Our community is made up of over 1,000 past players and officials and continues to grow.

Players and Officials have played pivotal roles in developing the club in to what it is today.

Through seasons of great deeds, periods of desperate struggles or moments of participation the past players and officials become the living history of the club.

If your direct association with the club has recently ended or your involvement finished some time ago, your connection to the club is forever.

The past players and officials  Association is there to provide a pathway for all our former hawks to continue their relationship with the brown and gold for life.

Like many clubs in the VFL, Hawthorn’s past players and officials formed an association as a way of keeping those not directly involved with club administration or playing still supporting club activities. For the Hawthorn Football Club, although an association for past players and officials first originated in the 1940’s, it wasn’t until prior to the 1961 season that a meeting was called for all former players to see if the Past Players and Officials Association (PP&OA) could be re-established.

The club was keen to get assistance from former players and officials and involve them in Club activities, particularly with the mentoring of new players and to assist with fund raising at the weekly Pleasant Sunday mornings. The Hawthorn City Council made available a room at the back of the Glenferrie Oval Grandstand for the re-formed Association to meet.

At the opening meeting Jack McLeod, who was nominated by the Club, was appointed Chairman and Stuart Hamilton as Secretary-Treasurer with 150 members joining during the season.

In the 1961 season the PP&OA made available a weekly incentive award of 2 guineas ($5) for the Best Player of each game and introduced a special trophy of 50 guineas ($110) for the season’s Best Player which Brendan Edwards won. By the late 60’s the PP&OA had introduced milestone awards (50 games, 100 games etc) and were actively involved in fund raising for the improvement in club facilities.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Prior to the Association’s Annual General Meeting the general committee considers if members of the Association, the Football Club or a member of a support group has provided outstanding service during the year.

The achievement award criteria is as follow:

1. Outstanding Service to the HFCPP&OA as a Committee Member or as a member of a support group.
2. Outstanding Service to the Hawthorn Football Club as a PLAYER, OFFICIAL, (i.e. Major Achievement as a Player, Coach, Official, Board Member )

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