Football Victoria (FV) welcomed six inductees to the Hall of Fame as part of its 2025-2026 intake at a ceremony staged at The Home of The Matildas earlier this afternoon.
Socceroos Jimmy Mackay and Mike de Bruyckere, Victorian state representatives Margaret Roy and Cheryl Elvey, Matilda Tracy Singleton and FIFA World Cup referee Chris Bambridge were all awarded with the highest honour in Victorian football.
2025/26 Football Victoria Hall of Fame Photo Album
A long overdue recognition, Jimmy Mackay was a star for Croatia and South Melbourne Hellas in a glittering State League career, which saw him capped 27 times for Victoria. Accepting the award on Mackay’s behalf was his son Malcolm Mackay, while inaugural inductee Jimmy Rooney relived the moment that his teammate scored a wonder goal against South Korea to seal the Socceroos first ever appearance at a FIFA World Cup Finals tournament.
Posthumous recognitions were also awarded to Margaret Roy and Mike de Bruyckere.
One of the true pioneers of the Women’s game, Margaret Roy represented Victoria at ten National Championships and was a pivotal member of the winning squads in 1987 and 1989. Roy was one of the first Women to earn a Level 3 Coaching Accreditation and took the helm of Victoria’s Under 15 squad at the 1984 National Championships. Margaret Roy’s partner Wendy Whitford was on hand to accept the award while fellow Hall of Famer Janette Melvin relived some cherished memories of a much-loved figure in the game.
A Dutch international and dual Championship winner before emigrating to Melbourne in 1956, Mike de Bruyckere led Ringwood City to promotion in the same year and its first and only ever top-flight Championship in 1959. One of only a few dual internationals at the time (he scored in his one appearance for Australia) de Bruyckere represented Victoria on 18 occasions and led his adopted state as Head Coach when it famously drew with Manchester United in 1967. Ben de Bruyckere relived that childhood experience while historian and author Adam Muyt provided insight into one of Australia’s greatest Dutch imports. Victorian great Billy Vojtek was on hand to present Ben with the award honouring his late father.
Tracy Singleton, Matilda #22, was recognised for a glittering state career which involved three National Championship wins in eleven campaigns. A versatile midfielder who was as comfortable in a holding role as moving forward, Singleton debuted for Australia in 1981, playing all four matches in a tour of New Zealand, before adding six more caps at the World Invitational Tournament in Taiwan three years later. Now based in Noosa, Tracy Singleton boarded a flight to Melbourne and was on hand to receive the award from fellow Matilda and Hall of Famer Deborah Nichols.
Cheryl Elvey represented Victoria at eight National Championships, earning Australian All-star selections in 1980 and 1981. The first player from regional Victoria to represent the state at Nationals, Elvey starred in Bendigo before becoming an integral member of the all-conquering Greensborough outfit which dominated Victorian football for over a decade. Cheryl Elvey was on hand to receive her award from Matilda Shona Bass, truly honoured to be recognised among her peers.
The final inductee of the afternoon was esteemed referee Chris Bambridge, the first Australian to officiate at both a FIFA World Cup (Mexico 1986) and an Olympic Games (Seoul 1988). A six-time Victorian Referee of the Year and a distinguished career in the National Soccer League, Bambridge recalled some of his finest moments on the pitch while paying tribute to those who mentored him throughout his career. Bambridge received his award from Life Member and fellow World Cup referee, Eugene Brazzale.
FV Chair Angela Williams was deeply honoured to welcome the Hall of Fame’s latest cohort.
“The Football Victoria Hall of Fame is the pinnacle honour awarded to players, officials and administrators and each have elevated Victorian football’s status in their own indomitable manner," she said.
“We were so privileged to hear from the families of Jimmy Mackay, Margaret Roy and Mike de Bruyckere, all posthumously recognised for their wonderful achievements. While the first-hand accounts of Tracy Singleton, Cheryl Elvey and Chris Bambridge reminded us that success follows perseverance and determination, qualities that each of our inductees exhibit to no end.”
For more information on the 2025-2026 inductees, you can read their respective biographies at Football Victoria’s Hall of Fame microsite.
Jimmy Mackay
Margaret Roy
Mike de Bruyckere
Tracy Singleton
Cheryl Elvey
Chris Bambridge