Luke Beveridge awarded Spirit of Sport Award
The AFL Grand Final may be over, but the atmosphere of victory and camaraderie remains. Here at Victoria University, in the west and beyond the Western Bulldogs streamers are still flying and the WOOF WOOF posters aren’t coming down anytime soon.
On that Saturday in October, when the Western Bulldogs’ coach Luke Beveridge handed over is his premiership medallion to injured coach Robert Murphy, adding "This is yours mate, you deserve this more than anyone", something almost better than winning happened.
For the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) Chairman John Bertrand AO, Beveridge’s actions are just one of the many reasons why the footballer-turned-coach will receive the Spirit of Sport Award at the 32nd Sport Australia Hall of Fame Annual Induction and Awards Gala Dinner on Thursday night.
"Luke’s actions exemplify the spirit of sport and truly represent many of the values of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame including modesty, generosity and mateship" Bertrand said.
The award will be accepted by Dana, Beveridge’s wife (the coach is currently overseas), surrounded by sporting luminaries and guests from Victoria University, proud partners of the Western Bulldogs.
Victoria University (VU) and the Sports Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) have had a strong partnership since 2010. VU first sponsored SAHOF at the time of the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL) launch.
Beveridge joins fellow recipients Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson who were recognised in 2015 for their courage when faced with a shark attack while surfing in Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.
