AFL Statement

The AFL today announced that 11 new Life Members would be inducted at the 2022 Annual General Meeting in March for their services to Australian Football, after having their award confirmed by the AFL Commission.

Life Membership was conferred under the provision of 'Special Service to the Game' to former Western Bulldogs President Peter Gordon, former Norwood Football Club player and SANFL administrator Phil Gallagher and Geelong Football Club administrator Stephen Wells.

A total of eight players, coaches and umpires qualified automatically after having reached 300 total AFL games during the 2021 season as a coach, player or umpire – Luke Beveridge, Grant Birchall, Stuart Dew, Patrick Dangerfield, Shane Edwards, Josh Kennedy, Jacob Mollison and Robert Findlay.

Paul Briggs was awarded the Jack Titus Service Award for outstanding service to football as the founding President of the Rumbalara Football Netball Club.

AFL Chief Executive Officer Gillon McLachlan said the Commission congratulated each individual on their award and the game looked forward to thanking each personally again at the season launch in March for their contribution to football, both on-field as players and umpires and off-field for their service as administrators / coaches / officials.

The records for each person is listed below.

GAME QUALIFICATION:

Luke Beveridge
118 games and 16 pre-season games played for Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, and St Kilda, kicking 107 goals.
160 premiership games and nine pre-season games as Western Bulldogs Senior Coach.
Premiership Coach for Western Bulldogs, 2016.
All Australian Coach, 2016.

Grant Birchall
287 premiership games and 17 pre-season games played for Hawthorn and Brisbane Lions, kicking 37 goals.
2 x International Rules games 2014, 2015.
4 x Premiership Player 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015.
All Australian, 2012

Stuart Dew
206 premiership games and 23 pre-season games played for Port Adelaide and Hawthorn FC player, kicking 293 goals.
83 premiership games as Gold Coat SUNS Senior Coach.
2 x Premiership Player 2004, 2008.
Club Leading Goalkicker 2002 (51 goals).

Patrick Dangerfield
285 premiership games and 19 pre-season games played for Adelaide Crows and Geelong Cats, kicking 324 goals.
8 x All Australian 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 (Vice Captain), 2019, 2020 (Captain).
6 x International Rules games 2010, 2014, 2015, 2017.
4 x Club Best and Fairest 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
State of Origin game, 2020.
Brownlow Medallist, 2016.
Club Captain, 2014.

Shane Edwards
281 premiership games and 22 pre-season games played for Richmond, kicking 187 goals.
3 x Premiership Player 2017, 2019, 2020.
All Australian, 2018.
State of Origin game, 2020.

Josh Kennedy
279 premiership games and 24 pre-season games played for Hawthorn and Sydney Swans, kicking 166 goals.
3 x All Australian 2012, 2014, 2016.
Club Captain, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021.
Premiership Player 2012.
Club Best and Fairest 2012, 2015, 2016.

Jacob Mollison
282 premiership games, 20 pre-season games and one AFLW game as field umpire.
1 x AFL Grand Final umpired, 2021.
7 x AFL Finals umpired.

Robert Findlay
279 premiership games, 20 pre-season games and one AFLW game as field umpire.
11 x AFL Finals umpired.

SERVICE QUALIFICATION

Peter Gordon
President at Western Bulldogs, 1989 – 1996.
President at Western Bulldogs, 2012 – 2020.
 
Key Achievements:
 
First period as President:

  • A key figure in the development of the national league, with his advocacy for all clubs, but in particular for the transformation of the Western Bulldogs, from the most challenging period in the club’s history to its current position as a strong club in the AFL competition.
  • Helped save the club from a merger with Fitzroy in 1989 through the famous Fightback campaign.

In his second period as President, the club achieved a number of milestones, including:

  • The eradication of significant debt
  • The building of a solid asset base
  • The return of a Footscray team to the VFL playing at VU Whitten Oval
  • The introduction of AFLW and VFLW teams
  • The club's exit from the Edgewater project and from the gaming industry generally
  • The creation of the club's men’s and women's health programs
  • The partnership with the City of Ballarat to bring AFL football to that city
  • The strengthening of the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation
  • Premierships in the AFL, AFLW and VFL

Peter also served on numerous AFL steering committees and key groups, for the wider benefit of the competition, including the AFL Commission / Club President Emergency Advisory group through the initial stages of Covid-19 from March 2020, when the competition had to negotiate major changes to all key agreements within the game.

