Despite the slow pace of change, Shirley Brown remained optimistic and energetic, unrelenting in leading, organising, strategizing, advocating and including.
Throughout the many decades of the progression and expansion of women’s sport in this land, there have been innumerable women who have led the way.
Shirley Brown is one of them – someone who could see the need and right for women to play and learn and earn. Opportunities just needed to be created.
And sometimes, especially in the early decades of a more progressive Australian society, things moved slowly.
But Shirley Brown remained optimistic and energetic, unrelenting in her willingness to take the lead, to organise, to strategize, to advocate and to include. This advocacy was spread to and on behalf of all women’s sport.
She was born in Newcastle, NSW, but SA was ready to welcome her, given the progress of soccer in SA had been slower than in the eastern states.
Her contribution to soccer has been distinguished indeed and was recognised by her induction into the SA Football Hall of Champions for Outstanding Performance in 2003, the first iteration of the Hall of Champions in SA.
Shirley Brown was a contributor and leader to the game here in multiple ways – as player, coach, administrator, fundraiser, advocate, and motivator.
She hit her straps off the field, representing South Australia as a coach and team manager.
But it was in the offices away from the field that she had the most influence on the game – firstly as President and Executive member of SAWSA – where she assisted many volunteers to upskill in all facets of operating the association – and expertly applied for and won many financial grants to facilitate the association. Her negotiation skills paved the way for cooperation between the SA Soccer Federation (as it was then known) and SAWSA – to SAWSA’s benefit.
Not long after, her leadership skills were noted, and she was elected as President, Director and Executive Member of AWSA in the years that followed.
The medal for Women’s National Premier League SA Player of the Year is named after one of the most prominent people to have contributed to the growth of football for girls and women both locally and nationally. It is the Shirley Brown Medal.
Shirley Brown was inducted into the Football SA Hall of Fame in 2003 for Outstanding Performance.
