The Sydney Swans, and Australian Football in general across NSW lost a great yesterday with the passing of John Yates. A true legend.
There was very little in the way of football administration and promotion that John did not do over some seven decades.
He played football for Yerong Creek in the Central Riverina League from 1949 to 1964.
The highlight being Yerong’s premiership win over Milbrulong in 1954 where he was one of the club’s best players.
Notwithstanding a fair amount of opposing views, he was a strong supporter of Yerong Creek merging with The Rock in 1962.
He became Vice President and a selector for the merged club.
In 1985 he assumed the presidency of the Farrer Football League and achieved it becoming an exclusively NSW competition.
He became a Commissioner of the NSW AFL in the late '80s and was appointed Chief Commissioner in 1991.
In 1993 when Richard Colless was asked by the AFL to assume the Chairmanship of the Sydney Swans, he agreed subject to some conditions including appointing his own Board.
While not knowing John very well but based on John’s reputation, the first person he approached was John. Fortunately for the Swans John agreed.
John sat on the Sydney Swans Board from 1993 to 2004. He was the consummate director. Knowledgeable, open minded, loyal, and strong willed. All the qualities that were needed to convert the basket case of the AFL into a genuinely competitive organisation.
In 1996, the Sydney Swans Board challenged the AFL about the true nature of the development of the game throughout NSW. Ultimately, following a fiery meeting, the AFL Commission agreed to form a taskforce, of which John was a member, to review the position.
In 1998, the AFL agreed to increase funding by 800 per cent and to form an AFL backed - but NSW/ACT managed and directed - Commission to run the game.
Colless was appointed Chairman and invited John to join him - a role he would hold until 2003.
In recognition of his contribution to the development of the game throughout NSW and to the building of the Sydney Swans into a powerhouse in 2005, the club instituted the annual John Yates Award. The recipient having had to play a role in both the development of the game and the Swans. The John Yates award is presented each year at the Swans Club Champion Dinner.
John was a life member of multiple football clubs and organisations including the Sydney Swans.
John Yates was a wonderful man with an extraordinary community spirit. We at the Swans are so fortunate to have had access to his vision and his wisdom over so many years. John was respected in every role he held and every community with which he engaged.
Our condolences to John’s wife Judy and his son and daughter-in-law, Tony and Glenys and Jaclyn and Andrew his grandchildren.
