Footy world mourns Hall of Fame legend who changed two AFL teams forever

Hall of Fame administrator Max Basheer has died in Adelaide aged 98, prompting tributes from across the AFL.

A towering figure in South Australian football and a veteran lawyer, he spent decades shaping the state’s path into the national competition.

As the SANFL’s longest serving president, he fought Port Adelaide’s 1990 breakaway bid and insisted South Australia’s first AFL licence be owned by the SANFL, a stance that led to the creation of the Adelaide Football Club in October 1990.

He then chaired the Crows’ interim board and oversaw the rapid launch of the new team for the 1991 season.

Basheer’s firm hand also set the conditions for Port Adelaide’s eventual admission to the AFL, ensuring both of South Australia’s powerhouse clubs were built on stable footing.

The Adelaide Crows were founded in October 1990 after the SANFL secured an AFL licence for a composite state team to enter the 1991 season.

The catalyst was Port Adelaide's secret 1990 talks with the newly renamed AFL for a fast-tracked entry, which blindsided the SANFL clubs and sparked a legal and political backlash.

SANFL president Max Basheer led the counter move, combining injunctions that stalled Port's bid with back room negotiations to land a SANFL owned club in the national competition.

In a decisive Southern Cross Hotel meeting in September 1990, Basheer put $1 million on the table up front and promised instalments for the balance, flipping the talks in the SANFL's favour.

A week later, AFL clubs voted 13 to 1 to award South Australia's licence to the SANFL, and the Crows were formally unveiled on October 9, 1990.

Adelaide debuted in 1991 under coach Graham Cornes and quickly embedded itself in the expanding national league.

'The Adelaide Football Club would not exist if not for the determination, resilience and tireless work of Max Basheer,' Crows chairman John Olsen said on Monday.

'He was a visionary, a passionate South Australian and a man of integrity, who always had the best interests of football in this state at heart.

'Our club, and the broader football community, owe a great deal to Max and the service he gave over many decades.'

Port Adelaide regrouped and was awarded the second South Australian AFL sub licence on December 13, 1994.

Basheer also oversaw the shift from cricket-controlled Adelaide Oval to the purpose-built Football Park at West Lakes, giving the SANFL control of its own venue.

The move required years of political wrangling, financing, and member diplomacy to secure a home tailored to Australian football.

He then fought a long battle for night fixtures, pushing through approvals and community resistance so the game could be played under lights.

'We had a judicial inquiry, we had a royal commission no less, and we finished up in the Supreme Court, and that was six and a half years after we started,' he told the ABC in 2003.

Crows Chairman John Olsen described Basheer as a giant of South Australian football and sports administration.

'The Adelaide Football Club would not exist if not for the determination, resilience and tireless work of Max Basheer,' Olsen said.

'He was a visionary, a passionate South Australian and a man of integrity, who always had the best interests of football in this State at heart.

'Our Club, and the broader football community, owe a great deal to Max and the service he gave over many decades.'

AFL Chief Executive Officer Andrew Dillon praised Basheer for being the primary figure in ensuring the off-field strength and financial stability of the game in South Australia, with more than 60 years of contribution to the SANFL and football in the state. 

'Max's foremost priority was the health and strength of SA football, at all levels of the game, both on-field and off-field,' Dillon said.

'He gave more than six decades to leadership roles in the game and worked relentlessly to ensure SA football could stand on its own two feet, financially, when the game made the brave step more than 50 years ago to set up its own headquarters. 

'He protected the interests of SA football, and all of its clubs in the state, when the national competition was growing to include teams from around the country, and was a key advisor still to the game when football returned to Adelaide Oval just over a decade ago.'

Port Adelaide released a statement also praising the lifelong achievements Basheer leaves as a legacy.

'Basheer's service to football and the SANFL for over 50 years was instrumental in shaping the game in South Australia to what it is today,' the statement read.

'His dedication and service was recognised through an Order of Australia in 1988, and his induction into both the South Australian and Australian Football Halls of Fame.

'The Port Adelaide Football Club extends its condolences to the Basheer family, and Mr Basheer's many colleagues and friends.'

DBH Lawyers said Basheer was a much loved and respected member of the legal profession and that his death was met with great sadness. 

'Max was a cornerstone of our practice, then known as Duncan Basheer Hannon, until his retirement in 2019 at the age of 92,' managing partner Amy Nikolovski said.

'His distinguished career was marked by integrity, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to serving his clients and community.'

Basheer was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame as an administrator in 2005, having already been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1988.

Born on May 9, 1927 to Lebanese immigrants, he began in 1954 as the SANFL’s honorary solicitor and a tribunal commissioner.

His name endures at Max Basheer Reserve near West Lakes and on a stand at Adelaide Oval, a testament to a lifetime of service.