Chairman of the Australian Football League, Mike Fitzpatrick, Collingwood President Eddie McGuire, Collingwood CEO Gary Pert and Lou Richards will be among the guests attending.
Lou Richards’ magnificent contribution to the Collingwood Football Club and Australian football has made him one of the most revered figures in the history of the game.
A member of a family that spawned five Collingwood footballers (including his grandfather Charlie Pannam, uncles Charlie and Alby Pannam and younger brother Ron), Lou is synonymous with the club, code and the city he holds so dear.
Richards led Collingwood to its 12th premiership in 1953 and played a total of 250 games in the Black and White between 1941 and 1955. He sits equal 10th (alongside Peter Daicos) for the number of games played at Collingwood, while his 403 goals see him seventh overall at the club for goals kicked.
For all of his great deeds on the field, Richards is arguably just as famous for his pioneering role in the football media.
He co-hosted the famous League Teams and was a key member of the World of Sport panel from 1960-1980, as well as calling several of the VFL's most iconic on-field moments from the commentary box during the era.
His outlandish antics alongside the likes of Jack Dyer and Bob Davis have helped pave the way for today's stars of football television. It has been said several times that the size of the football entertainment industry, which now accommodates a 24-hour channel dedicated to the game, as well as programs like The Footy Show (now in its 21st year) can be attributed to Richards and his contemporaries.
Lou's statue will be located at the front of the Westpac Centre by the Olympic Park plaque.
