Erin Phillips OAM has made history as the first woman inducted into the South Australian Football Hall of Fame, joining three other football greats at a ceremony at Adelaide Oval on Monday night.
The three-time AFLW premiership player was inducted alongside legendary sports broadcaster Bruce McAvaney OAM, Norwood premiership star Neil Button and Sturt premiership utility Tony Burgan.
Phillips’ induction marks a milestone for the Hall of Fame, which was established in 2002 to recognise those who have made a significant contribution to Australian football in South Australia.
A pioneer of the AFLW, Phillips was a member of Adelaide’s inaugural squad and went on to become one of the competition’s most decorated players. Across her career with the Crows and Port Adelaide, she played 66 games and kicked 53 goals.
Her achievements include three premierships with Adelaide in 2017, 2019 and 2022, two AFLW Best and Fairest awards, three All-Australian selections and two Grand Final Best-on-Ground medals. She was also inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2025.
Joining her is Bruce McAvaney, whose broadcasting career has made him one of the most recognisable voices in Australian sport.
McAvaney began calling SANFL football for Channel Seven Adelaide in 1978 and became the competition’s lead caller from 1981 to 1983. His career went on to include more than 1,000 AFL games, 20 grand finals and numerous Brownlow Medal broadcasts.
Already a member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and the TV Week Logie Hall of Fame, McAvaney’s latest honour recognises his enduring contribution to South Australian football and the wider sporting landscape.
Norwood great Neil Button has also been recognised for a distinguished career spanning 283 games and 163 goals between 1971 and 1985.
A member of the Redlegs’ premiership sides in 1975, 1978 and 1982, Button represented South Australia nine times and was named at centre half-forward in Norwood’s Team of the Century. He was also a four-time selection in The Advertiser Team of the Year.
Completing the class of 2026 is Sturt’s Tony Burgan, who played 244 games and kicked 122 goals for the Double Blues from 1967 to 1979.
Burgan was a member of five Sturt premiership teams in 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974 and 1976, represented South Australia eight times and earned All-Australian honours in 1972. He was later named on the wing in Sturt’s Team of the Century.
The four new inductees bring the West End SA Football Hall of Fame’s membership to 234, spanning players, coaches, umpires, administrators and media representatives who have helped shape the game across South Australia.
