AFL Statement

The AFL is pleased to announce that eight new life members will be inducted for their services to Australian Football.

Five inductees automatically qualified having reached 300 total AFL games: Trent Cotchin, Todd Goldstein, Josh J. Kennedy, Paddy Ryder and Steele Sidebottom.

Lisa Hardeman, Eddie McGuire and Bruce McAvaney were awarded life membership for their 'Special Services to the Game'.

Peter Haby was awarded the Jack Titus Service Award for outstanding service to football as the Hawthorn Football Club Historian and Museum Curator.

The AFL Commission confirmed their awards at their meeting late last year and the new life members will be welcomed and honoured at the Season Launch in Melbourne on Thursday, March 9.

GAMES PLAYED QUALIFICATION

Trent Cotchin
287 premiership games and 15 pre-season games played for Richmond.
Brownlow Medallist, 2012
Premiership player, 2017, 2019, 2020.
3 x club best and fairest, 2011, 2012 and 2014
All-Australian, 2012
Club captain, 2012-2021
State of Origin game, 2020.

Todd Goldstein
295 premiership games and 19 pre-season games played for North Melbourne
Club best and fairest, 2015
All-Australian, 2015
State of Origin game, 2020

Josh J. Kennedy
293 premiership games and 20 pre-season games played for the West Coast Eagles and Carlton
2 x Coleman Medallist, 2015 and 2016
Premiership player, 2018
3 x All Australian, 2015 (VC), 2016, 2017 (VC)
7x Club leading goal kicker, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020

Paddy Ryder
281 premiership games and 26 pre-season games played for Essendon, Port Adelaide and St Kilda
Club best and fairest, 2017
All-Australian, 2017
International Rules game, 2017

Steele Sidebottom
289 premiership games and 25 pre-season games for Collingwood
Premiership player, 2010
2 x Club best and fairest, 2017 and 2018
All-Australian, 2018
State of Origin game, 2020

SERVICE QUALIFICATION

Lisa Hardeman

Lisa Hardeman has contributed to Australian Football for more than 40 years as one of the driving forces behind the establishment of elite women’s football.

Lisa began her football career at the Fairfield Football Club, playing 111 games (in much shorter seasons) in the Victorian Women’s Football League (VWFL). 

Lisa won the Premier Division best and fairest award, the Helen Lambert medal, in 1989.

Between 1992 and 1997, she represented Victoria (twice as captain) and played in five premierships. 

Her strong leadership skills saw her become the captain at the Scorpions (1989, 1993 and 1994) and Darebin Falcons (1996), leading both clubs to premiership success.
 
Lisa’s contribution to football continued off the field with an outstanding coaching career spanning more than a decade. 

Lisa coached the Darebin Falcons (1997-2000) and Melbourne University (2001-2003, 2009) to multiple premierships and led the Victorian Representative team as coach from 2001 to 2004. 

Her football administration has also been exceptional, serving as the VWFL President in 1989 and from 1997 until 2000.

Lisa was the VWFL Secretary in 1996 and a member of the VWFL Advisory Board with AFL Victoria.
 
Lisa’s football legacies include the Victorian Football League Women’s Grand Final Best on Ground award ‘The Lisa Hardeman Medal’ and the ‘Hansen-Hardeman Cup’ for AFLW matches between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs.

In 2022, Lisa was announced as the 2022 NAB AFLW Premiership Cup Ambassador.

She has also served in the Victoria Police for 38 years and is currently the Commander in charge of the Priority and Safer Communities Division, being awarded the Australia Police Medal in the Australia Day Honours in 2018.

She was inducted into the Victoria Police Sporting Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Victorian Honour Role of Women in 2019 for her service to Victoria Police and women playing football.

Bruce McAvaney

Bruce McAvaney’s contribution to Australian Football has been nationwide, long-lasting and framed some of the most memorable moments in our game’s history.

  • 1978 – Began calling with Channel Seven Adelaide in 1978
  • 1981-83 – Lead SANFL caller
  • 1983-89 – Commentator with Network Ten
  • 1989-2020 – Commentator with Channel Seven.

Bruce called more than 1,000 AFL games, comprising 20 Grand Finals which included a five-year period where Channel Seven did not have the broadcast rights.

As lead caller for Channel Seven across the period, he was teamed with Dennis Cometti as their main team. He was also the network’s Brownlow Medal host.

Alongside his 30-plus years as a football caller, Bruce’s work across the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, horse racing and tennis has been peerless as the highest-quality candidate in Australia’s media. 

Eddie McGuire

Eddie McGuire took over as President at Collingwood Football Club in 1998. At the time, the club had 27,099 members, building its numbers to a membership high of 85,226 in 2019.

