The Commission considered a detailed report from historian Harry Gordon and the recommendations from the Review Committee, headed by Hall of Fame Selection Committee Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick, to ensure the charter of the Australian Football Hall of Fame remained relevant and appropriate.
It had been determined that ‘Legend’ status, the highest honour that can be bestowed upon an inductee of the Australian Football Hall of Fame, should remain exclusively for recognition of the most significant playing and coaching records. Further, the number of Legends that can be part of the Hall of Fame are to remain at a maximum of 10 per cent of the total inductees, ensuring the exclusivity of Legend Status.
AFL Commission Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick was joined on the Review Committee by fellow selectors Tim Lane and Leigh Whicker. The Review process involved seeking feedback on a variety of topics from the AFL Clubs, State Football Bodies, current Hall of Fame Inductees and Legends and all present and former selectors.
“The overwhelming view in all feedback was that the Hall of Fame should continue to recognise the most outstanding contributions to the game at any level,” Mr Fitzpatrick said, as part of the Review Committee’s report to the Commission.
“The criteria for elevating an inductee to Legend status requires that only ‘playing and coaching’ records be taken into account and not a candidate’s overall contribution to the game outside of playing and coaching,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.
“It remains the committee’s unanimous view that the category of legend should be reserved for the greatest players and coaches. The AFL Commission today accepted that view.
“It said it would ask the Hall of Fame Review Committee to re-convene after this year’s Hall of Fame awards to consider whether in future years there is another suitable form of recognition available for great contributions in other areas of the game.”
Mr Fitzpatrick said the other key changes accepted by the Commission today were as follows:
• The maximum number of inductees in any single year has been reduced from eight to six, to increase the emphasis and honour for those inducted;
• The requirement to induct a minimum of three recently retired players (retired within 10 years of each induction ceremony) has been reduced to a minimum of two, to ensure older players deserving of induction are represented in proportion;
• The requirement to have one inductee from the grouping of categories Umpire/Administrator/Media every year has been changed to a minimum of one from this category every two years;
• The Hall of Fame Selection Committee is to be the ultimate decision-making body and be independent from the AFL Commission. The wording in the charter has been changed so that the Selection Committee recommends to the Commission for “endorsement” rather than for “approval”;
• The quorum has been lowered to seven, allowing for a selector to be an apology through illness where there is minimum number of selectors (there will be eight selectors in 2010);
• Selectors would be appointed for an initial term of three years, with two further opportunities to be appointed for subsequent three year terms (total of nine years);
• At least 25 per cent of the Selection Committee to reside outside of Victoria.
The Commission also accepted a recommendation which provided unanimous support for keeping the current Selection Criteria in place regarding character. The charter states that the Selection Committee “may consider individual record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship and character.” Such decisions are at the committee’s discretion.
The Commission was also pleased to announce the appointment of Dennis Cometti and Matt Finnis as new Selection Committee members.
Dennis is a highly respected media and football personality, having played with West Perth in the WAFL and with Footscray in the VFL. He was West Australian State of Origin Chairman of Selectors in 1996-97, is a member of the West Perth Team of the Century and he was also a successful player and coach at state and community level for a number of years. Dennis has been heavily involved with print, radio and television media for more than 40 years, including winning the AFL Media Association Football Broadcaster of the year award eight times.
Matt is Chief Executive Officer of the AFL Players’ Association, having been with the organisation since 2005. He is a qualified lawyer and has graduated as a fellow of the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship, a two-year intensive professional development program in ethical leadership conducted by the St James Ethics Centre.
