Samuel George Ball (1884–1969) was an Australian rugby league administrator and a co-founder of the

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen pla ...

Background

Ball was born in

Waterloo, New South Wales Waterloo is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian conti ...

, Australia, on 8 February 1884.

Career

On 25 August 1908, Ball was appointed as a temporary delegate during the absence of other South Sydney delegates whilst on duty with the

Kangaroos Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...

in England. By 1909 he was appointed as a full-time delegate of the South Sydney Rabbitohs and in 1910 he was appointed vice-president of Souths. By 1911, Ball was appointed the Souths delegate to the

New South Wales Rugby League The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...

in lieu of

Arthur Hennessy Arthur Stephen "Ash" Hennessy (24 September 1876 – 19 September 1959) was an Australian pioneer rugby league identity. He was a seminal figure in the creation of the South Sydney Rabbitohs for whom he played and later coached. He was a state an ...

and in 1912 he became club-secretary, a position he held for 54 years. By 1913 was appointed to the management committee of Souths (another position he held for 54 years) and also in 1913, he was joint-manager, and later full manager of

New South Wales rugby league team The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Also known as the Blues due to their sky blue jerseys, the team competes in the ann ...

s and Australian Kangaroo touring teams to New Zealand, England and France, a position he held for decades. Ball was also CEO and chairman of the New South Wales Rugby League for twenty years between 1917 and 1937. Ball became the "grand old man" of the South Sydney Rabbitohs who never missed a Souths grand final until the year he died.

Accolades

Ball was awarded Life-Membership of the

in 1961, and was also a Life Member of the New South Wales Rugby League. The

S.G. Ball Cup The S. G. Ball Cup is a junior rugby league football competition played predominantly in New South Wales, between teams made up of players aged under 19. Teams from Canberra and Melbourne (Victoria Thunderbolts) also participate. Prior to the C ...

, a rugby league competition for players under the age of 18, was established by the New South Wales Rugby League in 1965, and is named in his honour.

Death

Ball died at his

Double Bay Double Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of ...

home on 26 August 1969, age 85. A large funeral was held for him on 28 August 1969 at

St Mark's Church, Darling Point St Mark's Church is an active Anglican church in Darling Point, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is part of a significant local heritage group that includes the church, rectory, and adjacent cottage. The group forms part of a la ...

and he was later buried at

South Head Cemetery The South Head General Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery located at 793 Old South Head Road, Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1845 to 1950. It is also known as Old South Head Cemetery and the South Head Cemetery. The ...

.Death Notice ''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

'' 27 August 1969

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, S. G. Australian rugby league administrators 1884 births 1969 deaths People from Sydney South Sydney Rabbitohs S. G. Ball Cup