World Footy News

Melbourne Football Club president Jim Stynes has held a press conference to announce that he is battling cancer and will have to step away from his duties, although not his position, for the rest of 2009. Arguably the greatest success story in the so-called Irish experiment of recruitng Gaelic players to Australian football, Stynes is still remembered for his remarkable robustness, playing 244 consecutive games despite numerous injuries. He also won the 1991 Brownlow Medal as the best player in the AFL that year.

Stynes, 43, has been a passionate advocate for the charity Reach, which he founded in 1994 to assist youth suffering from depression. In more recent times he has also dedicated himself to rescuing the Mebourne Demons from their financial problems, taking on the role of President and bringing former players and supporters back to the club.

“Three weeks ago I found out that I had a lump in my back. The guys thought we should take it out and have a look at it. I found out that it was cancerous and so I was sent in to do a whole lot of follow up tests, scans and so on,” he said. “I thought it might be located in the one area but it’s not. It has spread quite a bit and I have a journey to go on. I need to understand it and work with it.”

The best wishes of all football supporters will be with him. More details in Stynes prepares for fight of his life.