Vale: Ted Simmons

8 March 2026

Vale: Ted Simmons

Ted Simmons worked in sports administration as an official (primarily announcer), referee, journalist and historian for over 70 years. He volunteered at all levels, from club to international, in various sports, but particularly athletics, football (soccer) and tenpin bowling. A lifetime dedication to sports administration earned him an OAM in 2006 and dozens of other awards and recognition of his achievements. Ted sadly passed away this month, aged 97.

Born in Sydney on 5 August 1928, Edward Israel Simmons grew-up in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and attended Cleveland Street High School. Playing soccer and doing athletics, by age 21 he was already working in sports administration as secretary of the St John’s Maroubra Soccer club. In the ‘50s he started working as a journalist for Australian Associated Press (AAP) and later also the Daily Mirror newspaper. In 1955 he became a sports commentator on radio station 2SM.

In 1947 Ted had joined Eastern Suburbs club. 
“My first memory of Eastern Suburbs club was travelling by two trams from my Kingsford home to Rushcutters Bay Oval to meet officials, join and train. Most people come into sport believing they are either good, have the potential or can achieve through hard work. I thought I was all three and looked forward to continuing my solid sprint and jumping efforts from Cleveland Street High School.
“But there was a lot to learn about the difference between thinking you’re good and being good. In the nicest way State sprint champion Ted Strickland showed me a clean pair of heels while Keith Miller produced long and triple jumps which made me wonder whether I’d make a wise choice trying competitive athletics. However Eastern Suburbs had never been a club to discourage its members.”

At his club, Ted was surrounded by some of the greats of that generation.
“Edwin Carr and Dave Power were among those early club members who set the example to follow. Later came Mike Cleary, Bob Talay and Don Bursill.”
Ted reflected on the different track surfaces and marvelled at the current outstanding facility at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre.
“We started on the grass at Moore Park and Henson Park, switching to cinders at the Marks Field before the synthetic surface was installed. The cinders track at Marks Field used to be our training set-up for the 1952 Olympics trials, as well as using the long jump (sand) pit as a landing area for the high jump. Today’s high jump bags were not known so you had to be pretty accurate on where and how you landed. Our jumping coach insisted our cinders running had to be in bare feet to help toughen the soles for the heavy work needed in jumping.”

By the 1960s Ted was on the NSW AAA (Athletics NSW) State executive representing athletes. 
“In 1963 when I found it difficult to keep up with the new brigade of athletes, I became announcer when I offered to take on any official position.”
It was easily the most logical role for Ted who was a sports commentator on 2SM from 1955 to 1965 for football, cricket, tennis, swimming, boxing, golf and rugby.
And so a distinguished athletics commentator career had commenced. His first international role was the Pacific Conference Games in 1977 in Canberra, followed in 1982 by the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. His international appointments continued in 1985 for the IAAF World Cup in Canberra and 1996 IAAF World Juniors in Sydney. In between there were Grand Prix, Track Classics, Australian Championships and in NSW Interclub and State Championships.

Ted’s job was a journalist at Australian Associated Press (AAP). He was a very respected journalist covering dozens of sports. At the end of a long day commentating at the track on Saturday’s Ted would telephone through all the results and a short article about athletics. This was outside of his paid AAP job. His articles always got a run in the Sunday newspapers.

After nearly four decades behind the microphone at sporting events, Ted was not one of the two announcers appointed for the Sydney Olympic Games. Upon hearing the information, the Sydney 2000 Olympics News Service team snapped him up to be part of their team covering athletics at the Olympic stadium. Through the Sydney Olympics he was an extraordinary mentor to so many of us. His accuracy, and knowledge of spelling and grammar and pronunciation of athlete names was invaluable to the team.

In 2000 he was one of Athletics Australia’s nominees for the Australian Sports Medal which acknowledged his outstanding service as a competition official, especially as an announcer and as an athletics writer. Ted was elected as a life member of Athletics NSW in 2003, a year later was nominated for Australian of the Year and in 2005 received the Athletics Australia Platinum Service Award for 40 years’ service.

In 2006 Ted was further recognised by the Australian Honours System with the Medal of the Order of Australia – which acknowledged not only his service to athletics and journalism but also to soccer as a referee and historian and as an administrator in ten pin bowling. His full list of awards are below, including seven life memberships.

Now in his 70s post the Sydney Olympics, Ted continued to work for AAP as a stringer (casual) journalist and as a volunteer technical official at athletics.  This was quite an effort as Ted didn’t drive a car and relied on public transport. He continued to volunteer as an official into his 90s.

In July 2023, a week before his 95th birthday, Ted launched his book Australian Soccer - From the Beginning. An incredible resource and assess to the history of football in Australia. 

Over the last year Ted had moved to a nursing home in Glenfield, passing away on Sunday 1 March 2026, aged 97.

