PORT ADELAIDE has joined the South Australian football community in mourning the death of Don McSweeny OAM, who was a long standing contributor to football in the state.
Running programs in Port Adelaide’s traditional country heartland across the Eyre Peninsula, McSweeny had made a 70-year contribution to football in several roles.
His football career originally as a player for the Cummins Football Club, where he would play in games after mornings working as a wheat lumper carrying kilograms of wheat.
It was when a stack of wheat collapsed on his leg one morning that his knee was wrecked and forced a premature end to his playing days.
He built his career in football administration from there.
McSweeny was a president of Cummins and the Great Flinders Football League, was a SA country team selector and an SANFL League director.
His contribution to Port Adelaide was significant, working tirelessly over more than 20 years to foster links between Eyre Peninsula clubs and Alberton, so that young footballers could play and participate in SANFL league football.
More than 60 products of his work on the Eyre Peninsula came through the rooms at Alberton, including eventual AFL premiership players Gavin Wanganeen, Peter and Shaun Burgoyne, Byron Pickett and Darryl Wakelin.
The SANFL’s Aboriginal Lands Cup is named after McSweeny and was recently played as a curtain raiser to the Port Adelaide-Collingwood match earlier this month.
His significant record of contribution includes a Medal of the Order of Australia, membership of the South Australian Football Hall of Fame and multiple service awards.
McSweeny was made a life member of Port Adelaide in 1993.
Don McSweeny record of achievement
Administration
League Director 1998-2007 (Alternate Director 1984-1997)
Boundaries Commission 1995/96 and 2001/02
Affiliate Leagues
Regional Director on Affiliated Leagues Council 1982-2007 (Proxy Zone Director 1977-1981)
Committee 1988-1995
Investigation Committee (1988-1996, 2000)
Australian Country Football Council delegate 1989-2007
SA Country State Team Selection 1980,2000; Chairman 1980, 1992-1996
Club/Zone
Cummins Football Club, President (1965-1969); Delegate to GFFL (1959-1974)
Great Flinders Football League, President (1980-1982); Delegate to Mortlock Shield (1964-81)
Eyre Peninsula Under-17 selector, secretary (1962-1976)
Eyre Peninsula Zone Team manager (1967-1968)
Playing record
Cummins (1945-1947, 1952-1958) captain (1954-1957)
Cummins best-and-fairest (twice)
Great Flinders League (1952-1958; 14 matches, 5 Mortlock Shields)
Great Flinders League best and fairest (twice)
Eyre Peninsula Zone Team (four times)
Coaching record
Cummins and United Yeelanna Football Club (1970-1979)
Great Flinders Senior Association team (1966-1971)
Junior association and zone teams (1963-1978)
Achievements
Life Member – Cummins (1975), Great Flinders Football League (1977), Mortlock Shield (1974), Kinlough Cup (1980), Port Adelaide (1993), SANFL (2004), SA Community Football League (2011)
SANFL – Merit Award (1998), Service Award (2003)
Halls of Fame – South Australian Football (2012)
Awards
Australian Sports Medal (2000)
National Football League merit award (1989 – final recipient before being changed to AFL)
Sunday Mail service to sport award (1996)
Australia Day Citizen of the Year for district council of Lincoln (services to football – 1983)
Telecom Advance Australia Award for service to Eyre Peninsula football (1988)
Medal of the Order of Australia for service to Australian Rules football in South Australia, and to the communities of Cummins and Port Lincoln (2009)
