Francis Valentine Sparrow (1 July 1927 – 31 December 2000) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played for the

East Perth Football Club The East Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Royals, is an Australian rules football club based in Leederville, Western Australia, current playing in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). Formed in 1902 as the Union Football Club, the club ...

Swan Districts Football Club The Swan Districts Football Club, nicknamed the Swans, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW). The club is based at Bassendean Oval, in Bassendean, an eastern suburb ...

and the

West Perth Football Club The West Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Falcons, is an Australian rules football club located in Joondalup, Western Australia. West Perth competes in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW) and is the oldest exis ...

in the

West Australian National Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September, ...

(WANFL). A champion midfielder and leader during his playing days, Sparrow became known to later generations for his role in football media. He was also a talented cricketer. The son of fellow

West Australian Football Hall of Fame The West Australian Football Hall of Fame was created in 2002 to recognise and enshrine those who have made a significant contribution to Australian rules football in Western Australia. People eligible for inclusion are players, coaches, umpires, ...

r Val Sparrow, he spent most of his career either as a centreman or across half back. He started his career at his father's club, East Perth in 1943 during the underage period (due to the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, and won the F. D. Book Medal for their

fairest and best In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...

in 1948 and 1952. He captained East Perth in 1951 and the following season finished second in the

Sandover Medal The Sandover Medal is an Australian rules football award, given annually since 1921 to the fairest and best player in the West Australian Football League. The award was donated by Alfred Sandover M.B.E., a prominent Perth hardware merchant and be ...

count. Swan Districts acquired his services in 1953, as captain-coach, and he won their fairest and best in his first season. He remained in the role for a further two years before crossing to West Perth for one final season, also as captain-coach. In 1957 he retired as a player but remained West Perth's coach, leading them to the final, before joining the media and becoming one of Western Australia's best known football commentator on both television and radio. A regular interstate representative, Sparrow played 17 games for

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, most notably in 1951 when he was appointed captain and at the

1953 Adelaide Carnival The 1953 Adelaide Carnival was the 12th edition of the Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian rules football interstate competition. It took place from 8 to 18 July at Adelaide Oval. Home state South Australia was joined by the two ...

where he achieved

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perf ...

selection.

References

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Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sparrow, Frank 1927 births 2000 deaths Australian rules footballers from Western Australia East Perth Football Club players Swan Districts Football Club players West Perth Football Club players All-Australians (1953–1988) West Perth Football Club coaches Swan Districts Football Club coaches Australian rules football commentators West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees