A distant memory: South Australian star Gavin Wanganeen tries to get the ball from a West Australian opponent during a State of Origin match in Adelaide in 1998. Credit:Bryan Charlton But the collapse of the State Bank in 1991 precipitated gloomy times ahead; Melbourne snatched the grand prix in 1996 and killed State of Origin in 1999. The economy ground to a halt; even Tony Modra left town. Meanwhile, the rest of Australia seemed to get on with it. In the past 30 years, the nation's four biggest cities all added at least one million to their population. Adelaide, once the third-largest city, trickled up just 300,000. Ironically, it was actually a South Australian, Wayne Jackson, who was the AFL's chief executive at the time of Origin's demise. He reckoned it would be looked at again "in 2003 or 2004". Still looking, perhaps? As luck would have it, those exact years were when the winds of change began blowing through the round-ball game.

So near, so far: Adelaide United coach John Kosmina looks dejected after Melbourne Victory won the A-League grand final in 2007. Credit:Kristian Dowling Though Adelaide City had a proud history and were considered a strong club, their crowds had plummeted by the turn of the century, while West Adelaide had already checked out of the top tier. The large Italian population, once the backbone of City, had integrated into the mainstream - and the mainstream didn't care much for the team oddly rebranded as the "Force". Three to the good... Dylan McGowan of Adelaide is pumped up after putting his side 3-1 up against Melbourne City. Credit:Getty Images In late August 2003, they withdrew from the National Soccer League. It proved a pivotal moment.

Not wanting to see South Australia go without NSL representation, businessman Gordan Pickard pledged to bankroll something entirely new: Adelaide United. So hasty was their entry to the NSL season, which began on September 19, that their first four matches were delayed so a squad could be prepared. They used that time to promote the club on an explicit principle: this was South Australia's team. A place to unleash that state pride, which lay dormant but had never actually died. It was a masterstroke. The colours? A red kit, with yellow and blue trim. The squad? Almost entirely derived from inside the borders. The coach? A local hero, John Kosmina. The public lapped it up. They responded to the rallying call in record numbers as 15,568 came for their first home game - the biggest crowd seen at Hindmarsh for 25 years.

United ended up finishing third that year, playing in front of a packed house almost every week. Along with Perth Glory, the Reds proved that football had a place in mainstream Australia. Without them, the A-League wouldn't have happened two years later. Much will be made in the coming days about the Western Sydney Wanderers' near misses in 2013 and 2014 but Adelaide's roll call of disappointments is longer and arguably more heartbreaking. In season one, the Reds dominated the A-League and choked in the finals, losing over two legs to Sydney FC and then - shockingly - bowing out to the Central Coast Mariners at home. A year later, they made the grand final but were crushed 6-0 by a rampant Melbourne Victory. Two years later, the same opposition at the same venue and the same outcome, albeit with five fewer goals conceded.

The 2009 Asian Champions League final produced more heartbreak, as Gamba Osaka ended the Reds' fairytale streak with cool precision. All in all, Adelaide have made the A-League finals eight times out of 11. It's a remarkable run without reward. Winning the inaugural FFA Cup helped ease the burn, but only marginally. As such, there is a tangible sense of football in South Australia coming full circle on Sunday. With an expected crowd of over 50,000, it will be the biggest gate ever for a round-ball match in that state. Every single South Australian will ride every kick, pass, tackle and header for 90 minutes and possibly another 30 more. God help them if we go to penalties. The Reds, in those two hours, will embody the zeitgeist of a state determined to remind the rest of an oft-ignorant, eastern-centric nation about their capabilities.