Vale Jeffery Smith

22 March 1926 – 28 May 2026

The Subiaco Football Club mourns the passing of Jeffery Smith – player, captain, State representative, Life Member and one of the finest footballers to wear the maroon and gold. Jeffery passed away on 28 May 2026, just two months after reaching the remarkable milestone of his 100th birthday. He leaves behind a legacy woven into the very fabric of this club.

A Lion from the Start
Jeffery Smith first pulled on a Subiaco jumper in 1943, at just 17 years of age, at a time when the country was at war and Australian football was finding its way through extraordinary times. Over the next thirteen seasons he played 159 games for the club – a body of work that speaks to not just his ability, but his character and commitment.

He was a rover of genuine class. In 1948 he claimed the club’s leading goalkicker award, a season that also saw him finish runner-up in the Sandover Medal to Merv McIntosh. In a competition featuring some of the finest footballers Western Australia has produced, finishing second in the Sandover Medal was a mark of exceptional distinction.

In 1952 he won the Outridge Medal for the Subiaco Football Clubs Best & Fairest Player.

Jeffery’s standing within the playing group was clear when his peers voted him captain of the club in 1952 and again in 1953. His leadership extended beyond the club. Jeffery represented Western Australia at State level, earning selection for his state and going on to captain the WA side, a pinnacle of achievement in the WAFL era and a source of immense pride for Subiaco Football Club.

A Lasting Legacy
Long after his playing days ended in 1955, Jeffery remained devoted to the club. He was admitted as a Life Member and was a proud member of the club’s ‘Diehards’.

On behalf of everyone at the Subiaco Football Club – board, staff, players, members and supporters, we extend our deepest condolences to Jeffery’s family, in particular to his son James and daughter Deborah, who reached out to share the news of their father’s passing. We are honoured and proud to call him one of our own.

Career at a Glance
— Games: ~159 (1943–1955)

— Club Captain: 1952, 1953

— Outridge Medal: 1952

— State Player and State Captain

— Club Leading Goalkicker: 1948

— Sandover Medal Runner-Up: 1948

— Life Member, Subiaco Football Club: 1973

— Member of the SFC ‘Diehards’