Alan Schwab

Full Name: Alan Schwab
Date of Birth: 1940
Death: 18 June 1993, aged 52.

Honours
RFC Secretary 1968 - 1976
RFC Treasurer 1972 - 1976
RFC Life Member 1977.
AFL Life Member.

 
Biography:
Alan Schwab was a three-time premiership Secretary, a club achievement equalled by Brendon Gale.
During the club's golden era of the 1960s and 1970s he was the only high ranking official to overseeing the 1969, 1973, and 1974 premierships. At Richmond working closely with President's Ray Dunn, Al Bood and Ian Wilson during that time.
Schwab was also a key influencer in the famous Barrot/Stewart swap.

He left Richmond in 1976 to take the role of Administration Manager for the League, became the League Representative of the Junior Football Council from 1978- 1982, and was secretary of the Victorian Country Football League.

"At the risk of repeating myself, Alan Schwab's efforts as Chief Executive of the Club have continued to mark him as the finest Club Administrator in Australian football, and I know you will join with me in expressing appreciation for the wonderful job he and his staff have done for our Club," Ian Wilson, then President wrote in the 1976 Annual Report.

Schwab was the founder and first Secretary of the Victorian Metropolitan Football League, and chairman of the Victorian Football Development Foundation.
In 1982 he was appointed Assistant General Manager of the VFL, and Executive Director of the Sydney Swans.
In that role he oversaw the relocation of South Melbourne to Sydney in 1982. He returned to Sydney in 1993 to oversee helping the ailing Sydney Swans.
In 1985 he was Executive Director of the VFL and its delegate to the Australian National Football League, and was appointed Executive Commissioner of the VFL / AFL.

Prior to his success at Tigerland he was a junior clerk at the Victorian Football League then moved across to St Kilda Football Club where he was Assistant Secretary in their premiership year of 1966.

Graeme Richmond called him "the last of the great administrators."
"The game will miss him terribly, his boots will be very hard to fill", Ron Barassi said at news of his passing.
The then AFL CEO Ross Oakley said "Alan Schwab lives 7 days a week for football, when I discussed with him the prospect of being the interim chairman of the Swans, he jumped at the opportunity because he just loved club football."

All matches played the weekend of his death observed a minute silence.

Schwab attended Camberwell High School from 1955 to 1957 and was a member of the First XI Cricket team, and the First XVIII Football team. The League awards the Jack Collins - Alan Schwab AFL Life Members scholarship.