While the crowning glory was the 2010 AFL Premiership, Eddie played a key role in progressing the club and growing it from a single men’s football team to a club housing eight teams – including men’s and women’s football teams, a netball team, and a wheelchair and community football team – ensuring a broader and more inclusive club.

He also oversaw the AFL program’s shift of home ground from Victoria Park to the MCG in 1999 and its complete departure from Victoria Park as a training venue for Olympic Park – a venue at the centre of Melbourne’s sporting precinct – in 2004.

The club’s community programs, particularly the Magpie Nest homelessness initiative and the Barrawarn First Nations training program, were Eddie’s passionate interests. 

As President, Eddie oversaw:

  • The 2010 AFL Premiership.
  • 13 finals campaigns including six grand final appearances (2002, 2003, 2010 x2, 2011, 2018).
  • Collingwood’s move from Victoria Park to Olympic Park and the MCG.
  • The drive to advance women’s sports, including the introduction of AFLW and Super Netball to the Club in 2016.
  • Introduction of wheelchair and community football teams.
  • Redevelopments of Victoria Park and Olympic Park and establishment of the Glasshouse.
  • Collingwood becoming the first AFL Club to sell all of its gaming venues – and the establishment of a Club Future Fund.
  • The establishment of community programs including the Magpie Nest Program and the Barrawarn Program.

Separate to Collingwood, Eddie has represented AFL football across many capacities, from a leadership perspective, his advocacy and within his media roles. This commenced with his early news reporter roles, to the host of the Footy Show from 1994 – 2005, radio (Triple M) and Fox Footy commentary, as well as numerous hosting and working roles across industry events.

JACK TITUS RECOGNITION OF SERVICE AWARD

The Jack Titus Award is named in honour of Jack ‘Skinny’ Titus, who scored 970 goals in 294 matches for Richmond between 1926 and 1943.

Peter Haby, Hawthorn Football Club’s Historian and Museum Curator, was awarded this year’s Jack Titus Award.

Below is a long list of Peter’s highlights with Hawthorn FC. Peter has also volunteered for 45 years of service to the Australian Football History Group.

  • 1978 – Began Hawthorn FC research at MCC, VFL and State Libraries.
  • 1984 – Joined club’s history group to assist Harry Gordon with the publication of ‘The Hard Way’, completed in 1990.
  • 1992 – Foundation member of Hawks Forever, the Historical Committee of HFC as historian and curator.
  • 1993 – First historical day presentation of HFC Family Day.
  • 1994 – Hawk Museum opened in the Dr Ferguson Stand.
  • 1996 – Member of the Operation Payback Steering Committee.
  • 1999 – Retired from schoolwork to become a full-time volunteer at Hawthorn FC.
  • 2000 – Co-organised the first Life Members Day and did so until 2007, when the club took responsibility. Australian Sports Medal recipient for services to Australian Football.
  • 2001 – Awarded club life membership. First book published - ‘We Are Hawthorn the pictorial history of the HFC’.
  • 2003 – Hall of Fame Committee foundation member. Formed the Past Player database, gathering the details and addresses of more than 500 players, from the 816 to have represented the club. Only 19 players in the club's history are unaccounted for.
  • 2005 – Creation of the 80-year exhibit to celebrate the club’s entry to the VFL/AFL.
  • 2006 – First Club exhibitions held at the Queen Victoria Museum and Launceston Art Gallery.
  • 2007 – Appointed Club Historian and Museum Curator.
  • 2008 – Published his second book – ‘Mud Muscle & Blood the Story of the 1957 Hawks’ with Richard Allsop. Held 50th-anniversary function for the first finals appearance with the 1957 team.
  • 2010 – Developed all club displays at Waverley Park, honour boards etc from previous locations at Glenferrie.
  • 2011 – Third book published, ‘Gold & Brown Jubilee the Story of the ‘61 Hawks’ with Richard Allsop.
  • 2013 – Hawks Museum achieves museum accreditation with Museums Australia.
  • 2014 – Received Life Membership to the Australian Football Heritage Group, Second Club exhibitions held at the Queen Victoria Museum and Launceston Art Gallery.
  • 2019 – Gained re-accreditation with Museums Australia. Hawthorn has the only accredited museum open to the public.  
  • 2020 – Fourth book ‘Kennedy’s Commandos the Story of the ’71 Hawks’ was co-written with Richard Allsop & Rachel Bradshaw.
  • 2021-22 – Cataloguing and reviewing the John Kennedy Snr and Graham Arthur collections that have been donated to the club.