The GIANTS’ inaugural coach and Life Member, Kevin Sheedy, has been elevated to Legend status in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
Sheedy was appointed coach of the club in 2009, helping to build the brand and identity of the club until taking the reins as coach for the GIANTS’ first two seasons in the competition.
Being named as a Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame is the highest honour which can be bestowed in the game. Individuals are selected for Legend status if they have had a particularly significant and positive impact on the game of Australian Football.
Sheedy was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008 and was named this year’s Legend at Tuesday night’s annual ceremony in Melbourne. There are just 27 Legends in the game’s history.
The 70-year-old is one of the great football identities of all time. He played 251 games for Richmond from 1967-1979, winning three VFL Premierships during his 13 seasons as a player.
He was appointed coach of Essendon in 1981, leading the club for a record 27 seasons, winning four Premierships (1984, 1985, 1993 and 2000) in his 634 games and revolutionising the game in the process.
In late 2009, Sheedy was named as the inaugural coach of the GIANTS.
One of his early decisions as coach of the club was to pick up a young Indigenous rookie from Narrandera, and it was Zac Williams who represented the club at Tuesday night’s ceremony, speaking of Sheedy’s impact in Western Sydney.
“I love Kevin Sheedy. And there’s no way I’d be standing here if it wasn’t for him,” Williams said.
“Western Sydney knew little of AFL, but everyone knows Kevin Sheedy. He’d achieved everything in the game, he didn’t need to come to Sydney. But ‘Sheeds’ saw the big picture.
“The time, effort and sacrifice he put into building our club is why he’s considered the father of the GIANTS. And in the only way Kevin Sheedy knows how, he put Australian Rules Football on the map in Western Sydney.
“I had been overlooked by every club, but Sheeds was the one who saw something in me. Sheeds, you gave me the chance to play football at the highest level and live my dream. You believed in me. But not only that, you enabled me to provide for my mother and my family.”
Sheedy led the GIANTS in 2012 and 2013 before handing over the reins to Leon Cameron and joining the club’s Board as a Director.
Sheedy was named the GIANTS’ first Life Member in 2015 before he returned to the Bombers to take up the position of General Manager, Innovations and Strategy, remaining a strong advocate and supporter of the club.
Sheedy's many achievements at the GIANTS included:
• Coaching the GIANTS to their first ever win against the Gold Coast Suns in Canberra in May 2012
• Becoming the first person in VFL/AFL history to play and coach 1000 games against Port Adelaide in August 2012 (the club’s second win)
• Playing 44 AFL debutants
• Building the profile of the game in Western Sydney and Canberra
• Forming corporate and community partnerships and introducing new brands such as Dyldam to AFL
• Having the Club Champion award, the Kevin Sheedy Medal, named in his honour
