Australian Football

The original Encounter Bay football club was a foundation member in 1921 of the Great Southern Football League. In 1927 it made the first of an eventual ten grand final appearances, losing by a couple of goals to Port Elliot. The club’s only premiership was won in 1940. The 1954 season brought a merger with rival GSFL club Valleys with the new club bearing the name of Bay Valley Rovers until 1957, when it was renamed Encounter Bay.

To date, the Eagles have won a total of 10 senior grade premierships from 21 grand finals. They last went top in 2015, when they overcame Mount Compass in the grand final by 24 points, 12.3 (75) to 7.9 (51). The 2016 season brought a second straight grand final appearance but Mount Compass proved to have the Eagles' measure and won a low scoring clash by 22 points. In 2017 the Eagles plummeted down the list to eighth (of 10) after they only managed seven wins from 18 games. A year later they made the finals and finished fifth before slipping down the list to seventh in 2019. The 2020 season was conducted on a reduced scale basis owing to the coronavirus pandemic, and the Eagles did well to qualify for the grand final. Opponents Langhorne Creek proved much too strong, however, and cruised home by 61 points, 21.6 (132) to 10.11 (71).