LONG time volunteer Alf Trebilcock’s incredible contribution to the club over nearly 60 years has been recognised with his induction into the Port Adelaide Football Club Hall of Fame.  

Trebilcock started as a boot studder at the club in 1968 and 58 seasons on, his infectious smile and warm nature remain a daily feature at Alberton.  

Having initially combined his volunteer work with a demanding job running his own butcher’s store in the Adelaide Central Market, Trebilcock was able to dedicate even more of this time to caring for the footwear of players after his retirement. 

He has carefully looked after the boots of hundreds of players over his 58 years, witnessing the transition from ankle-high boots with knock-in timber studs to today’s multi-coloured ultra-light models.  

He was involved in 11 SANFL premierships before shifting into the AFL program in 1997 and playing his part in the 2004 AFL premiership. 

Trebilcock was awarded Life Membership of Port Adelaide in 1979 and in 2013 was awarded the AFL’s prestigious Jack Titus Award for conspicuous service for the game. He described being inducted into the Port Adelaide Football Club Hall of Fame as his “greatest honour”  

“I’ve seen hundreds of players go through this club and I just love all the players,” Trebilcock said while accepting the recognition.

“I say thank you to all of you players for the respect you’ve given me right throughout my time.

“There’s too many (memories) but at the same time I think my favourite moment was my first grand final in 1977. Another proud moment was when I was made a Life Member in 1979.

“The Port Adelaide Football Club is the greatest football club in Australia and it’s an honour to have served this club for so long.

“(This) means the world. Thank you very much.”

His induction into the Hall of Fame was announced at Port Adelaide’s Season Launch and Hall of Fame Event at Adelaide Oval on Friday night, with a former forward Max James and current midfielder Ollie Wines leading the tributes.  

James played at the club in the 1970s and 80s and said Trebilcock was both a welcoming figure for new recruits and an innovator. 

“I came to Adelaide as a teenager, moving out of home. It's quite daunting not knowing Adelaide at all, not really knowing much about the club,” James explained.  

“It was always great to have people around you that made you welcome and I found that Alfie was one. He was upbeat, he was a very pleasant and positive person, but most importantly, he was very friendly and to guys like me who came from country areas trying out at the preseason just to get a spot on the list, to have a friendly face around the place, was really appreciated. 

 “He was very innovative, too. If someone had certain needs, like, he identified that Russell (Ebert) really should have a bit of a modification to his boot, and he built a bit of a wedge into the boot, which enabled Russell to perform much better and for much longer periods without injury, which were looking like hampering his career, so he was innovative in those regards.”  

Wines has struck up a strong relationship with Trebilcock since arriving at the club in 2012. 

 He described him as someone who played an incredibly important role but sought little fanfare or recognition. 

Wines said Trebilcock deserved to be honoured alongside some of the absolute greats of the club. 

“He's willing to do the tough hours when no one's at the club, to come in and dry the boots and make sure that we're ready for game day,” Wines said.  

“It has been a few times where he has gone down over the years for a few weeks and the world falls apart without him here.  

“We know the amount of work he does, and we can't appreciate it enough.” 

Wines was also glowing of Trebilcock’s unnoticed acts over the years, like putting on barbecues for players and staff, loading the property truck for away games or being a friendly face in tough times.  

“Regardless of how the footy season is going - and we understand there's a lot of ups and downs, wins and losses - Alfie's always got his smile on, and that's the most important thing at times, just having someone to talk to and have someone to have a laugh with when things are not going your way.”  

Alf Trebilcock 

Club volunteer / boot studder 
1968 – present day 
1979 Port Adelaide Life Member 
2013 Jack Titus Award for conspicuous service to Australian Rules Football