Geoff Ainsworth

Geoffrey William Ainsworth (27 May 1946 – 2 February 2011) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Geoff Ainsworth
Personal information
Date of birth (1946-05-27)27 May 1946
Date of death 2 February 2011(2011-02-02) (aged 64)
Original team(s) University Blues
Height 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 79 kg (174 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1967–1974 Geelong 135 (3)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1974.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

The son of a local lawyer, William Charles Ainsworth, Geoff matriculated to the University of Melbourne in 1965, where he was resident at Trinity College. He represented the college in tennis, athletics, cricket and football, and also played football with the University Blues, where he was noticed by the senior teams.[1]

Ainsworth played in jersey no. 25 with Geelong, who used him as a defender in the back pocket over the course of his eight-season career.[2] He was a member of Geelong's losing 1967 VFL Grand Final side in his first year at the club.[2] After missing all but one game of the 1971 season as he was traveling in Europe, Ainsworth went on to become club captain in 1973.[2] He lost the captaincy role the following season and retired, aged only 28, at the end of the year in order to concentrate on his legal career.[2] During his career Ainsworth had polled a total of five Brownlow Medal votes. In 1976 he was made a life member of the Geelong Football Club.[2] Ainsworth died on 2 February 2011.[3]

References
  1. "Trinity Salvete 1965", The Fleur-de-Lys, Nov. 1965, p. 21, 23–24, 45.
  2. Auciello, Michael (4 February 2011). "Former Geelong Cats skipper Geoff Ainsworth dies". Geelong Advertiser. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  3. Townley, Simon (3 February 2011). "Cats legend Geoff Ainsworth dies". Geelong Advertiser. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  • Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.


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