At the 2016 Phelan Mostyn Medal Night on 12th September AFL Sydney stalwart Ian Parker of the Pennant Hills Demons AFC was awarded Life Membership of AFL Sydney.
Ian Parker’s association with Australian Rules Football started more than 60 years ago when he first played schoolboy football in 1956 in Tasmania. Since that time, he has contributed to the management and development of Australian Rules Football, principally at the Club level, in an continuous football career spanning 6 decades.
His involvement in the Sydney AFL scene spans more than 26 years, including 8 years at Westbrook Juniors and 18 years at Pennant Hills AFC. His contribution to AFL Sydney has been as a leader at the helm of one of the most successful and well organised Club’s in Sydney and through the development of Australian Rules Football at the local community, grassroots level. There is a not part of the Pennant Hills AFC administration today that has not benefited from the work of Ian Parker.
In Sydney, Ian has been at the forefront of junior football as a member/coach/team manager of Westbrook Juniors and membership of North West Region and Northside Association representative committees. He was President of the North West Region Junior Australian Football Association in 1996 and Football Operations Manager in 1997-98.
Ian has been a very active member of the Pennant Hills Demons since 1998 and is a valued Life Member and was Vice President of the Club committee for many years. Though the span of a decade when past club President Leo Browne presided he described his role as being the easiest role of President in Sydney AFL as “Ian Parker did all the work”. As if being Vice President was enough Ian even found time to concurrently take up the role of team Manager of the Premier Division side.
The success of most Football Clubs starts with a well organised Committee and Ian has been the foundation of the strong Pennant Hills committee for nearly 2 decades.
Ian continues to support the Club on match-days as time-keeper and still takes carriage of various other duties including chairing club events, coordinating and administrating player auctions and organising the annual Presentation night.
There is barely a role within football that Ian has not taken on with success, from being a Tasmania Football League Director, through to talent identification officer, through to AFL timekeeping, Ian has an imposing list of achievements over more than 40 years in both junior and senior football networks.
Few people have given so much to a community football club as Ian Parker has given to his beloved Demons. His work ethic, experience, deep knowledge and systematic approach to running the Club are without peer. There is little doubt that the Club, and by association, the League, are in better shape for his involvement. Pennant Hills AFC owes him a great debt for his long service and the systems and processes that he has instilled over a long period as an administrator of the football club.
For his contribution to football in Sydney and NSW Ian was presented with the prestigious AFL Merit Award at the 2010 Phelan Medal Presentation Dinner.
AFL Sydney would like to congratulate Ian Parker, our newest AFL Sydney Life Member.
Last Modified on 04/10/2016 11:47
