From a Lancashire village to Adelaide Oval, Adelaide United member Peter Williams reflects on a lifetime following the game – and why the Reds will always be his No. 1 club.
This is his story, in his own words.
I was born in 1946 in a village outside Blackburn, Lancashire, but my football journey really began in Frome, Somerset, where I started watching Frome Town around 1956. When we moved to Yeovil in 1961, I held a season-ticket at the Glovers until 1964, when I left home to study in Sheffield. I soon settled on Sheffield United, becoming a Bramall Lane regular with my girlfriend Gill, who later became my wife.
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In 1975 we moved to Peterborough, and Peterborough United (The Posh) became our club for the next 30 years. Our son, born that same year, grew up on the terraces with us, and eventually we followed the team to every home and away game for several years — 90 of England’s 92 league grounds, missing only Liverpool and Preston.
One trip to Brighton stands out: nine-man Peterborough United beat Brighton 2-1, then we celebrated with dinner and a concert.
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Another year, Gill secretly arranged for us to present the match ball before a game on our silver wedding anniversary – Posh won 4-1.
A falling-out with the club in 2006 sent me to Kettering Town for two seasons, but not long after Gill and I decided to emigrate to Australia, and we joined our son in following football down under. We chose Adelaide over Queensland’s heat, on one condition: a proper football club. Within three days of arriving in 2008, we’d bought season-tickets at Hindmarsh Stadium.
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Since then, Adelaide United has been my club, and nothing will change that now. I still watch NPL in winter, following Croydon FC for the past decade.
My favourite Reds memory is our extraordinary 4-4 draw away at Auckland FC in March 2025, though nothing beats the 2016 Grand Final at Adelaide Oval.
celebrates his goal in the 4-4 draw
These days I share matches with my friend Alan, a former Adelaide University player, and with my partner Betty, with whom I’ve chased the Reds to Sydney, Perth, Wellington and beyond.
Football has always been in my DNA. My advice to anyone considering membership: try it, but persevere.
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