Sir Arthur George, knighted in 1972 for his services to the Greek Australian community, was born in Sydney as Athanasios Theodore Tzortzatos, but as was common in the era Anglicised his name as he forged a career as a solicitor and later a property developer.
While renowned for his generosity towards a number of charitable causes, it was his stewardship of football at a time when it was transitioning towards becoming a mainstream sport which was arguably his best known legacy.
Sir Arthur George was president of the ASF between 1969 and 1988, a period highlighted by Australia's first ever appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals (1974), and the subsequent formation of the National Soccer League (1977).
The NSL became the first national sporting competition in the country.
A strong, driven, personality, Sir Arthur George had many confrontations with officials, coaches and the media during his tenure, but can be credited with a number of far-reaching reforms.
Aside from the establishment of the NSL, Australia fielded its first national youth teams (1979), hosted its first FIFA competition (the 1981 World Youth Championships), and staged a hugely-successful Gold Cup tournament including then world champions Argentina and powerhouse Brazil to mark the nation's Bicentenary (1988).
Under Sir Arthur, the ASF established the first coaching education scheme in Australian sport, a visionary step in 1975.
During much of his tenure at the ASF, Sir Arthur George also served on the FIFA executive, the first Australian to do so. FIFA later awarded him the Gold Order of Merit, the world body's highest honour.
Sir Arthur George was also a long-serving member of the Oceania Football Confederation, and despite making three failed attempts to change Australia's membership from the OFC to the Asian Football Confederation, he ultimately became a life president of Oceania.
Sir Arthur passed away in 2013.
Hall of Fame 1999 Inductees
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