Edwin Lionel Wilson (E. L Wilson) (28 March 1861 – 24 November 1951), along with Alan Mansfield, was the founder of Collingwood Football Club. Wilson was approached by the newly formed club to be appointed president, which he rejected.[1] He went on to become the first secretary of the Collingwood Football Club and also the first secretary of the Victorian Football League when the VFL was established in 1897.[2] He held the position of secretary of the VFL for 34 years from 1897 to 1929. [1][3]

Edwin Lionel Wilson

In 1930, the E. L. Wilson Shield was created to be awarded to each year's premiership-winning team.[4] It was initially discontinued in 1978 when there was no room remaining on the shield,[5] but it was expanded and reintroduced as a perpetual trophy in 2016 after it was rediscovered under a stairwell at AFL House.[6][7]

References

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  Media related to Edwin Lionel Wilson at Wikimedia Commons

  1. ^ a b "The club's first secretary honoured". 30 July 2009. Archived from the original on 7 October 2009.
  2. ^ Trove NLA
  3. ^ Stremski, Richard 1986, Kill for Collingwood, Allen and Unwin, Sydney
  4. ^ "Well known men amongst footballers". Football Record (Round 1): 13. 1930.
  5. ^ Lovett, Michael (1999). "Shield of success". Football Record: 45.
  6. ^ "AFL finals: Leigh Matthews to present Jock McHale medal". ABC Online. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  7. ^ Gilbert Gardiner (1 September 2016). "Old tradition returns". Herald Sun. Melbourne. p. 69.