BIO

Len Dangerfield was a versatile Glenelg footballer who, granted a permit to play for Norwood-North in the World War II competition, celebrated the 1943 premiership as 19th man.

Len was a Glenelg league player in 1940, 1941 and again, after the war, in 1945.  He represented West-Glenelg in 1942. He switched to Norwood-North in 1943 and his first game was against his old team.  He kicked a goal and was in the best players before he watched from the sidelines with an ankle injury as West-Glenelg romped home 21.15 to 11.11.

Two weeks later he broke a finger as a follower against Sturt-South.  He missed a game and then kicked four goals, two of them “gems”, from his familiar half-forward flank as Norwood-North lost to Glenelg-West by only eight points at Adelaide Oval on 12 June.

At the same venue a week later Norwood-North won its first match for the season, beating the leading team, Port-Torrens, by two points, 12.7 to 11.11.  Len injured a leg against West-Glenelg on 17 July. He did not play again until 7 August, when he was on a half-back flank as Norwood-North beat Glenelg-West by two points at Norwood Oval, 6.17 to 6.15, despite kicking 1.10 in the last quarter.

Len was 19th man in all three final round matches.  He watched on as Norwood-North finished strongly in beating Port-Torrens by 21 points in the grand final, 12.19 to 8.13.

Len Dangerfield and the Port-Torrens centre half-forward Ivan Dangerfield, perhaps a distant relative,  were both firemen.  Len also won sidecar competitions.

Len was born at Croydon on 7 December 1917 to Edward Dangerfield and his wife Charlotte (Offler).  He had five brothers and three sisters. He married Alma Hirst and they had two sons and a daughter.  He died at Mannum on 14 March 1957.

P. Robins, G. Adams, D. Cox January 2025