Phil Gallagher
Norwood Football Club (player and administrator)
300 Games (292 Norwood FC & 8 State Games for South Australia); 216 goals
4 x Norwood FC Premiership Player; 1975, 1978, 1982, 1984
Captain of Norwood FC – 1981 – 1982;
On retirement longest-serving player in the Norwood FC’s history;
Selected in the Norwood FC Team of the Century (wing);
Norwood FC Board / Football Committee 1990 – 1999;
Norwood FC Chairman 1996 – 1999;
League Director 1995 – 1999;
Inaugural Member of Norwood Hall of Fame (Inducted 2006); SANFL Hall Fame.

SANFL (administrator)

  • Longest serving Non-Executive Commissioner in history 2000 – 2021 (ongoing);
  • Chairman of Finance, Audit & Risk Committee 2000 – 2021 (ongoing);
  • Deputy Chairman 2016 – 2021 (ongoing);
  • Oversaw all budget approvals and funding of AFL Clubs – Adelaide Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Clubs 2000 – 2014;
  • Developed the original financial modelling for the move from West Lakes to Adelaide Oval to illustrate that all parties SANFL, AFC and PAFC would be better off;
  • Sat on the 3-person sub-committee that evaluated the development proposals for the successful ongoing sale of the West Lakes property for greater than $70m;
  • Adelaide Oval - Appointed to the original Board of the Adelaide Oval Stadium Authority Management Ltd (AOSMA) in 2009 and continues to serve now.

Stephen Wells

1976 – 1977 Geelong Amateur Football Club player in VAFA and VAFA representative team v TAFL
1977 – 1978 Ocean Grove Football Club player in the Bellarine Football league and Bellarine FL Representative Team
1979 – 1980 Geelong West Football Club Player in the VFA, VFA Representative team v NTFL, VFA Representative team v SANFL
1981 – 1982 West Adelaide Football Club player in the SANFL
1983 Southport Football Club player in the QAFL (Premiers)
1984 – 1985 Echuca Football Club player in the Goulburn Valley Football League, Goulburn Valley Football league representative teams, Victorian Country Football League representative team VCFL
1984 – Commenced work with the Geelong Football Club
1984 – 1985 Country Zone Development Officer – Echuca based
1986 – 1990 Development Officer – Geelong Based and Under 19s Assistant Coach
1991 – 1993  Assistant Football Manager and Role in Recruiting
1994 – present Recruiting & List Manager
1998 – Recruiting Manager / General Manager Football Department
2004 – Life member Geelong Football Club
2008 – Member of the AFL’s List Development Committee for the establishment of the Gold Coast SUNS and GWS GIANTS.
2009 – RJ Hickey award for outstanding service to football
2013 – present Member, Honouring the Past Committee
2015 – present  AFL’s Player Movement Advisory Group
2019 – AFL Coaches Association Neale Daniher Lifetime Achievement Award
 
Through the roles held at Geelong Football Club, Wells has sat on various committees. In his time, the Club has reached eight Grand Finals, including three Premierships, and has seen three Brownlow Medallists, three Norm Smith Medallists, a NAB AFL Rising Star and multiple All Australian players.

JACK TITUS AWARD

Paul Briggs

Paul Briggs has been a tireless advocate for First Nations people within the game of Australian Football. As a Yorta Yorta Elder, his commitment and tenacity to improving outcomes for First Nations people through sport with the Rumbalara Football and Netball Club is to be acknowledged.

500 games of football in regional Victoria.
1983 – 1984 – By consulting with his Yorta Yorta community Briggs and others came up with the idea of the Rumbalara Football and Netball Club.
1989 – Rumbalara FNC became a registered sporting club.
1997 – Rumbalara FNC entered Division Two of the Goulburn Valley Football League. Rumbalara FC has since won a total of 22 grand finals and pennants across various football and netball divisions. Further, such players to have been involved in the football club include Jarrod Harbrow, Jy Simpkin, Sean Charles, Chris Egan, Allan and Derek Murray and Nathan Lovett-Murray. 
2006 – Awarded OAM for contribution to the community.
2015 – Briggs appointed inaugural chair of the AFL Indigenous Advisory Council
 
Other achievements include:

  • Rumbalara Football and Netball Club President and Secretary roles over 24 years
  • Executive Chair of the Kaiela Institute
  • Member of the Victorian Aboriginal Treaty Working Group
  • Executive Member of the Gana Burrai Committee
  • Support First Nations and community people through Rumbalara FNC including educational initiatives such as completing University PhDs and the creation of the Academy of Sport Health and Education in partnership with the University of Melbourne and GoTafe.