Subi People - Troy Halligan

In 2018, the Subiaco Football Club through their website will be highlighting just how far the reach of their club stretches by getting some of the stories from those fans and members that continue to support the Lions.

These are the stories of Subi People.

It is a Wednesday night, two days from the start of the 2018 WAFL season and Troy Halligan doesn’t need to be at the Subiaco Football Club for training this night, but he is.

In fact Troy doesn’t need to be at any Subiaco training session given he finally gave away his team management duties after 10 years doing a mostly underappreciated and thankless role to help make the Subiaco footy club tick.

Why Troy is at training though, highlights the importance of the football club and just how the Subiaco Football Club connects to its wider community.

See for Troy, there is no place he would rather be, than enjoying a joke with the Subiaco trainers or getting involved in the ongoing banter among the property team, Troy is still here because a footy club whether on field or off field is about being with your mates, enjoying time with good blokes and good ladies.

“The mateship to me is what the Subiaco Football Club has brought to my life over the past decade,” Halligan said when asked to explain what it was that made the football club special to him.

“I truly enjoy being involved around the footy club life.”

While Troy may not have been involved with the club as long as some of the club stalwarts, Troy’s place as a Subi person has been evident from his first involvement at the club with his willingness to do whatever he could to help the club out.

For six years Troy was involved as a team manager in the Subiaco Development Squads and for another four years after that was involved as a team manager for the Subiaco Colts.

For Troy being involved through the Subiaco development has also meant being able to see his sons go through the various programs with Kyle, Luke and Jake all representing Subiaco at various levels in the past ten years.

Interestingly, Subiaco getting such a great club person and popular figure involved may never have happened if not for a chance change of address as his sons were about to go into their developing years.

By moving to Madeley in Perth’s northern suburbs Kyle played a season of football at Warwick-Greenwood while both Luke and Jake ended up playing with Kingsway Junior Football Club.

This was the start of a second generation of Halligan’s making their mark on the Perth football scene.

Earlier in his life, Troy had forged a successful football career of his own at amateur level having played over 150 games for the Mt Lawley Football Club during the 1980s and 1990s. Mt Lawley were one of the powerhouse sides of the era winning multiple premierships with Troy being a part of some of those sides.

As for his time with Subiaco the standout moment was the 2015 Grand Final and being able to see his son enjoy premiership success as Kyle became a Subiaco Premiership Player as part of the 2015 Grand Final winning team.

“It was funny because the day didn’t start too well for us, because Kyle had the wrong jumper on wearing 62 instead of 35 and he was filthy about it,” Troy said with a laugh while retelling about that memorable day.

“But at the end when the siren went to see the look on his face and to be able to enjoy a hug with him in the celebrations after made you feel really proud as a father.”

There will no doubt be other memorable days to come for the Halligan name in and around the Subiaco Football Club. No matter what, expect Troy to be there to see it, part of the Subiaco community, one of Subi’s People.