The TAAFC was founded in 1976 and was a founding member of the former Central Coast Australian Football League. The club's search for players to field their inaugural team included eight players from Gosford who had just recently departed from the CCAFL's sister league, the Newcastle Australian Football League, in 1975. The Panthers saw success early, winning the inaugural CCAFL premiership in a closely fought win over Gosford. After 1976, the club saw a 12-year premiership drought but 1988 saw a new era of success for the Panthers as they managed to win four premierships in a row from 1988 to 1991. Terrigal-Avoca took out the 1994 and 1996 premierships and still continued to be a force onward from 1999 when they beat Killarney Vale in the final CCAFL grand final before both the Central Coast and Newcastle leagues merged to form the Black Diamond Australian Football League, now known as AFL Hunter Central Coast. Terrigal-Avoca won the inaugural BDAFL premiership in 2000 beating Cardiff17.16.118 to 10.18.78. There then followed another prolonged premiership drought for 12 years when the 2012 grand final was won over Cardiff in the Hawks' fifth consecutive grand final loss. The Panthers lost to Newcastle City the following year in 2013 but then came back to being one of the league's strongest teams by beating Killarney Vale in the 2014 grand final and again in 2015 accounting for Newcastle City winning 14.9.93 to 10.11.71. 2016 saw Terrigal-Avoca's fifth straight grand final appearance but ultimately ended in disappointment as Newcastle City won the premiership but the tides turned again in 2017 when the Panthers beat Cardiff by 9 points but lost the most recent grand final of 2018. Terrigal-Avoca still continue to field junior and senior teams in Central Coast Junior AFL and the BDAFL and are regarded as the most successful club on the Central Coast.
Terrigal-Avoca currently field senior teams in the Black Diamond Cup, Black Diamond Plate and fielded a Women's team for the first time in 2018. The club also fields junior teams in Auskick, U9s, U11s, U12s, U14s, U15s, U17s, U12 Youth Girls, U14 Youth Girls and U17 Youth Girls.
