Ken Arthurson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kenneth "Arko" Richard Arthurson AM (born 1 October, 1929 in Glebe, New South Wales) is an Australian former rugby league player, coach and administrator.
Arthurson played, coached and was later an administrator at the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles club. He played at Halfback in the club's first Grand Final appearance in the 1951 season and later coached them to the 1957 Grand Final as a 27-year-old.
In 1984 he became the Chairman of the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) and later the Australian Rugby League (ARL). He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1988 "in recognition of (his) service to Rugby League football".
In the mid-1990s Arthurson led the ARL's fight against Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd in the Super League war. On February 28, 1997 Arthurson resigned as ARL chairman. Also in 1997, Arthurson released his book, Arko, My Game.
In 2000 Arthurson was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his fourteen years presiding over the NSWRL and ARL.
The Ken Arthurson Stand at Brookvale Oval is named after him.
