The Sydney Swans has today officially launched its inaugural Hall of Fame - It’s In The Blood.

From domination of the VFA through to the longest losing streak in AFL history, 135 years of passion and commitment will be put in the spotlight on Saturday July 18 at the Palladium at Crown in Melbourne as the Club pays tribute to its rich history.

The dinner will be held directly after the Swans take on Carlton at Docklands Stadium in a match that commemorates 100 years since the Swans’ first VFL premiership win, in 1909 against the Blues.

During those years, approximately 1500 players have pulled on the South Melbourne/Sydney Swans guernsey. A selection committee has reduced this number to a list to 90 (below), from which the inaugural Hall of Fame members will be drawn.

The selection committee is a four-member panel independent of the Board and management of the Swans: Rick Quade, Dean Moore, Mark Branagan and Jim Main.

Quade played for and captained South Melbourne, and was the first coach of the Swans when the team relocated to Sydney. Until he stepped down from the Sydney Swans Board of Directors last year, he had an unbroken 38 years of direct involvement. Branagan is a lawyer, and co-authored The Bloodstained Angels, a history of the golden era of the 1930s. Moore works in Football Operations for the AFL and was intimately involved in the relocation and establishment of the Swans in Sydney. Main is an eminent AFL journalist, Club historian and Australian football author.

To be eligible for selection, the player or coach must be retired for at least three years. There is no minimum number of games played or coached but in the committee’s opinion the player must have had a profoundly positive impact on the Club.

There are two categories, Hall of Fame members and Bloods Legends, and they will be selected from five eras.

At the Hall of Fame dinner, a comprehensive history of the Swans - In The Blood - Celebrating the Red and White - authored by Jim Main will be launched. This collectors edition book details the journey from the establishment of the South Melbourne Football Club in 1874 to the present day Sydney Swans. There are few football clubs, of any code in the world, who have worn the red and white colours longer or have experienced such a rich history of heartache and jubilation, lean times and richly rewarding eras over the past 135 years. The Swans have always worn the red and white with pride and this book intends to encapsulate that.

Who will be inducted? How many will be inducted? All will be revealed on Saturday July 18.