Sydney Swans veteran Jarrad McVeigh and board member Sam Mostyn have today been announced as AFL Life Members for their services to Australian Football.
The AFL today announced that 11 new Life Members would be inducted at the 2017 Annual General Meeting in March after having their award confirmed by the AFL Commission.
Life Membership was conferred under the provision of ‘Special Service to the Game’ to dual Essendon premiership player and long-time club adminstrator John Birt, 1983 Brownlow Medallist and inaugural West Coast captain Ross Glendinning and former AFL Commissioner Sam Mostyn.
Sam Mostyn, now a director at the Sydney Swans, was the first woman elected to the AFL Commission and becomes the second woman in VFL/AFL history to receive Life Membership, after the late Jill Lindsay.
A total of eight players and umpires qualified automatically after having reached 300 total AFL games as an umpire, player or player and coach – Gary Ablett junior, Matthew Boyd, Luke Hodge, Jarrad McVeigh, Dean Margetts, Simon Meredith, Matthew Nicholls and Leigh Montagna.
Les Bailey from the Geelong Cats was awarded the Jack Titus Service Award for outstanding service to football, particularly at a club level, for his 40-year commitment to the club as a volunteer.
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, umpires and coaches and off-field for their service as administrators / officials.
Sam Mostyn
Sam was the first woman to be appointed to the AFL Commission, joining in 2005, coming from a strong corporate and government advisor background in a non-traditional football state.
She brought a diversity of thinking to AFL Commission and was a powerful advocate for the importance of people from diverse backgrounds being involved in Australian football at all levels, leading the debates on the AFL’s Respect and Responsibility policy, Indigenous and multicultural programs.
Her advocacy for the participation of women and girls playing at all levels of the game and in the work force in the AFL and across clubs and states was a significant factor in the development of a national women’s league.
Since her appointment to the AFL Commission, every AFL club now has at least one woman on their board compared to 2005, when less than five clubs had appointed a woman to their respective boards.
Apart from her advocacy for women at all levels of the game, Sam brought a high level of business and corporate knowledge to the AFL Commission table in areas including government relations, corporate affairs and human resources.
Sam’s 10 years of commitment to the AFL Commission made the AFL a better, stronger and more community-minded organisation, and has left an indelible stamp on our game.
Jarrad McVeigh
287 premiership games for the Sydney Swans.
20 pre-season games for the Sydney Swans.
Three games for Australia.
Premiership 2012.
Club Best and Fairest 2008, 2013.
Club Captain 2013-2016.
All Australian 2013.
