Football Australia is saddened to acknowledge the passing of Hall of Fame inductee Ted Simmons OAM.
Simmons made a significant contribution to football in Australia as a journalist, storyteller, referee and administrator over a more than 70-year period.
A journalist from the 1950s, his work for Australian Associated Press (AAP) gave football extensive coverage in Australian newspapers in an era when there were very few employed specialist football writers.
He covered many Socceroos’ FIFA World Cup campaigns including Mexico ‘86, Italy ‘90 and USA ‘94, as well as several FIFA World Cup finals for junior men’s national teams.
He was also a regular reporter on the weekly news of Australian football, including the National Soccer League from its inception in 1977.
Beyond his work as a journalist, Ted made significant contributions to football in other aspects of the game.
As a footballer, he played Churches football until the early 1960s before becoming President of the NSW Churches Football Association and then the Australian Churches Football Association.
Ted was later elected as President of the Eastern Suburbs Soccer Football Association as well as the president of the Eastern Suburbs Referees Association.
He was also an executive member of the International Federation of Football History and Statistics where he was instrumental in creating the Oceania Footballer of the Year Award.
In 2000 Ted was awarded the Australian Sports Medal, in 2006 he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his services to football and in 2011 he was inducted into the Football Australia Hall of Fame for his sustained and meritorious contribution to the game.
Football Australia extends its deepest condolences to the Simmons family.
