and economic benefits to the Port Pirie community,” Ford said.

“This iconic weekend of football will celebrate everything we love about country footy in South Australia and will also provide Port Pirie residents with the opportunity to see SANFL footy locally when North Adelaide takes on South Adelaide at Memorial Oval on Saturday afternoon.”

Ford also acknowledged the longstanding partnership between SANFL and the Department of Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) to continue to promote the vital road safety message through the THINK! Road Safety Partnerships Program.

“SANFL has been a strong and committed road safety advocate for many years and the THINK! Road Safety Country Football Championships is a vital event which increases awareness and drives home crucial messages and education about road safety to our football community,” he said.

Minister for Police, Stephen Mullighan, said “it’s great to have the SANFL onboard to help us deliver vital road safety messaging, using their THINK! Road Safety Country Football Championships to positively influence the behaviour and attitudes of all road users, including regional residents who we know are over-represented in road trauma statistics”.

“Regional road safety remains a key pillar of our Road Safety Action Plan 2025-27 – we look forward to working with the SANFL to empower everyone behind the wheel to make better informed decisions to keep themselves and other road users safe,” Minister Mullighan said.

Port Pirie Regional Council Mayor Leon Stephens said “we are very excited to host these championships. This is a fantastic opportunity for the Port Pirie region and a perfect example of what young people can achieve within a region”.

“I watched earlier this year when the SANFL under-16s and under-18s played at Memorial Oval – North Adelaide versus Norwood – it was a magnificent spectacle of the skill sets of these young fellows, and I look forward to our local young players again being exposed to such high levels of excellence,” Mr Stephens said.

“We can’t wait to welcome everyone to Port Pirie for a memorable weekend of football.”

 The 2025 fixture for the THINK! Road Safety Country Football Championships can be viewed on the SANFL website here

Online tickets for the event will be available for purchase on the SANFL website soon.

Every match from the carnival this year will be exclusively live-streamed for FREE on SANFL Now.

The North Adelaide v South Adelaide Hostplus SANFL League match will be live-streamed for subscribers on SANFL Now.