Melbourne sporting communities numbed by the death of Steve Laussen

“Outpouring of shock, grief and sorrow”: Steve Laussen was involved at AFL clubs Sydney, Carlton and Melbourne, as well as numerous local sporting clubs.

Steve Laussen was running for the VAFA board at the time of his death.

Melbourne’s sporting scene has been numbed by the death of former AFL official Steve Laussen at the age of 60.

Laussen died of a heart attack overnight on Saturday, according to Camberwell Hockey Club, where he was juniors chair.

Laussen had emerged as a candidate for a board position in the Victorian Amateur Football Association.

Monday’s annual general meeting of the VAFA was postponed.

Laussen was a member of Melbourne Football Club, Melbourne Cricket Club, Collegians Football Club, Point Leo Surf Life Saving Club, Camberwell Hockey Club, Box Hill Cricket Club and Mental Health First Aid Australia, as well as the Australian Institute of Company.

He played football at Wesley College in the APS, including the premiers-and-champions season of 1979, when he was vice-captain.

As a senior player with Collegians in the VAFA Laussen played 220 games across A and B grade, featuring in the 1986 and 1993 A grade premierships.

He was best and fairest in 1994.

Steve Laussen puts Melbourne pair Brett Lovett (centre) and Garry Lyon through their paces in 1990.

Laussen took up a role with AFL club Carlton as a conditioning coach in 1986 and crossed to Melbourne as head of conditioning in 1987. He was there until 1991.

He was a fitness advisor to the Victorian cricket team from 1994 to 1997, having previously been the sports performance officer at Footscray Institute of Technology.

Laussen joined the Sydney Swans in 1997, working as a football operations manager and general manager of football, and was on the AFL’s research board from 2000-2002.

At Box Hill Cricket Club he was a player from 1976 to 1997 and earned life membership.

Box Hill president Andrew Minter said the club had lost one of its most respected former cricketers.

He said Laussen was known to many people in the cricket, hockey and football communities in Victoria.

“Steve was a greatly respected player, a five-time club champion, premiership winner and fantastic clubman who was admired by those he played with and against,’’ Minter said.

“He was a very gentle man whose ability to connect with all was truly remarkable.’’

Laussen served two stints on the committee at Collegians, and was involved with Park Orchards Sharks and Warrandyte Bloods in the Yarra Junior league.

Laussen was age group coordinator of Camberwell Hockey Club from 2014-18 and had been juniors chair from 2019.

Club president Simon Winter said there had been an “outpouring of shock, grief and sorrow across our community as we try to come to grips with the loss of a kind, considerate, quiet and gentle man’’.

He said Laussen was “dedicated to the task and a man who went way beyond expectations.’’

In his application to join the VAFA board Laussen said he had leadership experience in sport and business and would bring “acumen, authenticity, passion, integrity and maturity to a sporting organisation that I have a long history of association with’’.

He had worked not only in sport, but the construction, manufacturing, financial services, and fast-moving consumer goods sectors.

Collegians said Laussen was known as “Flappers” and “was just such a terrific person’’ and a “man of high integrity’’.

“Steve had just nominated for the VAFA board and was genuinely excited at the prospect of being involved in amateur footy again.

“We might be biased, but it was our belief that in a year or two, Steve would have become president of the VAFA and been a great representative of our football club to the whole VAFA community.’’

Steve Laussen is survived by his wife, Sarah-Jo, and children Ella, William, and Henry.

Funeral arrangements are being made.