| Jim Stynes | |||
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Stynes in 2008 |
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | James Stynes | ||
| Date of birth | 23 April 1966 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Original team | Ballyboden/Dublin | ||
| Height/Weight | 199 cm / 99 kg | ||
| Position(s) | Ruckman | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1987–1998 | Melbourne | 264 (130) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 1990–1994 | Victoria | ? (?) | |
| International team honours | |||
| 1987–88, 1998 1990 |
Australia Ireland |
? (?) ? (?) |
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1 Playing statistics to end of 1998 season .
2 State and International statistics correct as of 1998.
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| Career highlights | |||
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James "Jim" Stynes OAM (born 23 April 1966) is an Irish former professional Australian rules footballer who is currently a businessman, philanthropist, writer, youth worker, qualified teacher and, since 2008, the chairman of Melbourne Football Club.
Stynes came to fame through the "Irish Experiment" both as a pioneer and its greatest success. With no prior knowledge of the game, at the age of 18 the gaelic footballer moved to Australia to play Australian rules football. He went on to become one of Australian rules football's most celebrated players and a member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame. During his 12-year Australian Football League career, from 1987 to 1998, he became the first (and to date only) player recruited from outside Australia to win the prestigious Brownlow Medal. He is also holder of the record for the most consecutive VFL/AFL games (244) and was well-known during his playing days as highly courageous and continuing to play despite injury.[1] His representative honours include Victorian and All-Australian selection as well as playing for Australia against Ireland in International Rules.
Stynes' entire AFL career was played with the Melbourne Football Club as a ruckman. He is an official legend of the club, being a member of its Team of the Century. He holds a number of club records, including the record for the most successive best and fairest awards (three) and is equal holder of the record (with Allan La Fontaine) for the most best and fairest awards (four) in the club's history.
Stynes' legacy has continued well beyond his much celebrated football career. He maintained a high media profile through his work with youth and charity work. He was twice named Victorian of the Year (2001 and 2003) and has been honoured by the Queen with the Medal of the Order of Australia in (2007) and Melburnian of the Year (2010), continuing his work despite being diagnosed with cancer.
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James Stynes was born in Dublin, Ireland.[2]
As a child Stynes first played Gaelic football with his local club, Ballyboden St Endas. He later played the sport of rugby union in De la Salle College, Churchtown.[3] He was only really interested in playing gaelic football, with Dublin's Ballyboden club as a boy along with his brother and former captain of Dublin senior football team, Brian Stynes where they were both considered to be among the club's best.[4]
In 1984, Stynes was on Dublin's winning side in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship.
Stynes' first contact with Australian rules came in 1984 when he answered an ad in a local paper from the Melbourne Football Club seeking talented Gaelic footballers as possible recruits as part of what was later described as "The Irish experiment".
Stynes suitably impressed Melbourne officials and he was brought to Australia to undergo a crash course in Australian rules. He arrived in Australia on 7 November 1984,[5] before making his debut for the Melbourne under 19s team in 1985. Ray Jordon, a coach who was experienced with talented juniors, worked intensively with him. He was sent to Victorian Football Association's Prahran Football Club to compete at senior level. Stynes was a slow developer at first. His skills were raw, particularly his kicking of the oval ball, but he showed outstanding endurance and the height and leap of a potential ruckman.
In 1987 he played in a night premiership side. The Melbourne coaching panel's perseverance with him paid off when Stynes made his senior debut for Melbourne in 1987 at Waverley Park against the Geelong Football Club.[6] He was dropped after a poor performance, however he returned to the senior side later in the season against the Brisbane Bears.
In the 1987 preliminary Final Melbourne were leading Hawthorn with a minute to go when the Dubliner made the mistake of running across a mark, which resulted in a free for the opposition. His error resulted in a 15 metre penalty which Gary Buckenara goaled after the final siren for a two point win.
The next year, Melbourne made the grand final. Despite being beaten by 96 points, Stynes was voted best on ground for the Demons.
Styne's best year came in 1991 where he won the Brownlow Medal. In a great year, he was highly favoured to win the event. In doing so he became the first (and so far only) overseas-born player to win the award.
