LENNY Hayes will have to wait at least another three years to be considered for a spot in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
Players will need to be retired for five years to become eligible for induction under new eligibility criteria approved by the AFL Commission on Wednesday.
Previously, players were eligible to be selected in the Hall of Fame three years after retirement but the extension is designed to increase the prestige around selection.
The Australian Football Hall of Fame selection committee also pledged earlier this season to be in contact with state league representatives to ensure the game appropriately recognised players whose careers occurred before the formation of the national competitions.
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There has been 257 people inducted to the Hall of Fame since 1996, with 66 per cent of the representatives from Victoria, 14 per cent from South Australia, 11 per cent from Western Australia and 9 per cent from all of Tasmania, NSW, Queensland and the Territories.
The late Jim Stynes is the only inductee from outside Australia.
The Hall of Fame selection guidelines ensure:
- no more than six people can be inducted any one year
- a minimum of two recently retired players (within 10 years of each induction ceremony), are to be inducted each year
- One inductee from the umpire, administrator, media categories every two years to be included, and
- Hall of Fame selectors are appointed for an initial term of three years, with two further opportunities to be appointed for subsequent three-year terms.
Coaches, umpires, administrators and media representatives must have been retired from their role to be considered for eligibility.
Former St Kilda players in the Australian Football Hall of Fame:
Neil Roberts, Darrel Baldock, Roy Cazaly, Alex Jesaulenko, Ian Stewart, Vic Cumberland, Carl Ditterich, Wels Eicke, Robert Harvey, Tony Lockett, Bill Mohr, Dave McNamara, Colin Watson and Ross Smith.
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