Feathers Hotel

The club's link with The Feathers Hotel

The Feathers hotel opened in June 1966 and was interested in establishing relationships with sporting clubs in order to be identified with the district. Tony Matthews already knew Bob Stafford-Lee and Bert Rogers and so in the hotel’s 2nd year in 1967 they set part of the restaurant area aside for club people to use after the game at 4-4.30pm until 6pm closing, when the restaurant was used for functions. This changed when 10pm closing cam in in 1968(?). The Club wanted to continue using the restaurant area up to 10pm but this wasn’t feasible. 

The club located a place for it’s own clubhouse at Linden Park. The Feathers went guarantor for Collegians’ and has served as the club's supplier of drink, as a venue for club meetings and annual dinner venues on and off since. They have been a major sponsor of the club since 1967.

There used to be a Feathers' sponsored Collegians v Burnside trophy + a $1,000 prize but Burnside, apparently, kept winning it.

The dinners were originally an all male affair. Perceived behavioural problems saw the venues for the dinners migrate around various city sites and also one year to a Burnside Council building. There was a limit to the number of places in Adelaide so it was decided to introduce women to these affairs in 1975/76 (?) and since then things have calmed down.

Sean Matthews struck up the latest sponsorship deal with the club 4-5 years ago.

.... Paul Horne - from a telephone conversation with Tony Matthews 30th January 2001