Condolences to Ted’s two sons Glenn and Andrew.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Ted Simmons at ES Marks field (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)

Details of the Awards and achievements of Ted Simmons

AS AN ANNOUNCER
1955-1965 Commentator for Radio 2SM at international football, cricket, tennis, swimming, boxing, golf, rugby.
1960s Ground announcer for Australian and NSW Football Federations for touring teams playing in Sydney.
Appointment as chief announcer for Australian and NSW athletic championships, international carnivals, Grand Prix and other meetings as requested.
1974-2002 Announcer Sydney City to Surf marathon
1977 Chief announcer Pacific Conference Games in Canberra (athletics)
1978-82 Voice Match reports on National League soccer matches for ABC Sport and general sport interviews for BBC in England
1980-85 Member of SBS Television panel for discussions on soccer
1982 Chief announcer for Commonwealth Games in Brisbane (athletics)
1985 Chief announcer for athletics IAAF (International Athletics Association Federation) World Cup in Canberra (athletics)
1996 Co-announcer (with French announcer) at IAAF World Junior Championships, Sydney (athletics)
Appointment as chief/co-announcer for Australian athletic championships, international carnivals, and Grand Prix and other meetings 1960 – 2000s

FOOTBALL (Soccer)
1975-2010 Referee in Eastern Suburbs and controlled State Cup final in 1988
1981 Member Australian Soccer Federation Organising Committee for 1981 World Youth Championship finals.
1988 Created and organised the Oceania Footballer of the Year Award 
1992 Refereed Australia v Brisbane at Perry Park, Brisbane
1996-2012 Passed exams to become referee’s inspector
1996 Created and helped establish the National Football Hall of Fame

AWARDS/ LIFE MEMBERSHIPS
1974 Australian Churches Football Association Life membership
1980 Southern and Eastern Football Association Life membership
1985 Eastern Suburbs Referees Association Life membership
1990 Awarded Merit Badge by NSW AAA
1994 NSW Amateur Soccer Federation Special Merit Certificate
1997 Eastern Suburbs Athletics club Life membership
1999 Soccer Australia Trophy for Outstanding Media reporter of the year
2000 Australian Sports Medal by the Australian Government
2003 Athletics NSW Life membership
2004 Tenpin Sydney Life Membership
2004 Athletics Australia Medal for 40 years as an official
2006 Order of Australia Medal by the Australian Government
2010 Australian Football Media Association
2011 Elected to Australian Football Hall of Fame
2010 Gold Medal from Athletics NSW for 50 years service
2011 Eastern Suburbs Football Association introduces the Ted Simmons Medals for the Senior Player of the Year and the Junior Personality of the Year
2015 Sport NSW Distinguished Long Service Award
2018 Australian Athletics Life Member

PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR/SECRETARY
1949-1966 Secretary St John’s Maroubra Soccer club in NSW Churches competition.
1966 Vice-President NSW Churches Football Association
1967-1970 President NSW Churches Football Association
1968-1974 President Australian Churches Football Association
1970-2012 President Pioneer Tenpin Bowling League
1974-1983 President Eastern Suburbs Football Association
1982-1986 President NSW and Australian Soccer Press Association
1982-2002 President Tenpin Bowling Sydney
1985-1987 Director St George National Soccer League club
1987-1991 President Eastern Suburbs Referees Association
1988 Elected to executive of International Federation of Football History
1998 Secretary National Football Hall of Fame committee
2008 President National Football Hall of Fame committee
2002 Director Tenpin Bowling Australia
2013 Elected Football Australia Panel of Historians

AS A JOURNALIST
SOCCER – Toured the world with Australian teams for more than 20 years for international competition, Olympic Games and the World Cup. 
Specialist football writer for AAP for more than 40 years. While on tour in 1983 with Australian team, played in a challenge match against San Jose in Costa Rica and one of three Australians selected in an International team to play Singapore after the 1983 Merlion Cup final.
Acted as liaison officer for Australia when Brazil toured in1992 and also when with the team in Holland in 1989.
BASKETBALL – Member of the original group of three journalists who began covering NBL matches in Sydney and other cities from the beginning of the league in 1978.
SOCCER – Toured the world with Australian teams for more than 20 years for international competition, Olympic Games and the World Cup. Specialist football writer for AAP for more than 40 years. While on tour in 1983 with Australian team, played in a challenge match against San Jose in Costa Rica and one of three Australians selected in an International team to play Singapore after the 1983 Merlion Cup final.
Acted as liaison officer for Australia when Brazil toured in1992 and also when with the team in Holland in 1989.
ATHLETICS – Reported regularly over six decades on track and field while working for the Sydney Daily Mirror, Radio 2SM and the AAP national news agency. This has included writing, interviewing, broadcasting, articles for magazines and assisting with Athletics NSW publicity.