ST KILDA head trainer Ken Whiffen has been awarded AFL life membership after 44 years of loyal service, but he almost didn’t reach his milestone season.
At the end of last season he decided to retire and would no longer be involved if it wasn’t for the intervention of players and officials at the club.
"A couple of the players came up to me and said, what’s this about you giving it away?" Whiffen said.
The 80-year-old was insistent he was going to give the game away, but a call from football manager Kenny Sheldon finally convinced him to do another year.
After a persuasive chat, Whiffen said Sheldon again asked him to stay with the Saints. "I said I’d love to," the trainer said.
Whiffen says whatever words he used to describe what the award means to him, it would still be “an understatement”.
"It’s one of the greatest things that’s happened to me in football and I think undeserved because St Kilda Football Club and football in general doesn’t owe me a thing. I couldn’t buy what I’ve got out of it."
And there’s certainly no doubting his dedication to the club.
"My wife comes first, my daughter comes second and St Kilda comes next… I love St Kilda," he said.
"I love the people, people make a club… the group we have today are one of the best we’ve had in the 44 years I’ve been at the club. They’re a great bunch of blokes these young boys and they’ll take us places."
The head trainer has seen big changes in football since he began his career at the Saints.
"When I started, the players would mostly turn up on push bikes, they were rich if they had a car.
"We used to turn up Tuesdays and Thursday nights and they’d wander out on the ground for a couple of laps and a bit of kick to kick and a bit of end to end and that was it."
As for how long he will continue with the club, Whiffen, who was a runner in the Saints' only premiership in 1966, is adamant about how he’d like his term to end.
"I think this will be my last year because I think we’ll win a premiership and if we win a premiership, I’m out."
St Kilda star Luke Ball is hopeful the team can do just that.
"It’s a huge achievement for Ken and certainly one that’s thoroughly deserved," Ball, who stood down from the joint captaincy last week, said.
"It’s great to see a friendly face around the club and you know he’s been there through all the hard times, and the good times, though they’ve been few and far between.
"Hopefully he can stick around a little bit longer so that we can bring him some joy. No doubt that’s what he’s hanging around for so hopefully we can send him off on the right note because he’s been a fantastic stalwart for the St Kilda footy club."
To watch the full interview with Ken Whiffen, click here.
