# Bill Faul

William John Faul (8 June 1909 – 14 September 1974) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and for the Subiaco Football Club in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL).

## Family

The son of Albert Ernest Faul (1882–1963) and Mary Faul (–1946), née Roberts, he was born at Boulder, Western Australia, on 8 June 1909. He married Joan Mary Millie on 4 August 1934.

## Football

A defender, Faul crossed from Subiaco to South Melbourne in 1932 and finished second in the Brownlow Medal. He won the club's Best and Fairest award in the same year.
He was one of a number of South Melbourne players who were given immediate, long-term, secure, paid employment outside of football within the (137 store) grocery empire of the South Melbourne president, South Melbourne Lord Mayor, and Member of the Victorian Legislative Council, Archie Crofts. The collection of players recruited from interstate in 1932/1933 become known as South Melbourne's "Foreign Legion".
In 1939, Faul crossed to Victorian Football Association club Prahran without a clearance, serving as playing coach. Faul played for and coached Prahran until the end of 1941.
After World War II, Faul served as non-playing coach, first of Northcote, then later of Moorabbin. In fifteen seasons of senior coaching (including his time at Prahran), Faul coached 313 games this was the VFA/VFL record until 2014, when passed by Gerard FitzGerald.
Faul also coached Association representative teams in Interstate Carnivals. He returned to South Melbourne in 1960 to coach the club for two seasons.
He was named in the half back line in South Melbourne/Sydney's 'Team of the Century'.
In 2003 he was selected in Prahran's Team of the Century.

## Footnotes

* ↑ "Bill Faul – Player Bio". Australian Football. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
* ↑ Deaths: Faul The West Australian, (Wednesday, 4 September 1946), p.1
* ↑ Wedding Bells The (Emerald Hill) Record, (Saturday, 11 August 1934), p.7; A Proud Father The (Emerald Hill) Record, Saturday, 18 May 1935, p.5
* ↑ Faul Championed The (Perth) Mirror, (Saturday, 9 April 1932), p.5; Manzie, F.K. (Illustrated by Dick Ovenden), Round the Training Rooms No.4: South Melbourne" Table Talk, Thursday, 22 June 1933, p.10, p.36.
* ↑ Men Behind the Team: Cr. A. Crofts' Tangible Interest The (Emerald Hill) Record, (Saturday, 23 April 1932), p.1; Westward Ho! The (Emerald Hill) Record, (Saturday, 14 January 1933), p.1; S.M.F.C. Social Event at Mt. Evelyn: Footballers from Crofts Stores Defeat Rest of Team The (Emerald Hill) Record, (Saturday, 21 January 1933), p.2
* ↑ The caricature at the foot of page 10 of Table Talk (22 June 1933) was created by Richard "Dick" Ovenden (1897–1972). From left to right those represented are: Jack Bisset, the team's captain; Dick Mullaly, the club's secretary; Brighton Diggins, from Subiaco (WAFL); Bert Beard, from South Fremantle (WAFL); Bill Faul, from Subiaco (WAFL); Joe O'Meara, from East Perth (WAFL); Frank Davies, from City (NTFA); Laurie Nash, from City (NTFA); John Bowe, from Subiaco (WAFL); Jack Wade, from Port Adelaide (SANFL); Ossie Bertram, from West Torrens (SANFL); and Wilbur Harris, from West Torrens (SANFL).
* ↑ "South's ban on Faul disregarded". The Argus. Melbourne. 13 April 1939. p. 20.
* ↑ Faul Leaves League The Age, (Thursday, 13 April 1939), p.6
* ↑ "Prahran captain retires". The Argus. Melbourne. 16 October 1941. p. 10.
* ↑ "Inside Football" -20 July 2011, p. 43
* ↑ "FitzGerald to break coaching record". Sportingpulse. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
* ↑ "Faul switches to Moorabbin". The Sun News-Pictorial. 16 October 1956. p. 36.
* ↑ "Team of the Century". Official AFL Website of the Sydney Swans. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.