Stynes had a record breaking run of consecutive games, however it almost ended with a severe rib injury in 1993 resulting from a collision with teammate David Neitz in a match against North Melbourne Football Club. He was rushed to Epworth Hospital with a compound rib fracture. Despite being ruled out by medical officers for six weeks, he convinced his coach Neil Balme to pass him in the club fitness test and wore a chest guard in order to play the following Friday night.[7] In 1994, he suffered a medial ligament tear, but continued to play through it. His streak of consecutive games finally ended at 244 (an Australian Football League record) when he broke his hand early in the 1998 season.
Stynes eventually played 264 games with Melbourne before his retirement in 1998, placing him second on Melbourne's all-time games tally.
The honours he achieved during his career included both main AFL "best and fairest" awards, the Brownlow Medal and AFL Players Association MVP award (now known as the Leigh Matthews Trophy) in 1991, four club best and fairest awards with Melbourne and All-Australian honours in 1991 and 1993.
Following retirement in 1998, Stynes assumed the role of an anti-racism officer within the AFL, a cause close to his heart due to his declared astonishment at the level of racial abuse he (and players of non-white Australian background) had experienced throughout his career.
In 2008 Stynes began expressing an interest in becoming chairman. It was long speculated that the popular figure would assume at the end of Paul Gardner's term.[8]
In June 2008, Melbourne's chairman, Paul Gardner, stepped down as president to make way for Stynes.[9] In Styne's press conference, he became emotional and openly showed his love for the struggling club. His early-stated main goal at this stage was to increase the Melbourne membership number – especially the junior membership base as stated on The Footy Show on 12 June 2008.
Shortly following his election he declared his staunch stance against any proposed relocation of the club to the Gold Coast or elsewhere.[10]
After finishing his AFL career, Stynes began to concentrate primarily on his youth charity, the[11] Reach Foundation. He has become a prominent youth worker in Victoria. The aim of Reach is to support young people on their journey to find their own truth, and to follow their dreams. Reach achieves this by creating a "safe space" for groups of young people to develop trust, openness and the freedom to express their concerns, perceptions, fears and aspirations and to recognise that they are not alone.
In 2003, Stynes was named Victorian of the Year[12] and has worked on government advisory boards including the 1997 Victorian Government Suicide Task Force and he currently sits on the Federal Minister For Youth's Youth Advisory Consultative Forum Committee.
Stynes is the author of several books. His written works include an autobiography "Whatever It Takes" (1996).[13]
As part of his work with Reach Youth he also co-wrote children's self-help books with Dr Jon Carnegie including "Heroes" (2003)[14] and "Finding Heroes" (2006).[15][16]
In 2007, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia by the Queen for his work with youth and contribution to Australian rules football in 2007.[17] Stynes was also named Melburnian of the Year for 2010 for his Reach Foundation work.[18]
On 2 July 2009, Stynes held a media conference to inform the public that he had developed cancer. A lump in his back was shown to be cancerous and tests revealed that it had spread to other parts of his body, including his brain.[19] Stynes intended to make clear that he is not stepping down from his role as President of the Melbourne Football Club but instead just taking a break to seek treatment.[20] On 4 April 2010 it was revealed that his condition had worsened and three days later he had surgery to remove tumours from his brain.
Stynes' brother Brian was a Gaelic footballer who played for the Dublin GAA team and won an All-Ireland football championship medal in 1995. Stynes played against his brother in the International Rules Series against Ireland many times. Brian Stynes also played two senior AFL games with the Melbourne Football Club in 1992.[21]
Another younger brother, David Stynes, played for Ireland's winning team in the 2002 Australian Football International Cup in Melbourne.[22] and returned with the team that reached the semi finals of the 2005 cup.[23] He also represented Dublin at minor level and won a Leinster Minor Football Championship medal in 1994 before losing to Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final. He also represented Dublin at under-21 level.
Stynes is married to Samantha and they have a daughter (Matisse) and a son (Tiernan).[24] Samantha Stynes was outspoken against Sam Newman in June 2009 for his alleged sexism on the AFL Footy Show.[25]
In 2003 Stynes was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
The Jim Stynes Medal is awarded by the AFL to the best Australian player in the International Rules series. Stynes' name was also used in the inaugural International Australian Football Youth Tournament.
A corporate function room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground bears his name.
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by Paul Gardner |
President of the Melbourne Football Club 2008–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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