Remembering John Yates: the boy from Yerong Creek who rose to become a 'colossus' of Australian rules in NSW

The legendary Yates, whose name is carried on the Farrer League premiership trophy, had been a part of the game at every level, from playing at Yerong Creek in the 1950s, through to becoming chief commissioner of NSW AFL in the 1990s, and a board member at the Sydney Swans into this century.

Former NSW AFL chief executive Craig Davis led the tributes.

"He was a colossus of the game of the game of football for a long, long time; some seven decades," Davis said.

Davis was given an AFL development job by Yates in 1988 which led to a lifelong friendship and a partnership in reshaping the game in NSW.

"It started as a business relationship and then we became best friends. He was my best mate," Davis said.

"He was tough, but a good listener and he knew right from wrong. One of his biggest achievements was creating the AFL NSW/ACT Commission all under one banner, and all the leagues in NSW were under one body."

Born in April 1934, Yates was a premiership-winning footballer in 1954 with Yerong Creek. He played at the club for 15 years (1949-1964) but it was off the field that he left his mark on the sport he loved, as well as on so many people.

"We reckon he and Ted Whitten had a lot in common. They both won a premiership in 1954. Ted was called Mr Football and Yatesy was called Mr Football NSW," Davis quipped.

After Yerong Creek merged with The Rock, Yates was a strapper, selector and committeeman before rising to be president of the Farrer League for eight years until the mid-1980s.

He was president of the NSW Country Football League and a commissioner of NSW AFL from 1987 to 1990.

In 1991, he took on the top job as chief commissioner, a role he held until 1999, along with being a commissioner of the NSW/ACT Football Foundation and later of the AFL NSW/ACT Commission.

Former Farrer League president, Greg Verdon, who was also a chairman of the Murrumbidgee Valley Australian Football Association (a precursor to AFL Riverina), said Yates' vision for football was brilliant, and he was just as good a friend.

"He was a big part of our lives out here. Especially from my perspective, we had a close relationship, going back near 50 years," Verdon said.

"He was a strong but fair critic. If he thought you weren't doing the right thing, he didn't mind telling you. But it was always constructive."

Verdon said Yates' exceptional ability as a sheep breeder of Poll Dorsets gave him the background to deal with anyone and everyone, the common touch, as well a meticulous and brilliant mind for administration.

But Yates' passion was for football in NSW to be controlled by NSW, not Victoria, and praised his 'drive and leadership'.

"He became a very influential figure. We should never underestimate the amount of influence he had in football in NSW," Verdon said.

"While there were others before him, he was the one that consolidated football in NSW. He should be remembered fondly as a man who set out on that mission, and I think he achieved that mission."

That was the partnership with Davis.

"I worked out the other day I did probably 150,000 kilometres with him and I saw every football ground in the whole of NSW," Davis said.

"To tell you the truth, he was a colossus of the game Australia-wide. He had the ear of (AFL heavyweights) Wayne Jackson, Ross Oakley, Alan Schwab, all those people.

"He realised that Sydney needed an AFL team and needed it to be successul. He was a director of the Swans (from 1993 to 2004) as well.

"One of his greatest thrills of all time was when the Swans won the premiership in 2005 (with a team including Davis' son Nick, who helped get them there)."

It was in 2005 that the Swans created a club award in his honour. The John Yates award recognises a person's contribution to the development of the game at the grassroots level.

Current Farrer League president David Oehm said Yates was always a support to those who followed in his footsteps.

"He was a very revered person. He was a person you could look up to. If I had any problems, I would give him a holler. His knowledge of the game was exceptional and his knowledge of the administration was outstanding," Oehm said.

"He'd listen to people. He had a very open nature, a very kind nature. He'll be sadly missed. He was a real gentleman of the game."

Former Southern NSW regional manager Jason McPherson was a promising teenage footballer when he first met Yates. He was a beneficiary of his help, and the administrator's passion was an inspiration to McPherson later pursuing a career in the sport.

"He was a person who did everything for the game, not for himself. And he didn't mind pushing the city people around, whether it was representative teams, or getting funding. He used to tell them, just look at where the players come from," McPherson recalled.

"As well as his big impact, he always did a lot of those little things that helped people along."

AFL Riverina chairman Michael Irons said Yates always maintained his passion and interest in the game at a local level and was ready to offer advice. He described his passing as "a poignant moment" in the history of the game.

"John was a fantastic and passionate ambassador for Australian football in NSW and gave a long term commitment to serving the game and local leagues and clubs," Irons said.

"We wish to pass on our deepest sympathies to his wife Judy, son Tony and Yates family."

Davis described Yates as a 'doer', and a generous and hard man who had the courage of his convictions to do what he knew was right.

He said the Yates home "was like a boarding house - we had (Tom) Hafey, we had (Ron) Barassi, Ross Oakley, we had Schwab, Lenny Hayes, the McVeighs, the Nick Davises... I put up a plaque up that it's called the Aberedeen Hilton."

Verdon said Yates will be sorely missed in his home community.

"Him and Judy, I don't know how many functions we had out at their place that invariably went well into the next morning, discussing various issues," he said.

"They're people that leave an indelible mark on your life. And you just know that it's not going to be the same without him."