Ted Fidge (born 7 June 1963) is a former

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 with

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL). Fidge, recruited from St Peter's, started his VFL career in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

, playing nine games for the season.AFL Tables: Ted Fidge
/ref> A forward, Fidge made another nine appearances in

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

but did not feature at all in the 1984 season; however, he was a member of the Melbourne Reserves premiership team. He kicked 27 goals for Melbourne in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, from 15 games, which saw him finish second in their goalkicking. In

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

, he played eight games and missed an entire season again in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

. He made only one appearance in

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

, but it was memorable, as he was reported for striking Collingwood player

Darren Millane Darren Millane (9 August 1965 – 7 October 1991) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). One of the toughest and finest wingmen of his era, Millane's trag ...

, for which he got a six-week suspension. It would be Fidge's last game for Melbourne, as he was delisted at the end of the season after undergoing a groin operation. He captain-coached Sale in the 1989 and 1990

Latrobe Valley Football League The Gippsland League (formerly known as the West Gippsland Latrobe Football League) is an Australian rules football and netball league in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is considered the only AFL Victoria major league in Gippsla ...

seasons. The club finished third both times. His younger brother

John Fidge John Fidge (born 4 May 1966) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne and the Brisbane Bears in the Victorian Football League (VFL), Glenelg in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and Frankston in th ...

also played for Melbourne. In 2023, aged 60, Fidge told ''

A Current Affair ''A Current Affair'' may refer to: * ''A Current Affair'' (Australian TV program), 1971–present Australian current affairs program that airs on Nine Network * ''A Current Affair'' (American TV program), a 1986–1998 American television news ...

'' that he had

chronic traumatic encephalopathy Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse o ...

(CTE) as a result of his football career, mentioning that medical costs had wiped out his superannuation and that his wife was his full-time carer despite also having a job; they criticised the AFL's lack of support, and Fidge says he will donate his brain to science.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fidge, Ted 1963 births Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Melbourne Football Club players Sale Football Club players Sale Football Club coaches Living people