After over 30 years as a player and administrator, Geelong CEO Brian Cook has been awarded AFL life membership.

Cook, who assumed the reigns at Skilled Stadium in the dark days of 1999, has led the rebuilding of the club in the ensuing years. Over his nine years in charge the club has wiped off its debt, completed stage one of the redevelopment of Skilled Stadium and begun stage two, and of course ended a 44 year premiership drought with a record win over Port Adelaide in September.

Cook began his involvement at the highest level in 1975 when he left struggling VFA club Box Hill to move to Hawthorn. Cook spent two seasons at Glenferrie Oval but couldn’t crack a spot in the powerful Hawks line up, playing 45 games in the reserves alongside the likes of Robert Dipierdominico and Rodney Eade.

He moved onto Melbourne and made his senior debut on Queens Birthday 1977 against Collingwood at the MCG in front of over 60,000 fans. Cook played four senior and one night game for the Demons before returning to the VFA in 1978 with Caulfield.

Cook ventured to Perth in 1979 and lined up with Subiaco before crossing to East Perth in 1981. He was a member of the Royals 1981 reserves premiership team and he spent three seasons at the club as assistant coach, leading the reserves to another premiership in 1983.

Cook also captain/ coached Rockingham to a premiership in 1982 and was captain/ coach of Ainslie in the ACT league in 1986.

Brian’s administrative career in football gained steam when he was appointed general manager of the WA football development trust in 1986 and a year later he was named as CEO of the West Australian Football Commission and in 1990 he took over as CEO of the West Coast Eagles, a post he held until he moved to Geelong.