Footscray - Western Bulldogs Hall of Fame

Established in 2010, the Footscray-Western Bulldogs Hall of Fame honours those whose involvement and contribution to our club has been significant, memorable and worthy of celebration.

The Western Bulldogs’ club of today has been shaped over many years by the influence and actions of many people, over many years from the highly successful VFA era through the VFL years to the AFL, behind the scenes as well as on the playing field.  

The part they have each played in shaping our club has touched and affected the rest of us in ways they could never have foreseen.

The Hall of Fame consists of five sections - Legends, Inductees, Pioneers, Officials and Moments.

Hall of Fame selection criteria

The Committee shall consider a candidate’s outstanding service, devotion and overall contribution to the Club in determining a candidate’s eligibility for induction into the Hall of Fame.

The Committee will consider a candidate’s individual record including Club and representative games played, premierships and Club and individual honours achieved.  The number of football games played or coached, or the years of service provided, shall serve as a consideration and not be determinative in assessing a candidate’s eligibility.

In addition to a candidate’s achievements, qualities such as leadership, skill, courage and sportsmanship shall be considered.  The Committee may also consider a candidate’s integrity, loyalty and character.

A candidate should be a person who by their deeds embodies the true Bulldog spirit.

A player, coach, administrator, official, staff, or volunteer involved at any level of Club may be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame.

A player may only be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame if that player has retired from playing for the Club for a minimum period of two years.

Coaches, administrators and officials may only be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame upon retirement. 

A member of the Committee may be a candidate but shall not vote for his or her induction into the Hall of Fame.

There shall be no special order of precedence given to Hall of Fame inductees however an endeavour should be made to select an appropriate spread of inductees across the Club’s history where possible.

LEGENDS shall be selected based on their exceptional achievements, extraordinary service, exemplary character and the way they have made a profound contribution to the Club. A candidate’s elevation to Legend status shall not necessarily be solely determined by the category in which they have been chosen into the Hall of Fame.  Other aspects of their overall contribution to the Club can also be considered when selecting a candidate’s eligibility for legend status.

PIONEERS shall be selected from the period of the club’s inception until the end of the VFA period (allowing for any crossover of service into the VFL period), based on the above criteria.  This category will be chosen at the first intake of inductees into the Hall of Fame.  This category recognises players and officials of this era and can be added to at some future induction if the Committee feels a candidate’s entry to the Hall of Fame has been overlooked and warrants inclusion.

OFFICIALS shall be selected from coaches, administrators, officials, staff or volunteers who have made a great and lasting impression on the Club.  This may consider the length of service, their legacy to the Club and the significant impact that they made through their involvement with the Club.

BULLDOG MEMORIES shall be selected based on one-off achievements, special moments or events of particular importance in the history of the Club since inception. These can be individual or team orientated.

Selection Committee

The selection committee for the Footscray-Western Bulldogs Hall of Fame consists of the following members:

  • Ameet Bains (Chair)
  • Rodney Eade
  • Darren Arthur
  • Lisa Fitzpatrick
  • Ross Abbey
  • Mike Sheahan