After his retirement, he served as secretary and later president of the Subiaco Football Club, and also as a commentator. In 2004, Outridge was inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame.
Outridge began playing football for the Coolgardie H-Company Cadets in the Goldfields Cadets Association. In 1914, he progressed to the Mines Rovers Football Club in the senior Goldfields Football League (GFL), and played in the club's 1915 premiership win over Boulder City.[5] After two seasons playing in Coolgardie, he was recruited by the Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) in Perth. In 1919, after three seasons and 33 games with the club, Outridge received a transfer to Subiaco at the urging of Eddie du Feu, a Subiaco player.[1]
In 1930, Outridge was chosen as captain for the 1930 Australian National Football Carnival held in Adelaide. The West Australian reported: "the fact that he was chosen in that capacity after such a long career as a follower was tribute to his ability, and he proved in Adelaide that he could rise to the occasion".[8] Outridge badly injured a leg in a match against Victoria, and was unable to play again in the carnival.[9] In April 1931, it was reported that Outridge had decided to retire,[10] however, he returned to play several games for Subiaco in June.[11] While not playing in the senior team, Outridge represented the Subiaco side in the West Australian National Football Association (WANFA), which acted as a second-tier competition for the WANFL. A bout of appendicitis in October of the same year forced Outridge to miss the 1931 WANFA Grand Final,[12] in which Subiaco defeated Midland-Guildford by 25 points.[13]
Post-playing career
After his retirement from playing, Outridge was employed by Alfred Sandover's sporting goods company, Harris, Scarfe and Sandover's, along with Allan Evans, whom he had previously played with at Perth. Outridge also served as a commentator for WANFL matches on the radio, as well occupying the roles of secretary (from 1935 to 1940) and later president (in the 1941 season) of the Subiaco Football Club.[14][15][16] He was made a life member of the club in 1935, and a life member of the league in 1956.[17] In 1944, Outridge served as a goal umpire for a football match between two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) units at Kalgoorlie.[18] He later bought a hotel in Bunbury, which he worked at until his retirement.[19] Outridge died in 1973 in Perth.
Honoured
The Tom Outridge Medal is awarded each season to the Subiaco Football Club's best and fairest player.[20]
A street in Subiaco, Outridge Crescent, is named after him.[21]
In 2004, Cazaly Resources, an Australian gold exploration company, named a discovery near Kunanalling "Outridge Prospect" after him.[22]
.png)
