Allan Woodford’s almost 50-years basketball journey took him from playing on the bitumen courts at Mitchelton State High School to the National Basketball League, from the grassroots as a game official to the elite national level, as an administrator through to chairman of Basketball Queensland.
As a basketball person and as an administrator, Allan’s involvement in the development of, and his support for and advocacy of Basketball Queensland’s policies and programs, his participation in the development of government and agency relationships, his involvement in the development of technology and the Basketball Queensland strategic plan, and his extraordinary facilities development legacy all combined to provide identifiable benefits Basketball Queensland and to all members of Queensland’s basketball community.
Never content just to be an administrator, or just to sit on a board, Allan Woodford always wanted to be a part of the game, to do a job, to be part of the action. He used his skills in communicating with all groups, from dignitaries to volunteers, from the very young to the elderly, thus strengthening the family and community ethos that basketball associations have fostered in Queensland – a tangible ingredient in the mix of Queensland’s basketball successes.
As well as his death on 5 September 2020 being a tragedy for his family, Allan Woodford’s death was a great loss to Basketball Queensland, but more than that, it was a great loss to his many friends in the basketball community. Allan Lindsay Woodford is a most worthy and deserving Life Member of Basketball Queensland.
