Richard Colless AM is Sydney’s longest serving chairman, having led the club from 1993-2013. Under his leadership the club became one of the AFL’s most respected and successful, both on and off the field. His reign at the club resulted in two premierships (2005 and 2012), four grand final appearances, and finals appearances in 14 of those seasons.
During his time at the Swans, Richard also held the position of Chairman of the NSW/ACT AFL Commission, which oversaw significant increases in the development of Australian football across New South Wales.
His passion for the club and reverence for its history was a driving force behind the introduction of the Swans Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2011, the Swans Heritage List was also created to honour items and moments of significance in the club’s history.
Richard is now the Patron of the NSW Australian Football History Society. In this role he has been largely responsible for the initiatives such as NSW Greatest Team in 2019 and the football awards for NSW players in the AFL that include the Carey-Bunton Medal and the selection of a State-of-Origin team each year.
Colless has also been inducted as a life member of the Sydney Cricket Ground. This is the highest individual honour awarded for sporting excellence and contribution at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Allianz Stadium.
Colless, alongside Club patron Basil Sellers, became the only administrators since Craig Kimberley to receive the honour of becoming Swans Hall of Fame members, on the same night that it was revealed Sydney Swans HQ will be formally known as the Basil Sellers Richard Colless Centre.
