IT WAS history all the way as 32 newcomers were inducted into the Football Hall of Fame WA at the 20th anniversary gala dinner celebration at Crown Perth on November 26.
*WA's most successful State team coach Alan Vest (who achieved history-making triumphs in Asia) became the first coach to be inducted into the Hall of Legends...
*Jason and Michael Petkovic became the first goalkeeping brothers to be welcomed into the Hall of Champions (they are still the only siblings to represent Australia as goalkeepers)...
*Tony Carbone, who made his own slice of personal history when he scored the first Golden Goal in world football in the 1993 World Youth Cup, had his feat formally acknowledged with induction into the Hall of Champions...
*Dylan Tombides, who died of testicular cancer in 2014 at age 20 when on the cusp of what would have been a notable career in the English Premier League and internationally with Australia, became the youngest male to be posthumously embraced by the Hall of Merit for Players...
*Former Armadale semi-pro player (now coach, referee and administrator) Steve Hawkins was rewarded for sterling work in setting up a multi-faceted club in rural WA and also taking the football message to remote communities when he was inducted into the Hall of Recognition...
*There was a record number of former Perth Glory players inducted into the Hall of Champions - Carbone, Jason Petkovic, Chris Coyne, Jamie Harnwell, Paul McVittie, Andy Petterson and Paul Strudwick, making it a Magnificent Seven. (Plus former assistant coach Mickey Brennan being inducted into the Hall of Recognition).
All the other inductees can claim their own piece of history with their achievements being detailed in the lavish programme that was produced for the occasion. (Extra copies of the programme are available by contacting admin@footballhalloffamewa.com.au).
The anniversary celebration was the most ambitious yet, with a record crowd of over 430 turning up at the glittering Grand Ballroom to salute the 32 newcomers, taking the total who have been inducted into the Football Hall of Fame WA over 20 years - and six induction ceremonies - to 187.
And they can proudly boast that they are all members of a ground-breaking and exclusive club.
The Football Hall of Fame WA was the first of its kind to be established in Australia in 1996, beating the national body by three years in setting up a system that honours the great players, influential coaches, top referees, dedicated administrators and others, thus preserving the rich history of the game.
The visionaries from Western Australian were also a giant step ahead of the founders of the organised world game - England and Scotland - in creating a hall of fame.
England's salute to their greats wasn't put into place until 2002, while the Scots followed with their own tartan hall of fame in 2004.
So, the 32 newcomers can now indulge in a bit of oneupmanship - and take a well-earned bow.
The full list of 2016 inductees:
HALL OF LEGENDS: Alan Vest.
HALL OF CHAMPIONS: Tony Carbone, Chris Coyne, Jamie Harnwell, Paul McVittie, Jason Petkovic, Michael Petkovic, Andy Petterson, Paul Strudwick.
HALL OF MERIT FOR PLAYERS: Alan Armstrong, Steve Bourne, Tommy Carruthers, Alex Cummings, Keven Elliott, John Hunter, Peter Johnston, Willie Kelly, Robert Lee, Bruno Marocchi, Michele Matthews, Dylan Tombides, Aldo Trinca
HALL OF RECOGNITION: Mickey Brennan, Bob Brown, John Davies, Debbie Farrell, Steve Hawkins, Helen Lumley, Steve Muldoon, Angelo Nardi, Janette Spencer, Mike Tetlow

**Detailed biographies of all the new inductees are available in their various categories of halls, which can be accessed by clicking on the menu bar at the top of the page.

PIC ONE: Alan Vest (third from right) with all the members of the Hall of Legends. PIC TWO: The Hall of Champions line-up. PIC THREE: The Hall of Merit for Players line-up. PIC FOUR: The Hall of Recognition line-up.