Football
Nicknamed 'Sugar', Sparrow began his career in the Victorian Football Association playing for Richmond, where he was captain for two years. He joined the VFL in its second season, and after having to sit out 1897 to gain a clearance, represented South Melbourne before switching to St Kilda the following year. After retiring, Sparrow turned to coaching and was appointed senior coach of St Kilda in 1913. He coached the club to its first ever Grand Final: the Saints had defeated Minor Premiers Fitzroy in the Final, but under the rules at the time, Fitzroy had an automatic right of challenge, and they won the Grand Final the following week. Sparrow quit as coach at the end of 1913, coaching five games as caretaker coach in 1920. He returned again in 1928, this time for a two-season stint, with the Saints finishing sixth, missing the finals on percentage. In 1929 he coached St Kilda to the finals again, with a Semi Final loss ending the club's season. He finished with a winning percentage of 58.73% as a coach.Notes
References
* Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers''. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.External links
* 1869 births Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Sydney Swans players St Kilda Football Club players St Kilda Football Club coaches Preston Football Club (VFA) coaches Richmond Football Club (VFA) players Preston Football Club (VFA) players 1933 deaths People from St Kilda, Victoria People from the Colony of Victoria {{AFL-bio-1860s-stub