Vale Wayne Reid OBE

Esteemed Member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame

12/01/1938 – 30/06/2021

The Sport Australia Hall of Fame is mourning the passing of esteemed Member Wayne Reid OBE (Admin – Tennis) who passed away on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at the age of 83.

Wayne Reid was just 31 when he became president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (LTAA) in 1969, the year that marked the beginning of Open tennis. He took the LTAA from an amateur body to one that was able to successfully cope with the demands of a professional sport. He introduced the concept of sponsorship to tennis, preparing the Association for the years ahead as the level of prize money increased. He was indeed a forward thinking, progressive tennis administrator.

After resigning from the LTAA, Reid joined the committee of the Melbourne Football Club – who paid tribute to him last night by wearing black armbands in their game vs Port Adelaide FC – and a month afterwards, in October 1978, was appointed club president, a position he held for two years.

He was the inaugural president of the Confederation of Australian Sport, a position he held for eight years, and the International Assembly of National Organisations of Sport, again for eight years. Reid was also a founding director of the Australian Institute of Sport and a Member of the Federal Government Sports Advisory Council.

SAHOF Chair John Bertrand AO said; “Wayne was an absolute trailblazer in sports administration. Retiring as Tennis amateur at the young age of 22 to focus on his business interests was uncommon in the 1960’s.

He had a knack of building bridges with players and lead dramatic changes in new ways of administering sport. He was an integral player in the establishment of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

We are all are mourning a great loss and our deepest condolences are with Wayne’s family and those connected to him throughout the wider sporting community.”

Read Wayne Reid’s full biography here.