The AFL today announced that 16 new Life Members would be inducted at the 2016 Annual General Meeting in March for their services to Australian Football, after having their award confirmed by the AFL Commission.
A total of 13 players and umpires qualified automatically after having reached 300 total games as an umpire, player or player and coach – Shaun Burgoyne, Paul Chapman, Brendon Goddard, Scott Jeffery, Chris Judd, Justin Leppitsch, James Kelly, Stephen Milne, Sam Mitchell, Robert Murphy, Drew Petrie, Matt Stevic and Scott Thompson.
Life Membership was also conferred under the provision of ‘Special Service to the Game’ to North Melbourne Football Manager Geoff Walsh, AFL Medical Officers Association Executive Officer Dr Hugh Seward and former AFL Commissioner Bill Kelty.
AFL Chief Executive Officer Gillon McLachlan said the Commission congratulated each individual on his award and that the game looked forward to thanking each of them personally again at the season launch in March for their contribution to football, both on-field as players, umpires and coaches and off-field for their service as administrators / officials.
The records for each person are as follows:
Shaun Burgoyne
295 premiership games for Port Adelaide and Hawthorn.
20 pre-season games for Port Adelaide and Hawthorn.
One State of Origin Match.
Two International Rules Matches
Premierships 2004, 2013, 2014, 2015
All Australian 2006
Paul Chapman
280 premiership games for the Geelong Cats and Essendon.
23 pre-season games for the Geelong Cats and Essendon.
One State of Origin Match.
Premierships 2007, 2009, 2011.
Nom Smith Medallist 2009.
Best and Fairest 2006.
All Australian 2009, 2010.
Brendon Goddard
269 premiership games for St Kilda and Essendon.
27 pre-season games for St Kilda and Essendon.
Four International Rules Matches.
Best and Fairest 2013.
All Australian 2009, 2010.
Scott Jeffery
284 premiership games umpired since 2001.
39 pre-season games umpired since 2001.
Chris Judd
279 premiershp games for West Coast and Carlton.
19 pre-season games for West Coast and Carlton.
One State of Origin Match.
Two International Rules Matches.
Premiership 2006.
Brownlow Medal 2004, 2010.
Norm Smith Medal 2005.
Best and Fairest 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010.
All Australian 2004, 2006, 2008 (Captain), 2009 (Vice-Captain), 2010, 2011 (Vice-Captain).
Captain 2006-12.
Justin Leppitsch
227 premiership games for the Brisbane Bears / Brisbane Lions.
20 pre-season games for the Brisbane Bears / Brisbane Lions.
One State of Origin Match.
Four International Rules Matches.
44 premiership games as a coach for the Brisbane Lions.
5 pre-season games as a coach for the Brisbane Lions.
Premierships 2001, 2002, 2003.
Best and Fairest 1999.
All Australian 1999, 2002, 2003.
James Kelly
273 premiership games for the Geelong Cats (now with Essendon).
33 pre-season games for the Geelong Cats.
One State of Origin Match.
Two International Rules Matches.
Premierships 2007, 2009, 2011.
All Australian 2011.
Jim Stynes Medallist 2011.
Stephen Milne
275 premiership games for St Kilda.
33 pre-season games for St Kilda.
Four International Rules Matches.
Club Leading Goalkicker 2002, 2010, 2011, 2012.
All Australian 2011, 2012.
Sam Mitchell
285 premiership games for Hawthorn.
27 pre-season games for Hawthorn.
One State of Origin Match.
Two International Rules Matches.
Premierships 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015.
Best and Fairest 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012.
All Australian 2011, 2013, 2015.
Captain 2008-10.
Robert Murphy
292 premiership games for the Western Bulldogs.
25 pre-season games for the Western Bulldogs.
One State of Origin Match.
Four International Rules Matches.
All Australian 2011, 2015.
Captain 2015.
Drew Petrie
293 premiership games for North Melbourne
31 pre-season games for North Melbourne.
Two International Rules Matches.
Club Leading Goalkicker 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015.
Matt Stevic
279 premiership games umpired since 2004.
25 premiership games umpired since 2004.
Two International Rules Matches umpired.
Grand Finals 2012, 2014, 2015.
Scott Thompson
285 premiership games for Melbourne and the Adelaide Crows.
25 pre-season games for Melbourne and the Adelaide Crows.
One International Rules Match.
Best and Fairest 2011, 2012.
All Australian 2012.
Dr Hugh Seward
Dr Hugh Seward has had a continuous involvement in Australian Football since 1982 - a 34 year period of committed service. In the early 1980s, Dr Seward was one of Victoria’s first formally trained general practitioners in the emerging speciality of Sports Medicine. Almost immediately he became involved in the then-VFL competition with Geelong FC as a team doctor.
Dr Seward’s primary healthcare contribution has been at the Geelong Football Club where he was AFL Club Doctor and is a current board member.
Alongside this, a further significant contribution has been his leadership of the AFL Doctors Association, formerly the AFL Medical Officers Association. He has led this organisation for over 25 years and in the process established a collegiate medical approach to health care in all AFL Clubs.
Other contributions to the AFL have been:
Founding member of the AFL Research Committee
Member of the AFL Concussion Working Group
Active involvement in a number of AFL Rule changes designed to make the game safer – PCL injuries in ruckman, protecting the head and neck, protocols to treat players suffering from concussion
Leader in integrating modern sports medicine practices into the game
Co-author of the AFL (formerly VFL) Injury Survey, the longest continuous survey of its type in professional sport
Authored numerous scientific publications related to AFL injuries and their management
Been involved in many initiatives to improve the health and welfare of AFL player
Served as the Team Doctor for the Flying Boomerangs & Indigenous All-Stars (2006 to 2010), International Rules Team (1999 and 2000), Victorian team, State of Origin (1986 and 1991)
Geoff Walsh
Geoff Walsh has had31 years continuous AFL Club employment at four clubs. In that time, the clubs he has been involved with have won four premierships, competed in nine Grand Finals and been involved in 22 Finals Series.
1985 Fitzroy Football Club, Metro Development Manager
1986 Carlton Football Club, Metro Development Manager
1987- 93 Carlton, Recruiting Manager
1994 Carlton, Football Manager
1994 – 2002 North Melbourne Football Club, Football Manager
2002 – 2006 North Melbourne, Chief Executive Officer
2006 – 2013 Collingwood Football Club, Director of Football
2013 – current North Melbourne, Director of Football
Bill Kelty
Bill Kelty gave 17 years service to the AFL Commission after being appointed in 1998 until his retirement in March, 2015. His overall service as a Commissioner is second only to Graeme Samuel who served for 18 years.
His contribution to the game has been immense with a strong commitment to community football, the role of women in the game and the contribution of Indigenous players to the game.
With former GWS Giants and Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy, former AFL Commission Chairman the late Ron Evans and former Federal Government Minister Simon Crean, Bill also played a leading role in the establishment of AFL Sportsready which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015 and has provided education and job training opportunities for some 12,000 people since 1994.
He has continued his involvement in football since his retirement from the AFL Commission by overseeing a national review into the development of the game at all levels outside the AFL competition.
