John Edwards will be honoured as a RugbyWA membership, after 11 years of service to the RugbyWA community as a Board member and Chairman.
A champion of Western Australian rugby, John Edwards has been an instrumental part of the RugbyWA Board since his commencement in 2014. With a longstanding connection to the game, Mr. Edwards served as a rugby player, coach and administrator in several overseas countries as well as Australia, as well as Director of the former Force 15 and Future Force Foundation.
Mr. Edwards’ journey with rugby began as a junior in New South Wales, where he played Rugby League at both school and club level, representing the Illawarra and Southern District as Hooker. At 19, he joined Wollongong Waratahs RUFC, where he went on to play over 100 First Grade games as Openside Flanker.
His career in oil and gas took Mr. Edwards international, including Singapore, India, Indonesia and the USA. During this time, he played for clubs such as the Singapore Cricket Club and Bombay Gymkhana. Mr. Edwards represented Indonesia at the Hong Kong Sevens tournaments in the mid-1980’s and played in numerous annual 10’s and 7’s tournaments throughout Asia-Pacific.
Returning to Australia for a brief period in 1988/89, Mr. Edwards joined the Western Australian Rugby Union community, where he played for Cottesloe, and captained Curtin for a season. Before moving back overseas in 1989, he assisted in the development of Southern Lions RUFC in Success.
Mr. Edwards came back to Western Australia once again in 2005, where he introduced his sons to the game, coaching at both Associates and Scotch College. All three of his sons were successful in rugby, played representative football and going on to win Premier Grade titles with Cottesloe and Associates.
Mr. Edwards’ joined the RugbyWA Board in 2014, and was appointed to Chairman in 2017. He played an instrumental role throughout the period of uncertainty following the Western Force’s axing from Super Rugby, negotiating a process of change for the successful reinvention and development of the current structure of RugbyWA.
His service also included an almost-ten-year stint on the Board of Force 15/Future Force Foundation (now known as the Rugby Foundation of Western Australia), and played a vital role in the sponsorship of RugbyWA and its school programs through Junior Force.
Mr. Edwards stood down from the Board in April 2024, after over a decade of service and commitment to the rugby community.
"Congratulations to Mr. Edwards on his recognition as a Life Member of RugbyWA,” RugbyWA Board Member and Life Member, Trevor Cook, said.
"The award is a recognition of the significant contribution John has made during his service to Rugby WA and especially the transformational leadership at a critical time. The position Rugby WA finds itself in today is significantly due to John’s vision and commitment to building Australia’s Future Force in rugby."
Mr. Edwards will be awarded his Life Membership at the RugbyWA Grand Final Awards Breakfast on August 27, 2025. RugbyWA thanks Mr. Edwards for his continual dedication to the game, and congratulations him on this incredible achievement.
