State memorial for legendary football icon John Todd
A State Memorial Service will be held at Optus Stadium today as Western Australia formally honours football legend John Todd who passed away on Tuesday 4 June at the age of 86.
Manjimup-born John Todd was a highly influential player and coach who made an outstanding contribution to AFL. His decades of service and leadership had an impact across the WA community.
John Todd coached more than 700 games and played 132 senior games for South Fremantle Bulldogs and 13 games for WA. He was a member of the State team that won the 1961 national carnival.
He went on to coach South Fremantle, East Fremantle and Swan Districts, winning a total of six WAFL premierships.
Injury cut short John’s playing career but it didn’t stop his passion for the game — he went on to become one of the WAFL's greatest coaches. He was appointed senior coach of the West Coast Eagles in 1988 and led them to their inaugural finals campaign that same year.
John Todd was a well-respected member of the football community and a footy icon inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 2003 and was made a legend in the WA Hall of Fame in 2004.
As well as the State Memorial Service, the State Government has also formally honoured the legacy of John Todd by naming a function space at Optus Stadium in his honour. The John Todd Coaches Room is used by many people including the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers.
A memorial match was also held to honour John Todd’s legacy — between Swan Districts Football Club and South Fremantle Football Club on Saturday 15 June.