Subiaco 2018 Life Member Dinner an Outstanding Success

The Subiaco Football Club 2018 Life Member Dinner was held last Friday night with over 50 of Subiaco’s living Life Members in attendance at what was a memorable night for the club.

The two players formally inducted to the Subiaco Life Member group by receiving their life membership badge and life membership tie were club stalwarts Kyal Horsley and Chris Phelan.

Both Horsley and Phelan qualified for life membership after each playing their 150^th WAFL league match in the 2017 season, with their life membership officially approved at the 2017 Subiaco Annual General Meeting.

Subiaco Life Member Trevor Nisbett was given the honour of officially welcoming and presenting Kyal with his life membership tie and badge.

In his acceptance speech Kyal acknowledged the senior players who were at the club when he started for their guidance and setting a culture of hard work and striving towards elite standards.

Admitting that there were times he didn’t think he would make it at Subiaco, as a young player coming up from Kalgoorlie, Horsley’s persistence was rewarded as he became a premiership winning club captain, two time Outridge Medal winner and was drafted to the Gold Coast Suns.

Meanwhile Subiaco Life Member Aidan Parker was given the honour of officially welcoming and presenting Christ with his life membership tie and badge.

In his acceptance speech Chris reiterated what an honour it was to play 150 games for such a great club.

Like Horsley, there were times when Phelan doubted making such a momentous milestone and paid tribute to current league coach Jarrad Schofield for his role in the ongoing evolution of Phelan’s game to become one of the premier midfielders of the WAFL competition.

Phelan would go on to win back to back Outridge Medals in 2015 and 2016 playing a key role as a two time premiership player across 2014 and 2015.

For both Kyal and Chris the occasion and emotion of joining such an illustrious group of Subiaco Lions players, coaches, support staff and administrators was evident in the way in which they spoke about their history with the club and the future as they look forward to being life members of the Subiaco Football Club.

Both Kyal and Chris as the newest and youngest members to the Life Member Group made reference to one of the oldest members of the group in Chic Jackman, with Phelan telling a story that Chic reckons it was a spray he gave that set Phelan on his way as a league player with Chris not playing a bad game after that spray, according to Chic that is.

Chris’s parents Joe and Terri and Kyal’s father Geoff along with other family members and close family friends of both Chris and Kyal were also in the room for the dinner adding to the significance of the occasion for both new life members.

It was also the first opportunity for one of last year’s inductees to be at a Life Member Dinner for the first time with Bret Hutchinson after missing last year’s dinner, making it after being awarded life membership at the 2016 Subiaco Annual General Meeting.

Master of Ceremonies for the evening was veteran WAFL identity Trevor Jenkins and club caterers Topolini’s provided the food.

The Subiaco Football Club thanks both Trevor and Phil & Jodie from Topolini’s for supporting the 2018 Life Member Dinner.

Subiaco has inducted 179 Life Members throughout its history with 99 of those Life Members still alive in 2018.

The Subiaco Football Club thanks all Life Members for their attendance at the 2018 Life Member Dinner and looks forward to the 2019 dinner with warm anticipation.